East West Players Join With Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking To Raise Awareness

East West Players (EWP), the nation's premier Asian American theatre company, will be partnering with The Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) this month as part of its first annual "From Slavery to Freedom" campaign to raise awareness of slavery and human trafficking in the Greater Los Angeles area, the U.S. and around the world.

The goals of the campaign are to encourage victims to seek help by letting them know they will not be treated as criminals, inform the general public about the existence ofmodern-day slavery and motivate them to take action, and inspire a national movement to eradicate slavery and human trafficking once and for all.

The campaign launched on Human Trafficking Awareness Day on January 11, 2010 and will run through Abraham Lincoln's birthday on February 12, 2010. As part of the partnership, East West Players will be presenting a staged reading of excerpts from THE GIRLS FROM AFAR by Libby Emmons, directed by Jeff Liu. The play will feature Dante Basco (Hook, Take the Lead), Fran de Leon (Dogeaters at the Kirk Douglas Theatre, Ruby, Tragically Rotund at LATC), James Kyson Lee (NBC's Heroes), Camille Mana (UPN'sOne on One) and Tamlyn Tomita (The Karate Kid II, The Joy Luck Club).

The evening will highlight the issue of human trafficking through the fictional story of a family's journey as they deal with the reality of modern day slavery and injustice. The reading will be followed by a panel discussion and reception. Admission is free. RSVP's are recommended

Slavery and human trafficking take on many forms sometimes right before our eyes. With her parents out of town, a daughter sneaks home for a romantic weekend with her boyfriend. But when they arrive, they discover two women and her parents' secret. THE GIRLS FROM AFAR explores two worlds that coexist, yet are often invisible to each other. What happens when they finally come face to face?

The reading will take place on Thursday, January 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Tateuchi Democracy Forum in the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at 111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles California, adjacent to the Japanese American National Museum.

To RSVP, log in on facebook at: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=276509977245&index=1

Or, call East West Players at (213) 625-7000.

"Human trafficking is a serious problem right here in the United States," said CAST Executive Director Kay Buck. "It is unfathomable that nearly 150 years following the abolition of slavery in the United States, there are a minimum of 15,000 - 17,000 people who are trafficked into the U.S. every year, with Los Angeles serving as one of the top three points of entry."

"From Slavery to Freedom" is a month-long series of more than 20 events between January 11th, in recognition of Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and February 12 th , Abraham Lincoln's birthday. The campaign has been made possible thanks to the generous support of the S, Mark Taper Foundation and Humanity United. CAST has secured and coordinated the support of 13partners ranging from human rights and legal aid organizations to law enforcement and faith based groups, all of whom are committed to ending slavery and trafficking in the United States. The campaign comes on the heels of President Obama's declaration of January as Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month.

"East West Players is very proud to be partnering with CAST on this important issue," saidEWP Producing Artistic Director Tim Dang. "As an Asian Pacific American arts organization, we are cognizant of how trafficking directly affects our community both locally and globally.Through a staged reading, we hope to use performing arts as a means to shed light and empower individuals to educate themselves about it and speak up if they find themselves faceto face with it.

"For a full listing of "From Slavery to Freedom" events, visit www.castla.org, highlights include:

• January 11 th 10am: Press Conference at the Museum of Tolerance (MOT) in partnership with Department of Homeland Security, State Departments' TIP Office, local law enforcement, faith basedgroups and NGO's fighting trafficking in Los Angeles. Ambassador DeBaca will unveil a mural on human trafficking created by artist Guillermo Bert with in collaboration with members of CAST's Survivor Advisory Caucus. Also on exhibit at the MOT will be a quilt made piece by piece by survivors of slavery from around the world, a project of the Survivor Quilt Project.

• January 21 st : East West Players event: Excerpts from "THE GIRLS FROM AFAR", A reading of a play on human trafficking by Libby Emmons at The National Center for Democracy. The reading will be followed by a panel on human trafficking today. 

• February 12 th : Campaign concludes on Abraham Lincoln's birthday with the Emancipation Concert at the Conga Room and Emancipation Proclamation by the City of Los Angeles

• Continuous events that will take place during the month include: weekly presentation by members of CAST Caucus of Survivors at the MOT's guest speakers' series; Mural and Quilt inspired by survivors will be in exhibit at MOT throughout the month; Jamba Juice and Body Shop support CAST's efforts at selected locations throughout Los Angeles. The key to ending modern-day slavery is in the hands of every Los Angeles resident, and therefore CAST encourages everyday citizens to take action and "Say NO 2 Slavery."

If they believe that they or someone they know is a victim of slavery, CAST's 24-hour hotline 1-888-KEY-2-FRE(EDOM) provides immediate emergency support from expert staff and trained volunteers.

Anyone who is interested in learning how to become a modern-day abolitionist can do so by volunteering, donating or learning more about the issue by visiting www.castla.org. And lastly, small behavior changes can add up to major progress in the fight against human trafficking.

CAST urges consumers to stop supporting companies and industries that rely on slave labor and start supporting state and federal legislation that will force corporations to eradicate slave labor from their supply chains.

CAST specializes in coalition-building and has brought together a first-of-its-kind group of law enforcement agencies, federal and state government agencies and human and legal aid organizations, as partners in the "From Slavery to Freedom" campaign in order to reach the most number of people.

Partners include:

• Líderes Campesinas: www.liderescampesinas.org

• CARECEN (Central American Resource Center): www.carecen-la.org

• Pilipino Workers Center: www.pwcsc.org

• Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles: www.lafla.org

• Los Angeles Police Department: www . lapdonline.org

• East West Players: www.eastwestplayers.org

• Thai Community Development Center: www.thaicdchome.org

• Para Los Niños: www . paralosninos.org

• CHIRLA (Coalition for Human Immigrant Rights of Los Angeles): www.chirla.org

• Koreatown Immigrant Workers Alliance: www.kiwa.org

• California Rural Legal Assistance: www.crla.org

• National Hispanic Media Coalition: www.nhmc.org

• Museum of Tolerance: www.museumoftolerance.com

• Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

• Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR)

• State Department -TIP Office

• Board of Equalization (BOE)

• The Mexican Embassy

• LA Metro Taskforce on Human Trafficking (LAMTFHT)

To learn more about CAST and the "From Slavery to Freedom" campaign, please visit: www.castla.org. To learn more about East West Players, please visit: www.eastwestplayers.org

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