This past week, students had the chance to learn more about the issue of global slavery through Shine a Light on Slavery Day, which promotes awareness about human trafficking. Senior Jessica Hill worked to bring this movement to BSM through her Faith in Action class, giving students the opportunity to stop by her table at lunch that day to draw a red X on their hand in a sign of solidarity with the movement.

The End It Movement is non-profit organization working to bring awareness to human slavery. One of the biggest awareness campaigns is the Shine a Light on Slavery Day, which takes place globally on February 22nd. On this day, people from all over the world write red X’s on their hands to spark conversation about the topic. The red X’s symbolize an end to slavery.

Hill became involved with The End it Movement through her work in Faith in Action, which she was able to use as a catalyst for learning more about the movement and the issue of human trafficking. “Human trafficking is something I am very passionate about, and the work the End It Movement is doing to end slavery is amazing,” Hill said.

The semester long senior class, Faith in Action, is centered around advocacy work and spreading awareness. It is co-taught by Ms. Leah Klister and Ms. Lisa Lenhart-Murphy. Each student is given the semester to study a topic that interests them and use tools, like organizations, to do what they can to help solve the issue. “Faith in Action gives students like Jessica the support and encouragement to engage in advocacy on a global level,” Lenhart-Murphy said