A voice for the voiceless.....

Did you know that Proverbs 31:8-10 commands us to be a voice speaking up for the cause of those who are silenced, judging righteously and requiring justice for the poor and needy?

When I look this up in the original text, it is saying to Speak! Don't be silent, but use your whole voice, collectively, speak with one voice in condemnation of injustice/for the cause of the afflicted and abandoned.

Notice it does not say to be their voice. Rather it commands us to recognize the plight of the less fortunate, the abused, abandoned, orphaned, and afflicted, and plead their cause, make it known, demand justice.

It calls us to stop turning a blind eye, to awaken indifference, and to do something. Right now all around the world there are organizations and people who are actively doing things for these groups of people. They see the issues, they recognize the injustice, they long for change.

As a fellow human, and as a survivor of human trafficking, I applaud and stand with them, with you. And it is in that oneness that I ask this simple thing. Stop saying you are a voice for the voiceless. Rather, say you stand in solidarity with the oppressed. They have a voice. It may currently be silenced, disenfranchised, or be surrounded by people who won't listen, but they have a voice.

Let us empower their voices, and as those fighting for justice and assisting them, let us welcome their voices, that we, collectively, will have a stronger one. When those recognizing oppression and the previously oppressed come together as one, our voice is mighty, strong, and unstoppable. It calls out for justice, and it speaks to the oppressed, showing them they are worthy, valuable, and accepted.

Let our voices say, We stand with you! We speak against this! We demand change!

~kathy bryan

 
 
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Josiah Wedgwood I, a passionate anti-slavery campaigner and friend of William Wilberforce, produced the first anti-slavery medallion in 1787.  It was one of the earliest tokens of public disapproval against the evils of the slave trade. Josiah Wedgwood's design, depicting a kneeling slave, with the famous motto:  AM I NOT A MAN AND A BROTHER?  was reproduced on pottery and medallions, which were widely distributed and became the most easily recognizable image of the campaign  against the slave trade.

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His friendship with Thomas Clarkson - abolitionist campaigner aroused his passion against slavery. Thomas Clarkson wrote that "ladies wore them in bracelets, and others had them fitted up in an ornamental manner as pins for their hair. At length the taste for wearing them became general, and thus fashion, which usually confines itself to worthless things, was seen for once in the honorable office of promoting the cause of justice, humanity and freedom."  In 1788 Wedgwood sent a large number of cameos to Benjamin Franklin in Philadelphia who also remarked on the value of the medallion as a means of bringing awareness of the existence of slavery to the public.  Franklin declared that the medallion's effectiveness was 'equal to that of the best written Pamphlet, in procuring favor to those oppressed People.'  It took utill1807 for a bill in Parliament for the abolition of the slave trade to receive Royal Assent. However, trafficking in slaves continued. The anti-slavery society was founded in 1823, by the efforts of William Wilberforce, but British slaves did not finally gain their freedom until 1838.

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Elizabeth Margaret Chandler (1807 –1834) was a noted poet and writer of Pennsylvania and Michigan. She became the first woman writer in America to make the abolition of slavery her principal theme before she died at age twenty-six. She also introduced one of the most famous abolitionist images in America, the kneeling female slave with the slogan: -  AM I NOT A WOMAN AND A SISTER?   Although slave ownership has been illegal in the United States since 1865, when the Thirteenth Amendment was enacted it is still going on here today in the USA.

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Today we are still fighting against this injustice, which calls for a new slogan: - AM I NOT A DAUGHTER AND A SISTER?

This focuses our attention on the child sex trafficking victim.

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The Anti-Human Trafficking Medallion can be used by individual Modern-Day Abolitionists to start a conversation and to communicate the message.  They can be used by organizations along with printed material to add a tangible and long-lasting difference.  They also can be sold to raise funds to help change the condition of the victims of human trafficking.

Here is one example:

The Freedom Drive came across these smart minted medallions that call attention to child victims of modern-day slavery. Following in the footsteps of early abolitionists, Ken King brings focus to the child sex trafficking victim, with the turn of phrase, “Am I not a daughter and a sister?” Miles forfeited his Porsche emblems for something more poignant.

Take the Pledge:

Recognizing that men create demand for prostituted children and that better men have to end the demand...

And mindful of my own past failure to protect the innocence of kids by tolerating the existence of the commercial sex industry that makes them vulnerable...

Today I make the commitment to becoming a better man and my commitment is demonstrated by the following:

1.     I will not purchase or participate in pornography, prostitution, or any form of the commercial sex industry.

     Internet, TV, Movies, Magazines, Bikini Baristas, Strip Clubs.

2.     I will hold my friends accountable for their actions toward women and children.

     No toleration for degrading women, improper jokes, indecent pictures.

    Meet with, pray, lead by example, encourage.

3.     I will take immediate action to protect those I love from this destructive market.

    Become informed, partner with Anti-Human Trafficking organizations, and tell others.

    I will defend our daughters with my life of integrity.

Will you take the pledge?

To count your pledge and join The Defenders USA, please fill out the form below. Your information will not be shared with other organizations and shall remain confidential.

You will receive your personal Defenders Membership Card in the mail within two weeks. Sign and date it and carry it in your wallet as a reminder of your Pledge.

Dear Defender,

Welcome. Today you are a Defender. It's the role men have been called to fill. It's a pledge worth making and it's a pledge worth keeping.

Being a Defender is living a life of integrity and purity. We're men who take seriously our role to be protectors and providers.

Yet being a Defender is more than a label, it's also a lifestyle.

To live the life of a Defender, you have to be on guard. No matter where you've been, how deeply you and your family have been affected; you have to prepare yourself for the battle. In our culture today, it's inevitable that the battle will find you.

You've put on your armor today. You've made a decision to take action. Here are some tools that I have found helpful in the fight:

Speak with Integrity. Find a wingman. Real men find strength in numbers, and in numbers they flee destruction. My battle would be lonely if I didn't have other men who know what tempts me. I have honest and confidential relationships with two men who know the very best about me and the very worst. They ask me the tough questions each week that I need to answer. I've included a wallet-size version of The Tough Questions on the back of your pledge-use them.

Switch with Conviction. The days of "Leave it to Beaver" and "My Three Sons" are long gone. Today sex is a frequent topic of conversation on TV. I need to guard my eye-gate and my ear-gate. To do that I have this wonderful tool called a remote control. When a scene comes on TV that I don't need to see or listen to, I switch the channel. If I have to do that three times with the same program, they strike out and fall off the list of acceptable shows for family viewing.

Block with Intention. I have told many men that a computer at home with unblocked Internet access is a fall waiting to happen. Sadly, many teen boys today have unblocked Internet access in their bedroom. The question is not, "Will he find porn?" The questions are, "When will he find porn and what will he do when he finds it?" There are several effective filters that can help men protect their homes. Unfortunately, we let people in our homes through the computer screen that we would not let walk in the front door.

Love with Passion. The porn industry has a warped view of love. For me to love my wife, I need to be a man of integrity. For me to love my children, I need to model for them a man of integrity. I need to be passionate about the people I love and show them what it means to be a Defender in a sexually obsessed culture.