Today, we celebrate Juneteenth — the day marking the end of traditional slavery in the United States. We applaud the consistent work throughout history to end slavery in every form and are always learning from those before us.

The recent murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and so many others have greatly troubled the hearts of our team. The injustice extends far beyond these cases — it is embedded in a society that is structured to benefit some and disadvantage others.

At Free for Life International, we believe in every person’s freedom to live. Furthermore, we believe in every person’s freedom to live an equal and fulfilled life that includes opportunity, respect, and autonomy. We know this belief is one that requires action — we are committed to continuously examining and improving our practices of diversity and inclusion at every level of the organization.

Free for Life’s mission is inherently linked to promoting racial and social justice. We work daily to prioritize the voices of those who have been silenced by human trafficking. We fight for those disproportionately affected by vulnerability, including our brothers and sisters of color.

Gabrielle Union writes, “Racism is woven throughout the horrifying tapestry that is human trafficking. Any vulnerable child can be a victim of trafficking, but we can no longer gloss over the fact that the majority of those who are victimized are girls of color.” We believe that it is both impossible and irresponsible to address one type of injustice, and turn a blind eye to the other.

Free for Life has always been dedicated to serving every person in need. We will continue using our platform to listen, to engage with and to support communities of color that are a foundational piece of the work we do.

My sincerest thank you to each of you who supports us and our vision of freedom and equality for all!