You’re starting a rollerskating nonprofit?
Okay, so here’s the thing… I really am starting a nonprofit. Six months ago that would have been insane to me, yet here I am. The idea was birthed out of frustration mixed with passion after realizing how misinformed the general public was on human trafficking.
I dove into the rabbit hole to unveil what was really going on behind this mess. I started seeing more about how harmful this misinformation was to survivors and victims on a number of different levels. It wasn’t just that it was tying up the Human Trafficking hotlines, or playing into a narrative that human trafficking looks a certain way.
But human trafficking is not just creepy men in vans taking little girls out of safe neighborhoods. While those dangers do sometimes tragically happen, it is certainly not the typical way human trafficking occurs. There are risk factors and a series of events that often lead someone vulnerable enough to find themselves in a trafficking situation. It often happens by someone the victim knows and trusts. Or perhaps from a trustworthy job recruiter who’s promised you a better life.
One day I was so angered by the lack of survivor voices and straight-up lies being told in these conversations and needed to blow off this rage, so I went rollerskating. Rollerskating has been my self-therapy ever since the pandemic began in March. It was a way to release that anxiety and not have to think anymore about all the negative stuff going on in the world. As I was rollerskating I realized how much it had helped me, and I wanted to share it in a way that could also help others.
Rollerskate to Liberate President and Founder, Sarah Virgil
Putting these two passions together, I created Rollerskate to Liberate. It was a way to talk about human trafficking in a less extreme invasive way and breaking it down into real-life examples and how we can combat it in our everyday lives. We aren’t going to get anywhere by scaring our parents and children so they have nightmares about crazy men keeping them chained in a dungeon. Of course, you should teach your kids not to talk to strangers!!! But you should also teach them about sex, consent, and what healthy relationships look like. Starting at a young age.
Rollerskate to Liberate can help with that by taking such a serious issue and breaking it down into a way that’s easier to digest through programs built for families and kids. We’re looking at the heart of this issue and searching for what really causes human trafficking to occur. Things like the economics of why human trafficking happens, the lack of education in schools, the impact of race and gender identity, and the lack of basic human needs and rights. Rollerskate to Liberate is inclusive to all individuals because human trafficking can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time.
And we as individuals have a chance to limit or increase that affect on others, even if we don’t currently realize it.
Have you ever considered …
Fighting homelessness → prevents human trafficking
Fighting racism → prevents human trafficking
Proper sex education programs in schools → prevents human trafficking
Promoting healthy relationships → prevents human trafficking
Cutting back and eliminating your consumption on porn sites → fights human trafficking
Making an effort to buy fair trade → prevents human trafficking
True Feminism → prevents human trafficking
I can go on by the way. And I will, as Rollerskate to Liberate continues to grow.
And just to be clear, I’m not doing this to feel good about myself or just because I suddenly give a sh*t about human trafficking. Trust me, this is hard work and not the dream job I ever expected for myself. I’m doing this because there is a clear NEED for preventative and factual education about human trafficking and exploitation. I’m doing it because every part of my being feels called to. And honestly, at this point, it’s too late to ever turn back. I am already so engrained in this work, it’s like I can clearly see what we need to do and how we can do it to make a difference.
I hope you feel empowered to learn more about what you can do in this fight. Whether you check out the RS2L Learning Hub, offer your time to volunteer, or donate.
You can choose to spend your life intentionally fighting against the exploitation of individuals, or you can stay blind to it. Luckily, I have learned being intentional here really isn’t that difficult. And Rollerskate to Liberate is here to help you start being intentional too.
