Wednesday, January 20, 2010

East West Players Perform Reading on Modern-Day Slavery and Trafficking in the U.S.


On Thursday, January 22nd, the Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) will host a reading of "The Girls from Afar" by East West Players to help bring awareness to slavery and trafficking in Los Angeles and the US.

According to their press release, CAST is a leader in the fight against human trafficking, and East West Players is one of the nation's premier Asian American theatre organizations. They have joined with a dozen other organizations in Southern California to bring awareness to the fact that 17,000 people are trafficked into the US every year.

The reading is part of the "From Slavery to Freedom" month-long campaign led by CAST "to encourage victims to seek help and let them know they will not be treated as criminals, inform the general public about the existence of modern-day slavery, and to inspire a national movement to eradicate slavery and human trafficking once and for all."

According to the news release, "The Girls from Afar" tells the story of two worlds colliding when a young girl comes face-to-face with two women her parents have kept hidden for many years and have used as modern-day slaves in their home. The reading will be followed by a panel discussion to explore in more depth the issue of slavery and trafficking in the US, specifically Los Angeles, and the steps that are being taken to eliminate it.

The event will take place on Thursday, January 21st 2010 at 7:30pm at the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy in the Tateuchi Democracy Forum 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012, 213-830-1880

2 comments:

  1. Libby Emmons1:07 PM

    I wrote this play in 2008, and The Human Trafficking Project was really helpful in helping me focus my research. Thanks!

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  2. That is wonderful to hear Libby, Im glad we could be of service. Thanks for keeping in touch!

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