The State Historical Society of Missouri’s Center for Missouri Studies and University of Missouri’s Division of Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity plan to host Martha S. Jones, the author of “All Bound Up Together” to speak about the 1856 court case, the state of Missouri v. Celia, a slave, according to the events coordinator Mary Ellen Lohmann’s email.
“It is a powerful and tragic story of a woman, Celia, who suffered tremendously for years before she stood up for her basic human right to decide her own fate,” Lohmann said. “Celia was a young slave woman—without a last name—that was purchased by a local Callaway County man. After years of repeated sexual assaults and pleas for the abuse to stop, Celia murdered her master. This continued the chain of unfortunate events in Celia’s life.”
Lohmann claims the importance of the human trafficking seminar is to show a better picture of how  degrading the practice of slavery really were and how to better understanding of the role race has played in creating our modern-day circumstances.
“A talk like this is so important because it brings to light the fact that slavery is not over,” sophomore and RBHS Global Issues co-president, Katie Kirchhofer said. “[People should know how to] look for the signs of human trafficking, learn what human trafficking is and to have a more in depth view of what is going on around the world. When more people are aware and against human trafficking, and the harder the trafficking industry becomes to sustain.”
In the end, however, there are so many things that can be done to prevent and stand up against human trafficking.
“The harsh reality is that human trafficking is happening in every state, and even in our own town,” junior Catherine Ryberg said. “By raising support and awareness for human trafficking at a local level, we may hopefully serve as an example to other communities to take similar actions so that even bigger steps can be taken toward combating human trafficking in its entirety.”
Looking for community resources is the biggest thing people can do to help, Lohmann said
“Bottom-line whether you are seeking help or looking for ways to advocate against human trafficking and sexual violence,” Lohmann said, “There are systems in place and more progress can be made by working together.”
The talk is free and open to the public. It will be hosted at Jesse Auditorium on Wed. March 23 at 6:00 pm.