MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee State University will host author and social justice advocate Celia Williamson for a public lecture on March 20, 2024 as part of the university’s observance of Social Work Month and National Women’s History Month.
Williamson will present “Human Trafficking: Putting a Name to My Face” beginning at 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, in Room 104 of Academic Classroom Building, 1751 MTSU Blvd.
The Global Slavery Index reported 1.1 million people trapped in some form of modern-day slavery in the United States and the U.S. Department of State estimates 27.6 million worldwide.
“Human trafficking is modern-day slavery and is the second fastest-growing criminal industry, just behind drug trafficking. And sex trafficking is a billion-dollar business,” said event organizer Violet Cox-Wingo, faculty lecturer in the MTSU Department of Social Work.
To raise awareness of the global issue that is becoming increasingly more prevalent in Tennessee, the Department of Social Work invited Williamson, who is executive director of the Human Trafficking and Social Justice Institute at the University of Toledo in Ohio, to discuss ways professionals and community members alike can recognize victims and what to do to help.