I’m having a hard time putting this into words. That’s not usually a problem for me; words tend to flow from my fingertips like water from a spring. Recently I was really affected by this documentary I saw called Call + Response. One of my coworkers brought it to our organization’s attention; her friend wrote, produced, directed, starred in – and who knows what else – this entire film. In fact, my organization is going to partner with the Not For Sale campaign, which is the campaign that Call + Response is part of, to do a clinic in Thailand. So that’s how I heard about all this. It was playing in limited release nationally, and hopefully it is successful and opens up in many more markets for a longer period of time.
Justin Dillon is a musician from San Francisco. Armed only with his passion for putting an end to human slavery, he rallied musicians, actors, politicians, journalists – all these people from all walks of life with the exact same passion – to put this documentary together. It’s funny at parts, heart-breaking at others, and completely fascinating the whole way through. I have never heard a movie theatre so completely silent. You could hear everyone’s reactions of shock and wonder at the statistics and information presented about human trafficking and slavery around the world, and just the images and words that were expressed. My wonderful coworker sitting next to me, who has the heart of an angel, was completely broken by it. I could hear her tears. But it wasn’t just her, it was everyone around us too.
And after it was over, after everyone came out, you could see people standing in groups, just talking about it. My coworkers and I were so pumped up by it. When you work at a nonprofit, you can easily forget why you do what you do because you get bogged down with the day to day logistics and meetings and petty office drama that, in the grand scheme of things, don’t matter that much. Unfortunately, it happens more with us than I’d like to admit. But when you truly want to make a difference with your work, you can’t let that happen. You have to find ways to motivate yourself and remember exactly why it is you do what you do. This movie did just that for those of us who were able to see it.
This movie has raised so much awareness about human slavery and trafficking that happens today around the world, even in our own backyard. But from my completely selfish perspective, it reminded me that one person really can make a difference. It came right at a time that I needed to be reminded of that, as I’ve been feeling overworked, overwhelmed, and just plain frustrated at my job.
I really encourage you to visit the websites for Call + Response and the Not For Sale campaign, and just take a few minutes to look at what they’re all about. I can tell you they’re an extremely dedicated, tireless, unwavering group of people that share a passion for eradicating this issue, and I am extremely privileged to be working alongside them in any small way. I hope it motivates you to want to make a difference. It gives you really easy ways to respond (33 Responses).
But most of all, I hope it encourages you to remember that one person can make a difference. Justin Dillon was one person, with so much passion it overflowed through his life and turned into this great documentary. Just imagine what you could do.
Call + Response website
Not For Sale Campaign website
