T o r c h w o o d: Not for sale

Uncomfortable fact: there are slaves today. It is a $32 billion industry--like drugs and arms smuggling, highly profitable and illegal. Types of slaves we may not know about include men, women, girls and boys (some very young) who are forced into commercial sexual exploitation, forced labor, or child soldiering. Slaves are disposable people to the trafficker, yet unlike other commodities they are reusable, so are extremely lucrative. Trading in persons means corruption, subterranean horror, violence, greed, extreme inhumanity, preying on the defenseless, and so much more that we don't like to think about on a daily basis.

I'm glad I saw Call+Response as it is one way to get in touch with the issue and come away with some hope that I/we can make a difference. Besides some good music by a variety of musicians (see them here) you hear people like Julia Ormond, Ashley Judd and other prominent political and cultural figures tell real stories of real people and their captivity, forced labor, and sometimes their escape. Cornel West was really enjoyable. I was distracted by some of the technical flaws and techniques (which in part could have been poor quality projection at the theater) but overall I urge you to see this film and investigate the wonderful things that are already underway to turn this situation around.