Slavery is not just a scourge of the past: it affects over 50 million people worldwide today. Join us to create an art installation around the library and arts center to raise awareness and help end human trafficking.

According to redsandproject.org, millions of people of all ages, even children, are living in conditions of modern slavery or are victims of human trafficking. Global organizations and nonprofits, such as Freedom United, are taking action to help stop exploitation, trafficking, and slavery.

You can help by learning about how to spot the signs of human trafficking and by participating in the Red Sand Project, where red sand is poured into sidewalk cracks to symbolize global efforts to help victims of human trafficking who are falling through the cracks every day.

The afternoon will begin at the Hampton Public Library, where Shannon Taylor (she/her, Director of Anti-Human Trafficking at Transitions Family Violence Services) will present Human Trafficking 101: different types of trafficking, what to look for, and how to help.

We will then move across the parking lot to the Charles H. Taylor Visual Arts Center, where Visual Arts Center Manager Diana L. Blanchard Gross will introduce us to the Red Sand Project. Each participant will be given a portion of environmentally safe red sand, which we will pour into the cracks of the sidewalks around the arts center and the library.

We hope that by doing this, we can use the combined power of knowledge and art to make a collective impact and that each of us can contribute to the end of these inhumane practices around the world.