TCU students gathered from 10 p.m. to 12 a.m. in the Einstein’s parking lot on Wednesday, Nov. 18 to enjoy their last meal for 24 hours.

The TCU chapter of the International Justice Mission hosted a pancake rally, where students prepared to participate in the “fast for freedom” as a part of the International Justice Mission’s #noslavenovember movement.

At the rally, students were offered free pancakes and hot chocolate while members of the International Justice Mission taught about modern day slavery by reading stories of those enslaved in both foreign countries and in the U.S.

To lighten the mood, music was played after the presentation to celebrate the opportunity TCU students have to make a difference.

The International Justice Mission is a global organization new to campus this semester. Junior Madelyn Carter and senior Maddie Bailey co-founded TCU’s chapter and hope the rally and fast will “motivate action,” Bailey said.

The purpose of the fast is to donate the money students would have spent on food Thursday to the International Justice Mission. Carter and Bailey were inspired to start the chapter on campus after traveling to India with the TCU Political Science Department to study American foreign policy on human trafficking last May.

“It ignited a flame in us to want to do something about it,” Carter said. “We were forever changed by the people we had met and the people we had seen.”

Bailey explained why she believes it is important the International Justice Mission has a chapter at TCU:

According to the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, there are about 21 million people enslaved globally, with the average person being sold for an estimated $90. Traffickers profit around $32 billion every year.

CNN reported that 54 percent of recruiters and victims were strangers to each other while 46 percent knew each other before enslavement.

This semester, the TCU chapter of the International Justice Mission has held Q-and-A sessions and documentary screenings to help raise student awareness about slavery.

The organization also stays connected to the community by joining efforts with nonprofit organizations such as “The NET.” It also hosts “Traffic 911” volunteer training on campus.

“I think the first step with this is facilitating the learning process about the issue because it’s something that not a lot of people know about,” Bailey said.

Students can become involved with the TCU chapter of the International Justice Mission by being a part of the “leadership team” or “hype team.” The hype team was designed for students that would like to be involved but cannot commit to being on the leadership team.

Students involved in the hype team are required to attend one event per semester and are incentivized to bring other students to events through a point system.

“It’s been incredible to see how much we’ve been able to do in the past few months,” Carter said.

To learn more about what modern slavery looks like today see link below: