In 2016, a change occurred in the United  States of America which affected the present and future safety and well-being of millions of Americans. As concerned citizens and comics creators, my husband and I put forth our own personal declaration statement, collaborated on a sweet-looking banner which we added to our websites/social media pages. Although we knew that declaring our beliefs and posting some art wasn’t going to make a world of difference, we felt it was at least a start of something. (See clickable banner at bottom of page)

As time went on, things didn't get any better; in fact, things got worse and worse for so many people. Reading the news made my heart ache. I felt even more determined to make some kind of positive difference in the world that mattered to me and helped others in need.

By the time the Holiday Season came around, my husband suggested that we create a Holiday card together and offer it to people who donated to a worthy charity. I told him about a miniseries that I had seen in 2012 on Netflix, “Human Trafficking.” It dramatized the struggles of three trafficked women and affected me very deeply. I knew that their stories were based on real situations that people go through and I took the time to learn more. Awful doesn’t even begin to describe what these people go through.

We decided to raise money for Truckers Against Trafficking, a nonprofit organization that trains truck drivers to recognize and report instances of human trafficking. We used the Network for Good (through Facebook) to facilitate the financial logistics of fundraising and were able to raise $200 in two weeks.

I keep up with news about human trafficking and was pleased to see some good news recently. On April 9, the Justice Department announced the seizure of Backpage.com, the Internet’s leading forum for prostitution ads, including ads depicting the prostitution of children. It’s good to know that this website will no longer serve as a platform for human traffickers to thrive and their people.