Seattle and Justice

          Before I left for Cambodia to enter the work of anti-human trafficking, I had no idea what the Seattle scene had to offer in the work of anti-slavery.
          Well... I am overjoyed to learn that there are some serious movers-and-shakers who are fighting for justice in my own backyard! I heard from a few of them at an AHT forum tonight.
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Check 'em:
Seattle Against Slavery - http://seattleagainstslavery.org/default.aspx
"is a grassroots coalition of nonprofit service and awareness organizations, government agencies and a thriving community of modern day abolitionists. SAS is a catalyst in the Greater Seattle area to bring about the change and solutions needed to combat the growing local and global crisis that is modern day slavery & human trafficking."
Washington Anti-Human Trafficking Resource Network - http://www.warn-trafficking.org/
"The Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network (WARN) is a coalition of Washington State organizations that provide assistance to pre-certified victims of trafficking."
Western Washington Coalition against Human Trafficking - http://www.actagainsttrafficking.org/
"Our mission is to connect, equip and empower individuals and organizations in western Washington to combat human trafficking primarily through awareness-raising events, networking, catalyzing anti-trafficking action, and resource development."
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          One very important lesson I learned in Cambodia is that partnerships are key for real sustainable change. For those bleeding hearts (I'm admittedly one) scanning Expedia for a plane ticket to work alongside Anderson Cooper and Sanjay Gupta (again. me.), and serve the world, take one moment before finalizing the purchase. Let's do our research.
          Go for your dreams, move at the nudge of your heart and be an informed servant. "Going rogue" may be hipster, but rarely helpful. Find out what good work you can enhance once you land in Haiti, or Cambodia or Rwanda. There are definitely organizations with great needs out there, so go seek them out. Use your connections. Use your skills. Who is already on the ground and in need of help? Work with the experienced and don't find yourself without helpful resources to give that orphaned child, trafficked girl, or abandoned widow. Lives hang in the balance. 
          Another "partnership push": a united front is a great system of checks and balances. Coalitions/partnerships can better assess needs, find gaps and eliminate overlapping work. Those are key in service-oriented work. 
That's my 2 cents on partnerships. 
          Another thing I'm learning is that the need for justice is also here in North America, the United States, Washington, Seattle. It's as much a local issue as it is a global one. 
 To wrap things up, I look forward to learning more about these organization in Seattle and what anti-human trafficking work looks like in America. I have a lot to learn, but some great people to learn from.