for toledo and for the daughters

Three months ago, I talked to a woman named Amy.

She was wearing a gray dress.  She lives in Ohio, near Toledo.  Toledo is the 3rd (yes, you read that correctly) largest city for child sex slavery within the U.S.

Her heart's desire is to raise awareness of human trafficking-
and promote recovery and restoration.

She also wanted to raise funds for The Daughter Project, a non-profit group that is building a house in northwest Ohio for women who are recovering from trafficking.

To do this, she decided to wear the same dress for six months
in honor of women who do so every day.

Women who are trafficked.
sisters and mothers and daughters.
people with names and faces and dreams.

For the month of April, I decided to join her.
Not as a fashion statement.
Not as a trendy fad.
Not because I like wearing a dress.
Not for fun.

But for Toledo- a city that's a stones throw away from Detroit-
a city that should be safe.

And for the daughters-
although I can't see their faces or know their names
they are valuable and infinitely precious and

they
deserve
freedom

so I set aside my comfort and my pride
and wrap myself in one dress
for one month
with one voice

- for Toledo and for the the daughters.