Tonight I had the incredible opportunity to attend the International Justice Mission’s Benefit Dinner in Nashville, TN. “IJM is a human rights agency that secures justice for victims of slavery, sexual exploitation and other forms of violent oppression. IJM lawyers, investigators and aftercare professionals work with local officials to ensure immediate victim rescue and aftercare, to prosecute perpetrators and to promote functioning public justice systems.” Nashville was 1 of 5 cities that had the fortune of hosting a benefit dinner, so this was a big deal for our developing city.
For those of you who aren’t aware, we just started an IJM Campus Chapter here at Lipscomb University. Tonight, 9 dedicated members (dressed to kill) traveled downtown to the Renaissance Hotel to enjoy the IJM Benefit. Upon arrival we were blown away by a beautiful display in the Grand Ballroom. In a room filled with sharp dressed big-shots, my eyes were immediately drawn to the terrific banners reaching to the floor and the huge screens with touching images and messages of IJM’s works around the globe. After mixing and mingling with IJM staffers and other students from the community, it was time for the first act. Tonight’s musical guests were christian artists Sara Grove and Brandon Heath. They put on a beautiful performance which was accompanied by a video featuring the great words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Definitely a great way to kick things off.
Next, they introduced the evening’s speaker Sharon Cohn Wu, IJM Senior Vice President of Justice Operations. She made a great connection with the audience as she shared stories of individuals suffering from injustice. One example that really stuck with me illustrated a young woman who had been raped multiple times by her neighbor when he cornered her in a building. The girl’s mother tried to bring charges against the rapist, but nothing came from it. In this particular judicial system, offenders must be convicted by a jury of their peers. The big problem is this - members of the jury are not required to show up, so the typically don’t take the time to sit in court when they don’t have to. Then, in the lucky instance you have a full jury, the defending attorneys just refuse to show up to court. With no penalty for their absence, they can just hold out until the jury becomes apathetic and stays home. Sucks doesn’t it? Well, things got even worse when the court informed the mother that they had misplaced her file so she would have to pay to make another one. This made her face the very real decision of paying for a new file or feeding her family. Injustice at its finest.
Here’s where the story looks up. When IJM’s team came to town they met with this family and set a plan for justice to be served. After re-bringing charges against the neighbor, the case was ready. When things looked bad for the defendant, they relied on their usual strategy of “let’s just not show up.” IJM shut this “creative strategy” down by working with the judge to fine the defending attorney the equivalent of 1,000 American dollars for failing to appear before the court. Needless to say, the defending attorneys had perfect attendance from there forth. The rapist was sentenced to 15 years in jail for his offense. IJM was able to work with the legal system in this area to help this family see the justice they deserved. Now that potential offenders know their actions will have consequences, they must think twice before they commit such evil acts. After justice has been served, IJM’s aftercare teams can go to work to help families recover. It’s truly a beautiful thing.
As the Benefit came to a close, IJM Vice President of Development, Bill Clark, gave an invitation to participate which put our goals in perspective. He stated that if we could convince 10% of the American population to care about ending slavery, we would have 1 advocate for every slave in the world. With 10% of our nation calling their representatives in Congress, change would have to be made. 10% is a large goal, but it’s a true statement. If we ever want to reach this many advocates, we have to start small. That’s why campus chapters, like Lipscomb’s, are so important. It’s all about getting the word out and raising awareness. People need to know that slavery isn’t just something you read about in history books. It is real, it is here, it is now.
If we really care, we can put an end to one of the oldest injustices in the book. We can end this. What are you going to do?
A few things to close with:
1. Our Campus Chapter will be hosting a screening party on Sunday, 11/15 for IJM’s Weekend to End Slavery. We will be watching IJM’s new film “At The End of Slavery”, writing to legislators, and discussing new projects for our chapter. Join us!
2. To learn more about the International Justice Mission visit www.ijm.org
3. To learn more about what our chapter is doing, come to our next meeting! Monday - 10/26 -10pm - Swang 108. Or email me at morganjd@mail.lipscomb.edu
Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed, defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
