Black Women: Dealing with the Fear of Human Trafficking

1BlessedNatural: Dealing with the Fear of Human Trafficking (photo credit: Raquel Santana)

Hey, my blessed naturals,

I've been wrestling with myself for a couple of weeks on how to talk about human trafficking and our mental states on this blog. If you're like me, then you've seen numerous posts including articles and videos warning us, as Black women about human trafficking. You've also seen the news stories about people getting kidnapped. You've heard figures like "64,000" and "75,000" Black women gone missing in the U.S. The idea of us as Black women being under attack does something to you. The question is: What does all of this do to us mentally?

For example, now when I go to stores or any place for that matter, I am on high alert. High alert means that I am not only looking around for any suspicious activity, but I find myself living in fear and what some may call paranoia. The truth is that we are living in crazy times where anything goes. However, we need to also control how much of these posts we consume on social media and any other platform for that matter.

The idea is to stay alert and aware but don't live in fear. Over the past few weeks, I've heard stories about women who have been paralyzed with fear. Many of us are walking down the street and looking at everybody crazy lol. I'm ready to go to war with anyone who tries something! I'm laughing but a lot of you know what I mean. So, I think it is necessary to have a space to talk about it. I think watching videos about how to stay safe is a great thing, but it's also important to take some time to unplug from social media if it is making you so fearful that you can't function. Talking to family and friends can also help.

Stay aware, alert, prayed up, and happy! 

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, of love, and a sound mind" - 2 Timothy 1:7

How do you feel about what you've been hearing about human trafficking on social media?


Human Trafficking Resources:

https://www.justice.gov/humantrafficking
https://humantraffickinghotline.org/