Norman — As the youth of First Presbyterian Church talked about real-life issues about a year and-a-half ago, some topics that sound pretty uncomfortable, if not hard to believe, were coming up.
They used words like human trafficking. Slavery. Not just in the past, not just halfway around the world, but now, even in Oklahoma
“Some of my youth came to me and they were passionate about the issue of modern-day slavery,” said Everett Miller, the church’s associate pastor for youth. “Until they brought it to me, I had no idea what they were even talking about.”
He encouraged the youth not just to talk about it but to take steps to do something positive in their own lives to fix it.
The group’s discussions and action have led to the church hosting “Break the Chains,” an Oklahomans Against Trafficking Humans event, 2:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the church, 555 S. University Blvd.
The event will feature a fair trade marketplace, with booths provided by such groups as Norman Fair Trade, Native Roots Market and the Norman North High School Fair Trade group, which was started by several members of FPC’s youth group.
Sunday’s event also features a trio of speakers:
· Mark Elam, director of OATH, will address a growing concern from the FBI about trafficking in Oklahoma and what can be done by schools and parents to prevent Internet predators from stalking the state’s youth
· Linda Caswell, director of All Things New, a healing house for victims of trafficking, will speak about how survivors can go about rebuilding their lives.
· Dr. Joy Pendley, University of Oklahoma professor, will address the question of economic fair trade and its impact on global trafficking.
“When you sit down with Mark Elam or Linda Caswell and you hear their stories from meeting people who have been through this, you can’t understand the level of evil and greed that exists in our world,” Miller said. “To hear these stories of people, it’s just mind-blowing.”
Miller has become well-versed on the topic. He attended an OATH conference last fall and was shocked at many of the stories, from sex trafficking stories in Oklahoma to slavery around the world in producers of everyday items like chocolate, clothing and coffee.
“The estimate is that there are 27 million slaves in the world,” Miller said, “which is more than there have been at any other time, even when slavery was still legal.”
For more information on the conference, call Miller at 321-0933 or Elam at 918-855-1764.
