Fight for Mari

Hey everyone. This kinda serves as a "Part 2" to the last post, as it's related but felt worthy of its own post. I've been very vocal about what efforts I'm involved in, sharing testimonies of people I've been able to help, and I am proud of those stories. However, I don't share any of that to "boost myself up," because it's not about me. Katie, Mari, and any others I have helped, it was all them. They did the work. I just showed them what was wrong in their situation and what they could do. They did the work. It's not about me. That's another thing I want to make clear: I don't want people to think there's glory in this. There's no "I'm the one that did all this stuff." That's why when someone says something like "thank you for what you're doing," I get extremely uncomfortable. I don't want thanks or praise, because it isn't about me. It's about them. I am the support. That...

Hey all, Over the last few months, I've had multiple people ask me how I got started in my work in fighting trafficking, how I "find victims to talk to," etc. While I appreciate their heart for it, I will always stand by this: I will NEVER encourage anyone to get involved in fighting human trafficking the same way I did. I know that sounds strange, but I want to tell you a story: February 2015: I met a woman online, whom we'll call Katie. I figured out she was in trafficking, the first person I had ever come across who was trafficked -- a few months before I met Mari -- and it was challenging for me. I knew she deserved better and that she was worthy of being loved and valued, not treated like trash as she was. I wanted to help. However, she told me that if her trafficker ever found out who I was or what I was doing, he had a national network of connections and would have me killed. I was 17 at the time. I had to make the decision of either, Option A) Walk away, b...