Produced by: Office of Marketing and Communications
April 4, 2017
Sharing her personal story of surviving and combating the scourge of human trafficking, activist Donna Hubbard urged more than 250 guests at a St. John’s University conference to remember that we, as a society, are the true key to confronting and ending this global crisis.
“We are our brother’s keeper, so look at what’s going on around you, and be aware,” she declared. “Understand that the smallest thing that you can do is recognize human trafficking and report it—because that’s what saves lives.”
Ms. Hubbard was the keynote speaker at “2020 Vision: End Human Trafficking,” a conference sponsored by St. John’s Vincentian Center for Church and Society. Held at the Queens, NY, campus on April 1, the event featured an eclectic mix of presentations, performances, lectures, and workshops about this modern form of slavery, which Pope Francis called “an open wound on the body of contemporary society.”
“In 2017, the Vincentian Family celebrates the 400th anniversary of the charism of St. Vincent de Paul,” observed Rev. Patrick J. Griffin, C.M., Executive Director of the Vincentian Center. “In holding the stories of trafficked persons up to the light, St. John’s, in union with our collaborators, stands true to his vision and our mission.”
Ms. Hubbard was a trafficking victim for seven years until she was finally incarcerated along with her captors. No longer their property, she used her time in prison to transform her life through faith and education. She persevered and earned a bachelor’s degree in theology and a master’s degree in Christian counseling. Today, she is a flight attendant and a certified trainer with Airline Ambassadors International, a nonprofit organization that prepares airline workers to recognize and report cases of human trafficking.
Luigi Ragusa ’18Ed, a St. John’s education major who presented his research project on human trafficking in India, was moved by Ms. Hubbard’s address. “It’s one thing to read about human trafficking,” he said, “but hearing about it firsthand from a survivor is remarkable. Donna is a trailblazer in informing us about the issue, and showing us how to make a difference.”
The conference also featured three concurrent workshops on human trafficking: “How to Identify Human Trafficking in Your Community”; “Human Trafficking: A Cause and Consequence of Conflict, Humanitarian Crises, and Displacement”; and “Deep and Dark Web: The Roles of the Internet, Social Media, and Technology in Facilitating Human Trafficking.”
Students at the conference were shocked by how widespread the problem is. “It’s a topic that isn’t always covered in the news,” said Alexandra Willard ’19CPS. “It happens almost everywhere—yet so many people have no idea what human trafficking really is.”
Christine Hammill-Cregan, M.S.W., J.D., Associate Director of the Vincentian Center, noted that, in 2014, Pope Francis pledged to end human slavery by 2020. “Our current freshman class will be the graduating class of 2020,” she said. “We hope the world’s vision is a perfect 20/20 by then, and the trafficking of persons clearly a thing of the past.”