January is National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month and Missouri Sex Trafficking Awareness Month.
To shed light on the difficult topic, the Fulton Human Rights Commission is hosting a presentation by Nanette Ward, co-founder of the Central Missouri Stop Human Trafficking Coalition. A survivor of human trafficking will also speak. Join the discussion at 6 p.m. Thursday in the council chambers at Fulton City Hall.
"Traffickers can be anybody. Victims can be anybody. Buyers are front and center of this issue," Ward said during a talk in Fulton in July. "They can buy a cheap product. We have to keep talking about that demand."
When her organization was formed 10 years ago, the estimate was 27 million slaves around the world - slaves being victims of human trafficking who have lost all say in their lives. Now, that number is more like 46 million, Ward said.
Modern slavery won't be the only topic up for discussion at Thursday's event. Speakers will also tell the story of Celia, an enslaved woman who lived in Callaway County.
According to the Kingdom of Callaway Historical Society, Celia was born in Missouri in about 1836. In 1850, she was sold to Robert Newsom, of Fulton, Township at the age of 14. A mere five years later, Celia was tried and hanged after being ruled responsible for the death of her owner.
Newsom, whose wife died in 1849 after bearing two daughters and two sons, began raping Celia shortly after purchasing her and was likely the father of her first two children. She began a relationship with a fellow slave in 1854 and, in 1855, begged Newsom's daughters to intervene on her behalf.
Newsom's sexual advances continued, and one night, Celia hit him with a stick, resulting in his death. Following a trial closely watched by northern anti-slavery activists and pro-slavery locals, Celia was found guilty and sentenced to death.
She was only 19.
To learn more about Celia's life, visit kchsoc.org/articles/celiaslave or attend Thursday evening's talk.