Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil and STAC Board Member Carrie Boyd.

Every year, STAC hosts an event called Imagine Freedom to recognize community leaders who have made a difference in the lives of people who have been sex and labor trafficked. And we use this event to raise funds to support the comprehensive services that STAC provides to survivors.

We also acknowledge and thank those who have worked hard to prevent trafficking from happening in the first place. This year at 621 Gallery, we decided to bring a bit of Imagine Freedom, the event, on this Imagine Freedom podcast.

You’re going to hear some background noise because we had a record-breaking attendance. You’ll hear some clapping too as people were being awarded the 2024 Gratitude Awards as we were recording. The event was terrific and really exceeded my expectations in ways I could NOT imagine! And by the way, if you want to know more, the program from the event is in the show notes.

You’ll also learn a little bit about another highlight of our event – it is a mural called “From Surviving to Thriving” that local artist Nipa Thakkar Eason created. More about this mural, including Nipa’s artist statement, can also be found on STAC website and show notes to this episode.

As you listen, you‘ll get a glimpse into our evening as well as insights and ideas about what YOU can do to recognize and respond to sex and labor trafficking. You’ll learn about free resources. And you’ll also get a sense of the tremendous power of community coming together to be there for one another and to make a difference. Like the quote from Bishop Desmond Tutu on the mural says: “My humanity is bound up in yours, for we can only be human together.”

I hope you are inspired by the people you are about to hear and truly enjoy this episode.

Imagine Freedom 2024

My name is Graciela Marquina and I’m here because I work at STAC, the Survive and Thrive Advocacy Center. I want to support my cause and the organization I work in.

It’s important for me to continue learning about human trafficking and also for other people to know what we do and the problem we have in our communities with human trafficking force another person to do something that that person doesn’t want to do. It can be a work or sexual treatment. And both happen in our community here in Tallahassee, and I’m sure that in any other community.

It’s important for me that people know what they have to do. First, what are the signs of seeing when someone is being exploited and when this is a human trafficking. Because this way we can call people, for example like us, who are going to help victims and survivors of human trafficking. And it was very important for me to see today the support we have from our community.

I am very excited that so many people came and understood the problem. I hope we all learn more, continue learning is what’s important, and also support organizations without profit like mine to continue supporting people who are victims. And then they come out, they are survivors. You need a lot of help.

The post Episode 6: 2024 Imagine Freedom Event appeared first on Survive and Thrive.