I saw the official release of the United States Department of State Trafficking in Persons Report 2010. This document is what got me excited about working against human trafficking way back in high school, and I’ve read it every year since then. But this year, as a fellow at the Polaris Project, I was invited to the official release at the U.S. Department of State. Secretary Clinton was there, as were a majority of the anti-trafficking activists honored as heros this year. The report is divided into 4 tiers: Tier 1 is the best, Tier 2 means more work is needed, Tier 2 watch-list means there is a degrading situation, and Tier 3 is the worst. The U.S. ranked itself for the first time in this report’s decade of history (we’re Tier 1).
One of those heros, Laura Germino, spoke of human trafficking as a thread common to all of U.S. history, and thread we can continue to unravel and weaken by fighting modern slavery. My heart literally quickened when she ended her speach:
“We’re aiming for Tier Zero.”
Yes we are.
I am reminded of an important quote that should be lettered on the wall of all lawyers and law students:
“The law is a weapon if you know how to use it.” said at a critical moment by a skilled lawyer, the first
African American to serve as Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States, and great-grandson of a slave:
Thurgood Marshall.