My favorite question at the moment is, “So what’s this bike thing you’re doing?” and lucky for me, I get asked that question pretty often.
I have a lot of time alone in my head when I’m on my bike. I spend a lot of that time thinking about how much of a blessing it is that Pedal the Pacific chose ME to be apart of this team. I think back to my high school days to when being trafficked was my biggest fear, which eventually led to a deep passion for fighting against it. Now that I know more about the sex-trafficking industry, I know that my chances of being trafficked extremely slim, because those who are trafficked are typically vulnerable because of other factors in their lives whether it’s abusive parents, addiction, sexual abuse, or other childhood traumas. They are vulnerable because they lack a place where they feel safe and loved, and traffickers take advantage of this.
It breaks my heart to think that many many people, who are just like me, are more vulnerable to being trafficked because of a situation they can’t control. That is why I’m riding. That is why I find it so important to tell the world about the realness and nearness of sex-trafficking, because I can’t bare to think and know about individuals who are experiencing this trauma every single day without me doing anything about it.
Growing up, the problem of sex trafficking seemed so large that I never thought I, alone, could make a difference. I think fear of inadequacy is what holds a lot of people back from pursing a dream. Think about what a different world we would live in if people weren’t afraid to do something BIG. I am thankful for the founders of Pedal the Pacific who were radical in their ways and made a difference.
In a way, I am unable to make a difference all by myself. I could get on my bike and ride up and down the pacific coast and not a dang thing would change about the sex-trafficking industry. It’s the family and friends and donors who have given to The Refuge, and have shared what I’m doing to bring awareness about sex-trafficking. It’s everyone who is reading this. We, together, are the difference makers, and it is all of us who will put an end to sex-trafficking.
