The Workmans, a local photography husband and wife team, have partnered with the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking and Voices For Florida, to commemorate Shine A Light On Slavery Day. Started by the END IT Movement, located in Atlanta, Georgia, it’s a day where people from all over the world come together to raise their voices and raise awareness about human trafficking.
A bipartisan collective of celebrities, athletes, politicians, influencers, and Freedom Fighters from across the globe will join forces to sport red X’s on their hands to advocate for change in a world where slavery still affects an estimated 40.3 million men, women, and children globally. There are more slaves in the world today than at any other time in history, including during the entirety of the transatlantic slave-trade.
“As content creators, we want do our part because we want to see slavery abolished in our lifetime. We set up multiple studios in Tallahassee and one in Tampa to photograph anyone who wanted to join in,” said Alex Workman, The Workmans co-founder. “We wanted to give people content to begin having conversations about what’s happening and how people can get involved to END IT.”
Pop-up studios were set up in 5 different locations over the course of 2 weeks. The Workmans photographed over 200 people for the project. Today, each of those participants, as well as other community members that want to be involved, are being asked to post photos of themselves with a red X on their hand to join in the fight to end modern-day slavery. The campaign, #ENDITTLH, is a part of the greater, global movement, #ENDITMOVEMENT.
The END IT Movement recognizes slavery as one person completely controlling another person, using violence or the threat of violence to maintain that control. Human trafficking, the modern-day slave trade, refers to the illegal trade of human beings through abduction, the use of threat or force, deception, fraud, or ‘sale’ for the purposes of sexual exploitation or forced labor.
To learn more and to see a gallery of images captured, visit endittlh.com.
About The Workmans
The Workmans, a company focused on commercial photography & creating short films for businesses, organizations, agencies and individuals, equipping them to better tell their story. Through exploring our community and documenting many stories, in 2017, they began capturing portraits and telling the stories of refugee families in Tallahassee, through a series called #RefugeesofTLH. In 2018, after Hurricane Michael, they founded the Never Forgotten Coast Campaign. In 2020, they created the #COVIDwear project, photographing the realities of working from home.
About The END IT Movement
END IT is a coalition of 17 non-profit organizations aimed to shine a light on slavery and show the world that the practice still exists. Its members include A21 Campaign, Made in a Free World, ECPAT USA, Not for Sale, Free the Slaves, Polaris Project, International Justice Mission (IJM), World Relief, Love 146, World Vision, As Our Own, Bombay Teen Challenge, The Exodus Road, Hagar, Hope for Justice, The Salvation Army, and Street Grace. All of these organizations are working around the globe to rescue, restore and prevent slavery. For more information about these partners, visit enditmovement.com. Contact: [email protected].
About Voices for Florida
Since its founding in 1976, Voices for Florida has worked collectively with others to create the change. The current complex problem Voices for Florida is addressing is the commercial sexual exploitation and sex trafficking of children in Florida. The innovation to address this problem is the Open Doors Outreach Network, a 24/7/365 network of care and treatment. Voices for Florida serves as the backbone organization for Open Doors and is an affiliate of The Children’s Campaign – Florida’s leading nonpartisan child advocacy organization. Contact: Robyn Metcalf – [email protected].
About the Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking
The Florida Alliance to End Human Trafficking is a nonprofit organization created by the Florida Legislature to provide funding, support and assistance to the statewide effort to end human trafficking. It is focused on supporting innovative technology solutions and expansive data collection for law enforcement, leading the statewide coordination on training and awareness programs for industries, supporting survivor leaders by establishing a Survivor’s Bill of Rights and speaker’s bureau, and promoting and developing partnerships with corporate, philanthropic and regional advocates throughout Florida and nationally. Contact: Erin Collins – [email protected].
