National Underground Railroad Freedom Center Welcomes Truckers Against Trafficking on June 15
MEDIA CONTACT:
Will Jones
(513) 333-7558
(513) 288-4834
wjones@nurfc.org
Jamie Glavic
(513) 333-7511
(513) 802-7355
jglavic@nurfc.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CINCINNATI, OH (June 13, 2017) – The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center announced today that the Truckers Against Trafficking (TAT) Freedom Drivers Project (FDP) trailer will be parked outside the museum this Thursday, June 15, and available to the public at no cost from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. TAT last visited the museum in July 2015. This appearance is made possible by the National District Attorney’s Association as TAT is a part of the Commercial Driver’s License training with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
The Freedom Drivers Project (FDP) is a “first-of-its-kind” mobile exhibit that is a premiere tool in educating members of the trucking industry as well as the general public about the realities of domestic sex trafficking and how the trucking companies are combating this form of slavery. The exhibit trailer is climate controlled and houses a theater station. Authentic artifacts from trafficking cases are displayed to help connect people to the stories of individuals who have been enslaved in the United States. This national tour stop is a collaborative effort between TAT and End Slavery Now at the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center to increase awareness of modern day slavery and human trafficking.
“With an estimated 20.9 million people enslaved around the world today, it is important that we continue our relationship with Truckers Against Trafficking in combating human trafficking,” says Lara Green, Initiative Manager of Modern Day Slavery. “This mobile exhibit experience provides invaluable knowledge in helping to further our mission in inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom today.”
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center is home to the world’s first permanent museum exhibition on the topic of modern day slavery titled, Invisible: Slavery Today. Opening in October 2010, Invisible offers a comprehensive examination of slavery in the modern world through the life experiences of five individuals who were trapped in one of the five most common forms of exploitation: forced labor, bonded indenture, child slavery, sex trafficking and domestic servitude.
“The shocking reality is that people often encounter human trafficking situations and aren’t even aware of it,” says Helen Van Dam, Freedom Drivers Project Director. “The TAT trailer provides an initial glimpse and insight into not only getting people to recognize human trafficking, but it also gives simple action steps anyone can take to hopefully get victims the help they need.”
For more information on the Freedom Drivers Project and Truckers Against Trafficking visit truckersagainsttrafficking.org. For more information on Invisible: Slavery Today visit freedomcenter.org.
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ABOUT THE NATIONAL UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREEDOM CENTER
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center opened in August 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Since then, more than 1.3 million people have visited its permanent and changing exhibits and public programs, inspiring everyone to take courageous steps for freedom. Two million people have utilized educational resources online at freedomcenter.org, working to connect the lessons of the Underground Railroad to inform and inspire today’s global and local fight for freedom. Partnerships include Historians Against Slavery, Polaris Project, Free the Slaves, US Department of State and International Justice Mission. In 2014, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center launched a new online resource in the fight against modern slavery, endslaverynow.org.
