By Vicki Brown Savannah Oswald elbowed her way through the crowds on Black Friday 2014, searching for the cutest clothes she could find for her limited bucks. The then-high school senior cast a practiced eye over the racks and nabbed…
Labor trafficking isn’t a problem. Is it?
She had been called in to cut and style a woman’s hair in her home. She arrived and thought it strange that this one woman lived with quite a few men in a house. There was little furniture except for…
Smuggling and trafficking: What are our responsibilities?
By Nell Green It was a normal school day. She worked with the children who needed some help with their English. One day a child asked her if she knew what a “coyote” was. She said, “Of course. It looks…
Smuggling and trafficking: what are our responsibilities?
It was a normal school day. She worked with the children who needed some help with their English. One day a child asked her if she knew what a “coyote” was. She said, “Of course…it looks sort of like a…
FutureBaptists: A collaborative missional movement
March 6thand 7th a diverse group of Baptists from North America gathered in Philadelphia for the 50th anniversary of the North American Baptist Fellowship [NABF] of the Baptist World Alliance. Using the title—FutureBaptists: A Collaborative Missional Movement—this gathering was more…
Expert says Super Bowl trafficking surge a myth
By Bob Allen As sure as anticipation about the halftime show and new commercials, the hype leading up to Sunday’s Super Bowl XLVII in New York City includes claims it is America’s biggest event for human trafficking. But an activist…
From prostitution to victimization
The first time I walked down this street, it was by accident. We were relatively new to the city. I enjoy ferreting out the various markets and shopping possibilities in cities we where we have lived. Brussels was no different….
Why must children suffer?
By Jim Somerville Pray for the people of Oklahoma today, friends. The headline of the Richmond Times-Dispatch reads: “Massive Tornado Pummels Oklahoma.” The subheads carry the grim news that at least 24 people are dead and more than 140 injured; that a…
I stand convicted by shoes, bread, and hands.
Recently I attended an Anatolian ceramic art exhibit sponsored by the Turkish Consulate. Three works captivated my attention….a pair of ceramic shoes, pieces of ceramic bread, and a group of ceramic hands. I was drawn to the red ceramic shoes…