Human Trafficking, Racism, and the lessons of Dr. King

January is over, the month we remember Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy and recognize National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. February brings the celebration of Black History Month. These three things intersect in a way that deserves attention, in particular from non-Black communities.

In honor of MLK day, the chair of CASA/LA’s Anti-Racism Committee, my brilliant colleague Taina Longin, shared a video of an interview with MLK that I hadn’t seen before. It shows Dr. King, just eleven months before his assassination, with a somber demeanor, questioning the optimism of his own “dream” and talking about the significant obstacles to equality and equity in law and society.

One of those obstacles Dr. King discusses is the “thingification” of Black people by White people. He says that when you use a person as a means to an end, you dehumanize them. And that the history of slavery, ownership of people as things, remains a part of our institutions. This reminded me of the concepts so brilliantly laid out in Ava Duvernay’s documentary 13th and Michelle Alexander’s The New Jim Crow in which they address the evolution of slavery and Jim Crow laws into modern day mass incarceration. But it also hit hard as a reminder that within the child welfare system there is another glaring example of “thingification,” which not only impacts black bodies but is a topic rarely discussed in public because it is painful and uncomfortable and even taboo.

In Los Angeles we have special courtrooms in children’s court and juvenile justice court called DREAM court and STAR court that are specifically designed to work with young people who are victims of sex trafficking, specifically victims of what is called Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC). These courts hear hundreds of cases a year. Hundreds. Los Angeles has made great strides in providing trauma-informed services for children who have been or are at risk of being victims of human trafficking. But we have a long way to go so long as a single child is sold as a commodity.

And let’s be frank, the sexual trafficking of young people, the selling of the bodies of human children, does not impact our communities equally. The consumers are everywhere, but the victims are overwhelmingly members of a few demographic groups.

·        The vast majority identify as girls who were first trafficked between the ages of 11-14. (Children who identify as boys and non-binary are being identified at increasing rates, in particular those who identify also as LGBTQIA)

·        The victims are disproportionately black/African-American, a phenomenon seen across the country but with particular acuity in Los Angeles. FBI records and demographic information available in Los Angeles suggest that as many as 60% of CSEC victims identify as black/African-American.

·        The victims are disproportionately in foster care – between 50 and 80% - or have had contact with the child welfare system. In other words, victims of child abuse or neglect are at particular risk.

So what can you do?

First, educate yourself. Talk about it. Read about it. Learn about it. Don’t pretend these issues of racism, disproportionality, trafficking, and “thingification” don’t exist.

Second, share your knowledge! Educate your children, parents, neighbors, colleagues and friends. It took multiple conversations this month with my 7-year old to undo what he learned in school about MLK day: that Dr. King’s message is for us all to just be nice to each other. As a white parent, it is my responsibility to ensure that my children know that the history of slavery, Jim Crow and institutional racism in this country have had long-lasting impacts that must be actively undone, not just “cleansed” to make everyone feel better. Talking about racism openly may feel challenging, but it’s certainly not as challenging as facing it every day.

Third, get involved. There are so many organizations doing good work to combat trafficking in Los Angeles and around the country. I am a fan of Journey Out, CAST and of course, CASA of Los Angeles where you can make an impact by becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate (a CASA) for a child in the foster care system. Many of our volunteers are assigned to children in DREAM court and we are actively supporting their healing process and protecting them from revictimization.

As we look forward to February and the celebrations of love and Black History Month, let’s do so with a clear frame of reference that there is a lot of work to do. We cannot remain silent. We all have to talk about racism. We, white people and other non-black people, have to acknowledge the evolution of slavery and the thingification of human beings that continues to be pervasive in our government and societal systems. And we have to become active and real allies and advocates for communities of color. Not just this month, but every day.