Students ‘Link’ Literature of African American Slavery Unit to Awareness Event

Gracehaven’s mission is to be able to provide victims of domestic minor sex trafficking with a safe home, hope and healing, and to create public awareness so that young men and women can avoid becoming victims themselves. I want to take a minute to highlight a school in Cleveland that has done a spectacular job in achieving that awareness. The creativity and initiative of two classes has spread the message that slavery still exists, even here in Ohio, to the entire school. I encourage you to read the following letter we received, and I pray it is as much an encouragement to you as it has been to me. On behalf of Gracehaven, thank you for being modern day abolitionists.

~Katie Talbott
Executive Assistant, Gracehaven

December 16, 2009

Dear Ms. Flores,

I am an English teacher for the R.E.A.L. School at Cleveland Heights High School. I first learned about the human trafficking crisis in the United States when I heard about the Belts Breaking Bondage campaign at my alma mater, Ohio University. I determined that a definite link could be made between the Literature of Slavery unit I teach in my African American Literature class and modern day slavery. The more I researched human trafficking, the more convinced I became that the topic would be an excellent service learning project for my students. Your experience and testimony were especially compelling.

My students were more than enthusiastic about heightening awareness at the high school, and we put together a week of activities. For each student or staff member who made a donation or participated in one of our activities, a link was added to our freedom chain and that person became a modern day abolitionist. By the end of the week, our abolition movement was 288 (people) strong. In addition, classrooms throughout the school created freedom walls. Our freedom wall included pictures of my students and the freedoms they have, as well as statistics about human trafficking and articles about victims around the world who had recently been emancipated.

After exploring several options, my students decided to promote the efforts of your non-profit organization, Gracehaven, because it offers shelter, education, mentoring and rehabilitation for girls in the State of Ohio. On behalf of my African American Literature classes and the R.E.A.L. School, I am please to present to Gracehaven $250. We wish you continued success in helping those who have endured the horrible trauma of Human Trafficking.

Sincerely,
Stephanie Grair Ashford