Ignite Freedom

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, October 25, 2018
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Stephanie Hill, Director of University Relations & Communications
Office: 918.495.7337, Mobile: 918.720.5548
sthill@oru.edu

What:    Ignite Freedom: Human Trafficking Seminar
When:   Friday, October 26, 2018, 7pm
Where: Global Learning Center

Tulsa, OK – The Department of Behavioral Sciences at Oral Roberts University is hosting the Ignite Freedom Seminar to educate the community about the dangers of human trafficking. Headlining the event will be Unlock Freedom, a local group that strives to combat human trafficking by educating the public to recognize victims and respond. Ignite Freedom is set to take place on Friday, October 26, 2018 at 7:00pm in ORU’s Global Learning Center.

ORU hosted the seminar in 2016 but believes it is vitally important to continue educating the community about how human traffickers are preying on those most vulnerable in our society. At this year’s seminar, participants will hear the stories of survivors, learn how they can help end trafficking, and view an art gallery.

Nadienne Willis, a Social Justice major, has been working alongside Professor Britanny Oelze to coordinate the event that will also serve as Willis’s senior project. ORU’s Social Justice major was established two years ago as a way to train students to do more than just talk about issues such as trafficking but also to empower them to offer solutions.

The chair of the Behavioral Sciences department, Dr. Randall Feller, hopes Ignite Freedom will inspire students to “catch the vision” of fighting social injustices such as human trafficking. “We need to move beyond just saying that this isn’t okay, to being the actual hands and feet of Jesus, to making a difference and doing something about it,” said Feller. “We need to move from shallow interest in social justice to a deeper passion to actually being engaged.”