Walsh University and Not For Sale: One Step At A Time are partnering for the fifth straight year in the fight against human trafficking by hosting the annual Community Freedom Summit and one-mile silent Freedom Walk which continues to grow in participation year after year. This year’s event will take place Saturday, September 30, from 10 a.m.-12 p.m., at Walsh University.
Human Trafficking is a real problem in Ohio. The state ranks fifth in the nation for human trafficking cases, a statistic national and local government, law enforcement and nonprofits are working to change. Though Ohio is making progress in the fight to end the gross violation of human rights, Not For Sale, led by President and Co-founder Kathie Gray, Jami Luzecky and Heather Scott, and funded through donations and grants, is doing its part to see to it that Ohio moves out of the top ten most trafficked states in the country.
This year’s event will focus on the topic of sextortion. Sextortion is when an adult pretends to be the same age as a younger victim to get them to share explicit photos or videos of themselves on camera and then immediately starts demanding money. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost will deliver the keynote on the Human Trafficking Initiative he created to build awareness of the problem and empower Ohioans to act. Streetsboro residents Tamia and Timothy Woods, with the Do it for James Foundation, are coming to share their personal testimony on behalf of their son who committed suicide after being sextorted. In addition, several community partners will be in attendance, passing out free educational resources. The event will end with a powerful, one-mile Freedom Walk in silence to pray and reflect on those who have been silenced through the tragedy of human trafficking.
Those who wish to participate should register in advance at www.walsh.edu/freedomwalk.
Hosting and participating in the Community Freedom Summit is a point of pride for the Walsh University campus community. Each year, more and more students rally behind the one-mile Freedom Walk. Last year, nearly 550 students joined community members in walking single file in silence. In addition, more than 100 student athletes whose teams were traveling or competing and could not participate on Saturday, coordinated their own walk Friday evening so they could show solidarity with their fellow classmates in support of victims and survivors.
