NEWSBYSHELTON GREEN

Guest blogger Shelton Green, founder of What's Your Response, shares an easy way for you to raise awareness about human trafficking in your area. Through What's Your Response, you can get coasters to leave in bars, restaurants, coffee shops, and other places people in your area congregate. They tell the stories of real victims of modern-day slavery. Check out what Shelton has to say about hosting your own "coaster crawl."

Blindsided. That was how a group of us felt when we discovered that there are 27 million people in slavery in the world today. That those slaves aren't just living in places whose names we can't pronounce, but right here in the United States. It was a fact so shocking that we found ourselves initially paralyzed. It was a fact so shocking that those we told about it hesitated to believe it. It was a fact so shocking that we set out to discover what we could do. What might our response be? It was coffee and beer.

We knew that people wouldn't be willing to fight the problem until they began to realize the gravity of the problem. We formed a group called What's Your Response? and began brainstorming possibilities for bringing attention to the issue of modern day slavery. On August 8, 2009 What's Your Response? took to the streets for our first "coaster crawl" to bring awareness to the issue of human trafficking in Texas. A turnout of nearly 50 individuals gathered, organized into groups, and went around town distributing free stacks of coasters to various bars, coffee shops, and restaurants. In a very short time we have seen the word spread and people want to know more about what they can do to end slavery.