Day 3- TJ.

Today you get to meet Tyler Janssen, or TJ as most people know him by. Northwestern is unique because we have had guys actually request to participate in Dressember, and therefore our campaign became "Dress(up)ember." Guys are pivotal in the fight of ending modern day slavery and here's what TJ has to say:

"My name is TJ. I go to Northwestern college as a 5th year senior studying Marketing. I was one of the college students that was confused at the topic of "human trafficking." I was curious on how this can be a thing. I was upset on how this could be ignored. I am currently wondering why this is a thing. I am also currently hopeful for this "thing" to be gone forever.
I was sick of letting others do something about this while I easily could be a part of something that can better our world, and I believe in a world where human trafficking doesn't exist. That is why I am fighting for this to end. If I must wear a tie everyday to show I care about the freedom and the dignity of countless women everywhere, then that really isn't too hard to do. I want to choose to be part of Dressember, and just because I'm a guy doesn't mean I can't care for the 30 million. I just want people to get out of the unawareness that I was in about the subjugation of women. People need to know. Because only we can end this."

Here's a link to another blog featuring Teej: http://buckeyesimplicity.com/2014/12/03/dressember-a-guy-in-a-tie/ 

Fact: "Over 85% of sex trafficking cases the National Human Trafficking Resource Center received from 2007-2012 dealt with women and girls, leaving almost 15% male and transgender victims." - NHTRC and Polaris Project

Day 2- Kristen.

On day 2 of Dressember you get the privilege of meeting Kristen. She's also a senior at NW majoring in nursing. Kristen's passion for justice and desire to serve the Kingdom shines through everything she does. ALSO, Kristen will be wearing this same black dress for the next 30 days! 

"I'm participating in Dressember because I believe in the individual beauty and creativity of each woman who walks this earth, including the 30 million women who find themselves in slavery.  I'm participating in Dressember with the women and children of Goa, India specifically on my heart and mind.  This past summer I had the chance to spend six weeks getting to know so many stories of these beautiful individuals who find themselves in such diverse and challenging circumstances.  And one of those circumstances includes finding themselves at a very high risk for becoming victims of sex trafficking.  This issue has pulled at my heart for a couple of years now, and I'm thankful for events like Dressember that allow so many of us to be involved in the fight to end slavery.  Dressember shows that fighting for justice can be creative, unique, and diverse.  May we use our individual voices and passions to bring hope to the 30 million. "

Fact for today: Human trafficking generates more than $32 billion annually. This is twice as much as Starbucks profits in one year.

Dressember day 1.

Dressember is officially here, folks! Goodbye pants and hello dresses. For the next 31 days, I hope to do a daily profile of different people participating in Dressember. We'll have a short introduction, and a snip-it of why they've chosen to participate. Remember, no one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Dressember is about solidarity. It's about joining forces to make our voices heard and fight for the oppressed. So here are a few of our voices:


   Many of you know me, as this blog is home for me, but I'm Kelsey and I'm participating in Dressember because I believe in freedom for all women. I believe we're called to be a voice for the voiceless. I'm a Jesus follower, justice seeker, and coffee enthusiast. I'm finishing up my senior year at Northwestern, and hope to have those little letters, "RN, BSN" behind my name in six months. I have a heart for the nations, which is what originally gave me such a passion to fight human trafficking.

    In June 2013 I hopped on board a plane to live in Bangalore, India for two months. I worked with an anti-trafficking organization doing prevention work in the slums, cleaning in an HIV hospital, and working in an aftercare center. There, I fell in love with 28 women who had survived the horrific injustices of sex-trafficking. I saw their scars, learned their names, and heard their stories. I saw women, unsure of their own age, who endured greater injustices than I can even fathom. The number of people trafficked globally- 27 million suddenly became so much more real to me. Because for me, some women included in that number are women oh so dear to my heart. They are women who have touched my heart and changed my life. They are strong, joyful, and they are over-comers! So I'm participating in Dressember for these 28 women and the millions of others out there who I haven't met because I believe that each and every one of them is a beloved daughter of the King! By simply wearing a dress for 31 days I hope to shine a light on slavery and raise awareness in order to free women around the world. I have a voice, and this December I am using it. Your voice matters, too, and our voices are louder together. 

Fact for the day:  Human trafficking, as defined by the Trafficking in Persons Report is "The recruitment, harboring, transportation, provision, or obtaining of a person for labor or services, through the use of force, fraud, or coercion for the purpose of subjection to involuntary servitude, peonage, debt bondage, or slavery."

https://support.dressemberfoundation.org/fundraise/team?ftid=38529