Dressember Guest Post by Brenda: Human Trafficking, a Michigan Problem
Dressember Guest Post by Brenda: Human Trafficking, a Michigan Problem
"In fact, Michigan is the 5th most dangerous place in the United States when it comes to human trafficking."
Dressember is an annual event which raises awareness about human trafficking through fashion, social media, fundraising events and more. I’m participating this year by amplifying the voices of other participants through interviews. Today,
is helping me do that with a guest post about the impact of human trafficking in her home state of Michigan.I am donating ten percent of all December Substack income to Dressember. PLUS, for every five new annual subscriptions this month, I’m immediately subscribing to another Substacker to support other creatives writing about art and mental health. Make a difference!!!
Guest Post by Brenda of
Mention Michigan, and you might think of the Great Lakes that border it. Maybe Detroit and the auto industry come to mind, or Mackinac Island and its famous fudge.
What you probably don’t think of is human trafficking. Most of us don’t think of that at all. We assume that it’s far away, someplace seedy and dark; certainly not close to home.
In fact, Michigan is the 5th most dangerous place in the United States when it comes to human trafficking.
Our Great Lakes, other waterways, and highway system all provide traffickers with easy ways to travel. In addition, our shared border with Canada and tribal nations provide quick access out of the country.
I live in a suburb northwest of Detroit; I can be at the bridge to Canada in less than 20 minutes.
We have large cities where businesses that cater to the sex trade make it easy for traffickers. But they also thrive in places like college towns and tourist attractions.
Mackinac Island has about 500 full time residents, but in the summer, there can be as many as 20,000 people on the island. No motorized vehicles are allowed, but there is a small airport on the island as well as the ability to boat in. Both make it easier for a trafficker to grab someone and get away quickly.
The island is also a prime spot for human trafficking for labor. The seasonal businesses there need a large labor staff for the summer and rely on workers from other countries to fill their positions.
These workers often rely on agencies to help them through the employment process as well as providing financial aid. Many get caught up with traffickers in this manner, becoming so deeply indebted that they cannot pay their way out.
I was shocked to find out that human trafficking is so close to home and that people can be trafficked from anywhere - not just the bars and strip clubs in bad parts of town.
You might want to take a look at where you live. We all need to be better educated when it comes to trafficking.
Brenda shares in one of her posts: “We moved back to Michigan a little over a year ago after living in Indiana for almost twenty years. (My husband’s job.) Michigan is our home, but after being gone so long, it feels both familiar and strange. Things have changed. I kind of feel like I don’t know where I belong.” Her work here on Substack celebrates “that older women (50+) have a lot to offer to the world. We have wisdom, experience, and more power than we realize.” Check out what she’s writing
.Some More Info and Stats from the Dressember Project:
How you can help:
Donate directly to any of the Dressember participants fundraisers this year. You can find everyone I’ve interviewed here and pick any one or more to support through the links at the bottom of each interview.
Share any of these posts here, across social media, etc. to raise awareness.
Check out the Dressember website for more information.
Upgrade to an annual paid subscription to Create Me Free right now. I’ll donate 10% to Dressember.