STANDing for a cause
Published 10:47 am Wednesday, March 7, 2018
- Centre College students with STAND, a student service initiative program, demonstrate quietly on Walnut Street on campus while holding signs against human trafficking. They are, from left: Khanh Tran, Meg Whelan, Annie Varghese (standing in back), Josh Melson and Stewart Coard.
On Tuesday, several Centre College members of STAND, a student service initiative, sat quietly in and around a U-Haul van with their mouths duct taped shut and held signs showing the statistics of human trafficking in an attempt to bring awareness to those passing by that slavery still exists. The U-Haul demonstration was held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Walnut Street on Centre’s campus.
Eric Kline, a freshman at Centre from Lexington strings beads for bracelets to be given to Refuge for Women for distribution to those who may be victims of human trafficking that contains contact information if they want to get out of the situation.
At the same time inside Cowan Dining Commons, students were invited to make bracelets that will be distributed at places where human trafficking is common (such as brothels and strip clubs in larger cities) according to Alexis Becker, a junior at Centre from St. Louis, and member of STAND. She said the bracelets, along with contact information on how to get help in being freed from a trafficking situation, will be delivered to Refuge for Women in Lexington, who will then distribute the bracelets to those who may need their services.
Becker also said the students taped their mouths shut to signify victims of human trafficking are a silent group who can’t speak out for themselves. She said this type of trafficking is done in secrecy and through underground websites, even at pep rallies for large sporting events. The cloak of secrecy is causing the human trafficking numbers to grow.
There will be a convocation for students at 7 p.m. in Young Hall that will feature a speaker talking about human trafficking in Kentucky.
