Tomorrow, I am going to talk to two middle school history classes on the issue of human trafficking. When I sent out my blog to my co-workers at Eastbrook, one of the history teachers asked me to come and talk. I am really excited for this opportunity, another chance to open more students eyes to what is going on around the world.
And maybe they won't do anything about it today. Or maybe they will.
When Zach Hunter was in seventh grade, he was learning about African-American leaders in the civil rights movement. He also learned that there were 27 millions slaves still in the world today. He started a fund-raiser called "Loose Change to Loosen Chains" to raise money for human trafficking. Today, this campaign is done by student groups all over the world. Zach also has written books, spoke on television and radio, and contributed to newspaper and magazine articles.
This is a seventh grader. Wow. It just goes to show that you don't have to be a certain age, in a certain job, or have any other requirements to do SOMETHING to fight against this injustice. He had a heart for injustice. He had a dream, and he ran with it. What do you have to lose? What if the actions that you take save one life from injustice. I think it's worth it.
Check out what he is doing on his website.
Here an excerpt from a letter he wrote:
"YOU ARE THE SOMEONE. TODAY IS THE DAY.
You don't have to look very far to know that our world is a messed up place. People are hurting. Suffering is everywhere. It can be really overwhelming. You might wonder why someone isn't doing something. Where is the help? Or you may think that if you're going to make a difference, it will be someday ... when you're older, better educated, have more money, or have fewer problems of your own.
Well, this morning when you woke up, there were people around the world and in your own community who were hoping that today might be the day. The day someone stepped in between slaves and their oppressors. The day relief from suffering begins. The day they could feed, clothe and educate their kids. The day someone showed kindness to them, or let them know they had value.
Please. Know this -- while you may not be able to do everything -- and you can't solve all of the problems alone -- working together, our generation CAN make a difference.
Don't wait for someone else. Don't wait for someday. Because, YOU are the someone and TODAY is the day."
On Saturday, I had the chance to share what I am doing with some people from Bangalore, India. That was fun.
Today was the first day I forgot to put on my button before I went somewhere. I felt weird without it on, and was disappointed that I couldn't have people ask me about it. I am liking the way it is a conversation starter. Without wearing it, I definitely have to be more proactive about telling people about injustice. It's not something that's always easy. Sometimes I feel like I don't want to be too pushy or make people feel guilty, but when I think about what's at stake, it doesn't really matter.
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