A conversation with David Batstone of Not For Sale

May 16, 7:29 AMSeattle Protestant ExaminerKevin Austin

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David Batstone is the founder and President of Not for Sale, one of the leading organizations in America fighting modern slavery. A professor at the University of San Francisco, he has authored seven books, as well as numerous articles for the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, and other publications. Dave is a person of faith, compelled by compassion to help the “least of these.”

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Dave.

What compelled you initially to become involved in the anti-slavery movement? How did it all begin?

There were two parts, really: the personal and the immediate. Personally, there was my faith, which asked me to think about others. What am I called to do? That answer was to advocate for those who are vulnerable. In my 20’s, I was involved in Central America, intervening for those in need. That work set me up for what I’m doing now.

The immediate happened when I discovered that my favorite restaurant in San Francisco used slaves. One thing led to another. I then took a year off, traveled the globe, and investigated slavery. (For more on this see Dave’s book, Not for Sale)

How does your faith play a role?

I have a strong Evangelical faith background. Growing up it was a narrow gospel: personal, not social. It was the journey through my 20’s, as I worked with the vulnerable, which helped me to combine social justice with faith. The Gospels grounded me and have been my bedrock. I’m not ideologically driven, or politcally driven, so much as driven by compassion.

What is the one thing you would say to a room full of apathetic Christians who think slavery does not exist today?

Rather than arguing with people I just show them documented cases. Our Slavery Map shows clearly where slavery exists.

When discouragement comes, what do you do? What would you say to those who are discouraged?

At Not for Sale, we set tangible goals, and then celebrate when we accomplish those goals. Sure, there may be millions yet to rescue out of slavery, but we made a difference for some. We express gratitude for reaching our goals.

But what about personally? When you walk out of an alley, after seeing the horror of the situation, what do you do with that despair?

Personally, to see people in situations where they are really trapped can be demoralizing. There are three things that help me: having a community of people who care about the situation and each other; prayer; and humor. Sometimes it helps to not take ourselves so seriously. Laughter is healing.

What are your views on partnering with others, not just other Christians, but also Buddhists, Hindus and others?

That’s been a watershed issue for us. Some churches have chosen not to partner with us because we don’t use the right adjectives. But we don’t determine where God is, where he’s working. We think about catching up to where God is. We self-consciously made NFS a non-religious movement. That doesn’t mean God is not in the movement, or that people of faith are not part of the movement. Many of us are deeply committed Christians. We just didn’t want any exclusion. Fortunately, we have many churches that see the work we are doing and are partnering with us.

What do you realistically think we will see 5 years from now in the area of ending slavery?

We will have established a very strong international community of people working together. There will be new, better laws. We will continue to raise levels of awareness. We will have more effective answers to corruption. I have hope.

Author’s note: The abolitionist movement has made considerable progress in the past five years. I believe we can all contribute to making this five-year goal come true. Of course, the end result is what the real goal is: millions of slaves emancipated, rehabilitated, and given back their dignity and self worth.

See also:

Craigslist to close erotic services

Defend our children and youth: stop pornograhpy and sex slavery

A child for $3

Photo: Used by persmission of Not for Sale