National Human Trafficking Awareness Month
Hey there, it's the last day of 2023! I can't believe it, so tomorrow starts the beginning of National Human Trafficking Awareness Month for 2024.
I just wanted to remind people of that and tell a brief story about how that started. I was so privileged to be a part of it in a quiet silent way many years ago around 2006, maybe 2007 or 8 I can't remember exactly. There was a man named Paul Nissan and he got the idea that human trafficking should be commemorated with a special day. He went to the Los Angeles County commissioner's Court and wanted to have a declaration of a national human trafficking day of January 11th.
It took a lot of manipulating and maneuvering and there was a lot of politics involved and a lot of positioning and a lot of people fought against him. You would think that there shouldn't be any opposition, what's the harm in that declaration?
Anyhow quietly, since I had such an advantageous position in that community, I thought I would be able to help. At that time, I was running the task force in Orange County, California and then I also was working on coalitions in Los Angeles County and San Diego County. I knew who was who. Quietly behind the scenes I helped Mr. Nissan get that Proclamation.
It proved to be rather funny since a lot of the people that had caused him trouble were actually standing on the stage all happy about it once it finally happened. It was really a combination of teamwork, a lot of luck and a higher power! I believe that made it all come together.
Well, you would think after all that Mr. Nissan would have stopped and bathed in the glory of getting it done. But no, he took that Proclamation and went straight to Washington, DC and got a National Human Trafficking Awareness Day which eventually became National Human Trafficking Awareness Month. I've lost touch with him; I don't know where he is but every year, I want to thank him again for what he did.
So there you have it! National Human Trafficking Awareness Month is January. National Human Trafficking Awareness Day is January 11th and January 22nd just happens to be my birthday so I'm glad it all worked out. I will have a birthday that ends with a zero this year so it's going to be a big celebration. I hope y’all will celebrate it as well. Please let me know what you are doing and what's going on in your community for National Human Trafficking Awareness Month.
See you soon!
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