Like most millennials, I woke up, rolled over to where my phone was charging nearby, checked my social media accounts and was met by the horrific news of the slave trade in Libya. I went down the rabbit hole of reading about the slave trade from every outlet I could find, drowning in a sea of shock, disbelief, and devastation. Thousands of African refugees and migrants have long utilized Libya’s coast as a way to reach Europe by sea, and were now being bought and sold in modern-day slave markets. People escaping war and poverty in their home countries in search of a better life for themselves and their families, were now falling victim to an unrestricted and inhumane trade. Cardi B’s frustration with the U.N.’s sluggish actions, and a friend’s Facebook post perfectly summarized the wave of emotions I was experiencing:
“I do not know what to do about the slave trade in Libya. I do not know what to do about 99.99% of the human-driven atrocities in the world. And by "what to do" I mean the thing that isn't convenient…the thing that isn't general sadness but also numbness but also rage…I cannot process human atrocity on this scale and I don't know what to do about it.”
Already coping with the grief of my mother’s sudden death last year, feeling like the 20-something SZA was singing about, and simply being black in Trump America, I placed Solange’s Mad on repeat, called in sick to work, and cried myself back to sleep.
I woke up an hour later still trying to wrap my mind around humans being sold in public auctions. Right now. In 2017. I began to feel afraid. I feared the outrage pouring through the news outlets today, would be forgotten tomorrow and this injustice would carry on without any ramifications. I felt angry at the constant creation of “The Other,” a cognitive dissonance that somehow justified vile mistreatments in the minds of people like these criminals. And I felt hopeless. Unsure of what role I could play in the everyday issues within my own society, I could not fathom what I could possibly do for the lives of those across the ocean. But, I decided to figure out an answer anyway. After hours of searching the web I discovered three ways we could help right now:
1. Donate to the International Organization for Migration (IOM).
IOM is an organization already at the forefront of this violation of human rights in Libya, and has successfully closed seven detention centers where migrants are often exploited and abused. Learn more about the efforts of this organization and consider donating to their efforts.
2. Contact Social Media Companies.
We all know the power and influence of social media in our time. According to IOM, smugglers utilize Facebook Live to broadcast their threats and abuse to family members all over the globe. We can help IOM advocate sites like Facebook to ban the sharing of these videos on their website.
3. Shop Slave-Free.
Although not all slavery is directly associated with the production of consumer goods, it is a part of the problem. End Slavery Now created a buying guide to identify the companies that are actually making a conscious effort to eradicate the use of slave labor. We can support their efforts by shifting our expenses away from goods produced by trafficked humans.
These steps won’t eradicate these issue in one day, but it is a start. As Alice Walker once said, "activism is [our] rent for living on the planet." So what are you waiting for?
