News
Broadside
April 1, 2013
7
A stand against modern slavery DOMINO’S GMU STUDENT DEALS Spec #1 One Large 1 Topping Pizza for $7.99 plus tax & delivery Spec #2 One Medium 2 Topping Pizza for $6.99 plus tax & delivery
(JENNY KRASHIN/BROADSIDE)
Students stood at North Plaza asking others to sign a petition to stop modern-day slavery As spring break wound down, the new campus chapter of International Justice Mission (IJM) was gearing up with its first ever event. For 27 hours, students took turns standing in North Plaza to symbolically protest the 27 million people enslaved in the modern world as part of their version of the Stand for Freedom movement. “It sparked interest. You talk to [students] and tell them that slavery still exists and they say, ‘No wait, Lincoln ended that.’ He did, but it still happens,” Morrison said. Freshmen Matthew Morrison’s and Shalini Boddu are the co-founders of the Mason IJM chapter, which they both found inspiration for after attending Passion conferences through their churches. IJM is a human rights agency that is dedicated to find justice for victims of all violent oppression, including slavery and sexual exploitation. “It helped raise awareness and also get people involved in the chapter. This was the first time it was done on campus and it was interesting trying to mesh our event with the campus,” Morrison said. The Passion conference included IJM President and CEO Gary Haugen and introduced Morrison to the Stand for Freedom anti-slavery movement. Boddu will serve as the president and Morrison will serve as treasurer of the chapter. The two have filed all of the necessary paperwork to become an
official student organization and are waiting on confirmation. Morrison is also a Young Life member at Mason and discussed the national IJM with Young Life’s college director, Derek Walne. From there, they decided to plan the Stand for Freedom event at Mason. Boddu joined the process as Morrison began researching the IJM website. “I want to bring more awareness about human trafficking on campus. Since Matthew started planning it I would just participate in it,” Boddu said. Morrison and Boddu along with other students from Mason Cru participated in the campus event on March 22 and March 23. Each participant took shifts standing at North Plaza with signs saying, “end it, slavery still exists” and “be a voice for the voiceless.” Once IJM becomes an official organization, Morrison and Boddu will continue to raise awareness by keeping the Mason community informed. These plans include creating anti-slavery petitions, conducting general meetings and managing kiosks. “Human trafficking will be a major topic we discuss because it encompasses both sex slavery and forced labor,” Boddu said. SAFFIE KAMARA STAFF WRITER
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