Date of this Version One of the contributing causes of
trafficking is its seeming invisibility, especially in the
United States. Traditional-age college students arrive on campus
having been taught a pervasive cultural myth throughout their
years of education. That myth is that slavery was abolished in
the United States in the 1800s. It is no longer a social issue
demanding concern or attention. It can't happen here -- for a
myriad of issues. Yet, conservative estimates point to at least
200,000 individuals being enslaved in the United States at any
moment in time. Part of the role of the academy is to make these
"invisible" problems visible, to spark critical thinking
regarding complex social issues, and to engage the next
generation of leaders in the exploration of both causes and
possible solutions. Our work with first-year college students
suggests that they are not aware of modern-day slavery, yet they
are quite ready to get engaged in the fight to eradicate it once
they have the knowledge. We would like