Three square meals a day. It is fundamental for proper nutrition. But a nourishing breakfast, hearty lunch and wholesome dinner are distant dreams for people in slavery. They are typically fed just enough to stay alive to work another day. Donating to Free the Slaves...
Become an Abolitionist
Innovation Starts With Freedom
Slavery stops innovation dead in its tracks. It keeps children out of school. It blocks entrepreneurs from access to credit. It steals a community’s wealth and labor and hope. Freedom brings creativity and positivity. This jumpstarts a village economy. People start...
Health Starts With Freedom
Traffickers don’t care about the health of people they enslave. No doctor visits for those who fall sick. No vaccinations for children. No prenatal care for pregnant women. That’s why the work of Free the Slaves is so vital. We ensure that the people we liberate...
Why I Don’t Buy Into Slavery
I am a descendant of slaves. Some of my ancestors were from Malaysia and Indonesia, brought to South Africa to work in the port of Cape Town. It always surprises Americans when I tell them that people were brought to Africa more than a century ago and enslaved....
Everything Starts With Freedom
You probably take many of life’s essentials for granted. A good education. A nourishing dinner. A clean drink of water. A visit to the doctor. A safe place to sleep. These basics are denied to people in slavery. That’s why your support to liberate the enslaved is...
Fashion for Freedom Event Gets Rave Reviews
The reviews are in, and our 2018 Fashion for Freedom Event in New York is being heralded as a fantastic success. Scores of Free the Slaves supporters and ethical fashion advocates gathered in Manhattan for the uplifting evening. “The Fashion for Freedom Event was a...
DoneGood Makes Conscious Consumerism Easy
Countless friends and family ask me: “How can I tell if a company is using sustainable practices when I shop?” Let’s face it, the 40 hour workweek is a thing of the past for most people. And, who wants to spend their spare time researching corporate supply chains when...
Every Thread Matters: An Interview with Rachel Faller
Fashion trends at affordable costs: it attracts consumers, but what about the workers who make the clothes? While shoppers browse the aisles of big-brand on-trend clothing, millions are enslaved around the world in big-brand supply chains. That’s why Free the Slaves...
Sustainable Living: Saloni Shrestha and AGAATI Fashion
Being fashionable is easier today than ever. Companies produce clothing at an alarmingly fast rate for little cost to the consumer. The traditional four season cycle of fashion has expanded to new fashion lines being released monthly, giving rise to the fast fashion...
The Fashion Revolution Is Here!
It’s here! Actually, it's been going on for a while, but for those of us who are behind the curve, it's not too late – you can still join the ranks. “We are a diverse community that includes board members who have been tackling sustainability and ethical fashion for...
Four Myths About Conscious Consumerism
I think in theory we all want to be ethical consumers, but in practice that task can sometimes seem daunting or even impossible. That’s why I’ve written this post – to debunk common myths about ethical consumption and offer some useful tips on how to become a...
Fathers Fighting for Freedom
As we enter Father’s Day weekend, I am reminded of the many fathers I have met in communities plagued by modern slavery around the world. “My father was a slave,” one man told me. “I was born a slave,” he continued. “I don’t want my children to be slaves,” he...
Rebecca Ballard Brings Ethical Fashion to Workwear
“The industry is ready, and I’m ready," says Rebecca Ballard when asked ‘why now’ about her brand, Maven Women. The brand, which was fashioned into existence in 2016, aims to provide the working woman with a professional wardrobe that puts ethics and sustainability at...
Return of the Fashion for Freedom Campaign
The Free the Slaves Fashion for Freedom Campaign returns this summer to bring awareness to atrocity of modern slavery within the fashion industry. By bringing together brands and speakers that offer alternatives to questionably-made clothing, we will show that there...
India Sex Slavery Survivor Shelter Hits Milestone, But Needs Help
On this International Women’s Day, I’d like to share a remarkable success story. More than 200 women and girls have now restarted their lives at our Punarnawa Ashram for sex slavery survivors in India. The ashram’s residents have endured unspeakable brutality before...
Celebrating 200 Years of Frederick Douglass
February marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Frederick Douglass, one of history’s great abolitionists. At Free the Slaves, we’re proud to follow his footsteps and finish the work he helped start generations ago. Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland – the...
“Nobody’s Free Until Everybody’s Free”
Today brings a close to Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. But at Free the Slaves, it’s not a time to relax. We will not rest for one instant until everyone, everywhere is free from bondage. The great civil rights leader Fannie Lou Hamer noted that...
One Year: How Trump Has Affected Global Slavery
Saturday marks the first anniversary of Donald Trump’s inauguration – and around the world there will be Women’s Marches in major cities. For Free the Slaves, the anniversary is a moment to take stock of Trump promises and performance. In February, Trump pledged to...
Three Things to Do, Three Friends to Mobilize
January 11th has been designated by Congress as National Human Trafficking Awareness Day. For supporters of Free the Slaves, today is an opportunity to help the anti-slavery movement grow. Please go to the social media links for this blog (on the left on a desktop or...
Three Things You Can Do in January to End Slavery
With 40 million people trapped in modern forms of slavery, the goal of ensuring freedom for all is more urgent than ever before. If we pull together, we can end one of history’s most shameful crimes. And we can do it more quickly than you might imagine. That is why we...
The New Tax Law and Human Trafficking
Talk shows and websites are buzzing with ideas to help you prepare for tax changes passed by the Congress and signed by the president for 2018. One suggestion is universal, summed-up in The Wall Street Journal: “The most important tax-planning tip between now and the...
How Will You Take Action to End Slavery?
Free the Slaves donors all have one thing in common: a burning desire to make slavery a thing of the past. That's why we sent award-winning documentary filmmakers this year to spotlight four Free the Slaves donors to learn how they discovered that slavery still exits...
FTS Board Launches Special Funding Challenge
Double Your Impact - Donate Today Dear Friends of Free the Slaves, We’d like to thank everyone who has contributed to making the work of Free the Slaves possible. Your donations are spreading freedom to thousands of people around the globe. All of us on the board...
Why I Free Slaves – Musician Derek Mount
In his music, friendships and faith, Derek Mount thinks often about connections and impact. He imagines his music carries with it a “little trail of peace.” He sees the freedom in his life, the chance do what he loves. Then he looks outside himself, at the 40 million...
Why I Free Slaves – Photographer Lisa Kristine
Over a 30-year career, Lisa Kristine has documented native cultures and causes in more than 100 countries. She is an internationally acclaimed humanitarian photographer. Today she is a global voice of anti-slavery activism. Yet it wasn’t always so. Seeing Slavery at...
Why I Free Slaves – Historian Timothy Patrick McCarthy
Harvard historian Timothy Patrick McCarthy is a scholar of slavery. And even he didn’t know about modern slavery until he read FTS Co-founder Kevin Bales’ seminal work, Disposable People. “I was completely blind to the reality that the things I was studying...
Thanks for Standing United With Free the Slaves
Free the Slaves would like to thank our Washington-area supporters for coming to our D.C. United tailgate and soccer game event! With your help, we have raised more than $2,000 for our “United for Freedom” campaign. We had a great time sharing our work with the D.C....
Amazing Giveaways at our D.C. United Tailgate Party!
Have you purchased your ticket to join Free the Slaves at our annual United for Freedom Campaign event? Come watch D.C. United play the San Jose Earthquakes Saturday, Sept. 23 at RFK Stadium! We have organized a terrific pregame tailgate starting at 4:30 p.m., where...
Joy & Revulsion as Jewish High Holidays Approach
In recent weeks, I experienced the intense contradiction of great joy at the birth of a child and revulsion at despicable public conduct. Both are linked to my passion for the work of Free the Slaves. On August 14, we welcomed to the world our first grandchild,...
Building a United Front to End Slavery
The fight against slavery cannot be won by one group working alone. It takes many organizations, governments and communities acting in unison to free the enslaved and protect the vulnerable. The work of Free the Slaves is only possible because of your help! That’s why...
We Are United for Freedom
The fight against slavery cannot be won alone. It takes unity. Freedom is possible when organizations, governments and communities work together to safeguard the lives of the vulnerable. That's why Free the Slaves has created a network of partner organizations that...
Fair Trade Fashion Show Sponsors Walk their Talk
We never get tired of highlighting the amazing work that our partners in the Fair Trade Fashion Show are doing. Maggie’s Organics, a conflict-free silver level sponsor, is committed to providing fair trade fashion to their customers. Bená Burda founded Maggie’s...
Where Your Donations to our Fashion for Freedom Campaign Are Going
Our Fashion for Freedom Campaign is designed to benefit women, men, and children working to rebuild their lives in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and India. Recovering from slavery requires multidimensional healing - psychological, physical, social and...
How Fashion is Changing Lives for Slavery Survivors
Throughout July, our Fashion for Freedom Campaign has been in motion leading up to the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons at the end of the month. Our campaign supports vocational training programs, providing safe spaces for trafficking survivors...
Our LA Runway Event is So Much More than a Fashion Show
We are so excited to share some new information about the upcoming Fair Trade Fashion Show with you! Have you purchased your ticket yet? You'll want to after you hear who we have participating in the show! Our host will be Nada Jones. She's a consultant, entrepreneur,...
Why Curly Proverbz Founder Supports Our Fair Trade Fashion Show
When Farida Sharma was first exposed to the shocking reality of modern slavery, she couldn’t get it off her mind for days. She saw an eye-opening movie about women being trafficked. It left her feeling moved, powerless and disgusted all at once. Sharma manages the...
Fair Trade Fashion Can Help End Slavery
An educated consumer has the power to end slavery. That’s why Free the Slaves and Bead & Reel are hosting a fair trade fashion show July 29 to raise money and awareness of modern slavery. This show is the third annual of its kind. With slavery being a $150 billion...
You Can Stop Trump Budget Cuts From Keeping People in Slavery
Your tax dollars have helped combat slavery worldwide. America has been the global leader in funding front-line anti-trafficking programs run by nonprofit organizations like Free the Slaves. Just this year, our team rescued three boys from traffickers on the very day...
Trump is Slashing Trafficking Programs, Your Help is Needed Now
President Trump in February promised America would “do more” to fight human trafficking. Last month, presidential adviser and first daughter Ivanka Trump pledged to make this fight a “major priority.” But last week, the Trump administration released a 2018 budget that...
Why We Had to Launch our “Ending Slavery” Free Online Course
Over the past 20 years the global antislavery movement has grown rapidly. Chart that growth and you get a long tail, then a steep upward curve about 10 years ago. From a small campaign on the margins, antislavery went mainstream and a series of tipping points marked...
The Obligations of Freedom
Joshua Nichols is a junior at the University of Iowa, and the winner of our 2017 "What Freedom Means to Me" student essay contest. Freedom is a tricky thing, an impish desire deeply ingrained within the human psyche. For every person, freedom means something...
Taking a Stand for People in Slavery
As thousands march today in Washington, Free the Slaves stands arm-in-arm with activists in the social justice movement who are calling for America's elected officials to maintain U.S. leadership in safeguarding human rights. Free the Slaves belongs to many policy and...
New Year, New Congress, New President, New Possibilities
The turning of a new year is always a pivotal moment; the past is behind us and our eyes focus on the future. That’s especially true with the passing of the 2016 elections and the potential in 2017 for strengthening policies that will benefit those affected by human...
Six Inspiring FTS Donors Exemplify the Spirit of Giving
The season of giving is close at hand. In celebration of the spirit of community , Free the Slaves is spotlighting some of most inspiring donors in our original film series, “Why I Free Slaves.” These short profiles tell the deeply personal stories of people who...
Why I Free Slaves: Rabbi Debra Orenstein
Slavery is a key part of Jewish identity. The central narrative of Jewish faith is being enslaved in ancient Egypt; it is the story the Jewish community tells on Passover, every Sabbath, and during daily prayers. The book of Exodus recounts the miracle of Moses...
Why I Free Slaves: Actress Virginia Williams
Virginia Williams, a Hollywood television actress, did not seek out Free the Slaves. She was actually wary at first. Seven years ago a friend invited her to the Freedom Awards, a FTS ceremony honoring the world’s best anti-slavery work. A presenter told the audience...
Why I Free Slaves: Investor Margaret Graff
Margaret Graff, an investment professional in Atlanta, helps her clients find charities that are both authentic and inspiring. She counsels them to choose a trustworthy group that truly speaks to the heart. She found that in Free the Slaves. As a wealth management...
Why I Free Slaves: Author James Hannaham
In the neighborhoods of Brooklyn, James Hannaham sees slavery everywhere: the coffee shop, crowded sidewalks, the vegetable aisle of his supermarket. Some people could be wearing clothes sewn by slaves, others eating fruit picked by slaves. “I look all over the place...
Why I Free Slaves: Teacher Robert Birk
In Robert Birk’s 8th-grade English class, his students read The Life and Times of Frederick Douglass. The abolitionist’s powerful autobiography tells of Douglass’ escape from slavery and life as a free man, overcoming obstacles to become an influential writer and...
New Film Series Spotlights Seven Inspiring Donors
Free the Slaves filmmakers have traveled the globe to document inspiring stories of slavery and freedom. Now, they’re turning the camera on our committed contributors. Today we’re launching a unique film series: “Why I Free Slaves.” It spotlights the deeply personal...