Victims of human trafficking and modern day slavery rarely get a chance to speak for themselves, but Alabama International Justice Mission is hosting a number of events this week to raise awareness and money to fight on their behalf.
Through partnerships with Alpha Gamma Delta sorority, Sleep Out on the Quad and other campus organizations, AIJM will host events Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this week for students to learn more about injustice and do something about it. Katherine Jordan, a junior majoring in food and nutrition and president of AIJM, said the group is working to raise money and awareness for their parent organization.
“Alabama International Justice Mission is the campus chapter of International Justice Mission, which is a worldwide organization that is just hoping to raise awareness about human trafficking,” Jordan said. “They also have rehabilitation programs put in place for men and women that they rescue out of sex and labor slavery.”
(See also “WRC leads sexual assault awareness campaign“)
AIJM will host three events throughout the week. On Tuesday from 4 to 7 p.m., the Alpha Gamma Delta sorority house will host Threads, a pop-up thrift store, with all proceeds going to IJM. A number of items will be available, including clothes, accessories and art.
“Some people have made jewelry for it. There are pieces of artwork, little knick-knacks,” Jordan said.
Madalynn Young, a sophomore majoring in music therapy and philanthropy chair for Alpha Gamma Delta, said members collected donated items from UA sororities and will price them from $5 to $10 at the event. She said the event is open to everyone on campus, not just Greek students.
“We repriced everything really cheap, so it’s just kind of like a thrift shop,” Young said.
Starting at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, AIJM will host Stand for Freedom in partnership with Sleep Out on the Quad. For 24 hours, students will stand on the Quad, the Strip and in the Ferguson Student Center to raise awareness for sex trafficking and other injustices.
(See also “Students to sleep on Quad for homelessness awareness“)
After Sleep Out on the Quad, Stand for Freedom will move to different areas around campus for a total of 24 hours.
“The event is going to move around,” Jordan said. “Sleep Out on the Quad starts at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, so we’ll be with them on the Quad until they go sleep around 2 a.m., and that’s when we move to the Strip by Moe’s and Coldstone. We’ll be on the Strip probably all throughout the night. Starting on Thursday morning, we will move to the Ferg.”
Wherever they stand throughout the event, members of AIJM will have information on human trafficking and tip jars for those who want to donate to the cause.
After the Stand for Freedom, Beta Theta Pi fraternity will host a crawfish boil Thursday from 4 to 7 p.m. at its house on campus.
“On Thursday afternoon, we’ve partnered with Beta, Alpha Gam, Alpha Chi [and] ATO, and we are doing a crawfish boil that also those fraternities and sororities kind of put on, and then they’re also giving the proceeds of that cookout to IJM,” Jordan said.
Young said her sorority partnered with AIJM because members care about the issue. Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, their national philanthropy, tends not to affect members’ day-to-day lives, but everyone in the sorority feels some connection to human trafficking and sex slavery, Young said.
“I just am really passionate about it, and I think a lot of girls are passionate about the issue, so I just thought it would be really fun,” she said.
Young said through events like these and other initiatives, AIJM and her sorority hope to bring awareness and affect change for these issues.
“We’re trying to make connections with the Wellhouse, which is a sex trafficking rehabilitation center in Birmingham,” Young said. “We’re hoping to really bring it to the forefront of campus and get everyone really involved.”
(See also “Night of Justice raises trafficking awareness“)
