Grammy-winning singer Jason Mraz to perform live at Freedom Awards and Freedom Rocks
Jason says Free the Slaves “kick-started my heart.” He came with us to see slavery in Africa and meet child slavery survivors. You can see him perform the inspiring song, “Freedom,” with video of freed child slaves as his back-up chorus.
Jason’s uplifting music has made him a global superstar. He has been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and his most recent studio album is multi-platinum around the world. His latest hit, “I’m Yours,” is the longest-running song in the history of the Billboard “Hot 100.”
Announcing the Winners
One of the most rewarding things we do each year at Free the Slaves is bring the stories of the annual Freedom Award winners to you. This year’s winners rescue people from sex slavery on the streets of Washington, D.C., and shelter them as they rebuild their lives. They push reluctant governments and cautious international agencies to forcefully combat trafficking. They help farm slaves stand up for their legal rights in courts in India. And they harness social media to build a global community dedicated to ending slavery. They represent some of the best anti-slavery work in the world today.
The Freedom Award presentations will happen later this year. We’ll keep you posted about the celebrations. But you shouldn’t wait to read about these true heroes. Here are their stories:
Frederick Douglass Award
Tina Frundt | USA
Tina Frundt says that no little girl dreams of becoming a sex slave when she grows up. That’s why Tina risks her life in the middle of the night to reach out to teens that are trapped. She knows their pain and fear. “The reason why I’m so compelled to do this work is because I’m a survivor of sex trafficking,” Tina says, “and quite honestly, nobody did this for me.”
Read Tina’s story >>
William Wilberforce Award
Roger Plant | U.K.
You can think of Roger Plant as history’s most unusual census taker. As head of a UN agency task force, he set out to count the number of slaves in the world today. The premise: you can’t cure it if you can’t count it. His global estimates of slavery—and of the profits made by slaveholders—have helped forge a worldwide governmental response. “There’s a tremendous amount of good will around in the world,” Roger says. “Our job is to mobilize the good will against the bad.”
Read Roger’s story >>
Harriet Tubman Award
JEEVIKA | India
The farm fields of India are one of the world’s worst spots for slavery. Trapped by phony debts, entire families have been enslaved for generations. JEEVIKA is a group that helps slaves understand their rights and free themselves from bondage. By standing together against powerful land owners and complacent public officials, slaves discover that freedom is possible.
Read JEEVIKA’s story >>
Anne Templeton Zimmerman
Fellowship
Anne Keehn | USA
Anne Keehn came face-to-face with slavery while working as a journalism intern in Israel. Farm workers described to her how they’d been trafficked from Asia. It touched a nerve that would change her forever. “I saw something of myself,” she says. “I also saw how their experience was the dark, flip side of my own life.” Now, Anne uses the Internet to build bridges between those in slavery, and those who can support efforts to free them.
Read Anne’s story >>
Grammy-winning singer Jason Mraz to perform live at Freedom Awards and Freedom Rocks
Jason says Free the Slaves “kick-started my heart.” He came with us to see slavery in Africa and meet child slavery survivors. You can see him perform the inspiring song, “Freedom,” with video of freed child slaves as his back-up chorus.
Jason’s uplifting music has made him a global superstar. He has been honored by the Songwriters Hall of Fame and his most recent studio album is multi-platinum around the world. His latest hit, “I’m Yours,” is the longest-running song in the history of the Billboard “Hot 100.”
A Night to Remember
Mark your calendar! November 7th is your chance to see the 2010 Freedom Award winners. We call the Los Angeles awards ceremony a “Soul-Revving, Heart-Thumping, Shout-Out-Loud-Celebration” because it’s an evening filled with energy and inspiration.
The event is filled with artists, athletes, actors, authors, business and political leaders—and hundreds of everyday folks dedicated to ending slavery forever. Previous award presenters have included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, actresses Demi Moore and Camilla Belle, author Isabel Allende, philanthropist Pam Omidyar and film director/abolitionist Tom Shadyac.
This year will be just as uplifting. Creativity expert Sir Ken Robinson will host, with his inimitable wit. The charismatic music VJ Quddus Philippe will host the rocking Freedom Rocks after-party and mobilization for action.
Join us in person, or on-line. Tickets will be available soon.
See how much fun the evening can be on the Free the Slaves Web site.
Sponsorship opportunities are now available.
Why the Freedom Awards are Important
Free the Slaves created the Freedom Awards to celebrate today’s anti-slavery heroes and to catalyze additional innovation and resources to end slavery once and for all.
