We, the members of Hamilton’s Black and Latinx Student Union, hereby denounce the human rights abuses currently occurring in Libya. Under no circumstance is human trafficking excusable in 2018, or any year for that matter. We stand in solidarity with the international community’s condemnation of such acts, and further urge the Trump Administration to formally aid the effort in dismantling Libyan trafficking rings. While strong statements are suitable for U.N. boardrooms, they mean little to the migrants and refugees being sold like animals to the highest bidders. We demand action from the U.S. government.

Historically speaking, it has been a little over 150 years since the U.S. officially ended systemic slavery and merely 50 years since the end of legalized racism that propagated slavery in an alternative form. Without the added pressure of the international community, it is likely that the United States would not have advanced thus far and as such, it is imperative that the U.S. take a more aggressive role in ensuring a swift end to the humanitarian crisis in Libya. As students and community members alike, we will also contribute to the effort by keeping our student body informed and by making our pleas and frustrations known to our congressional representatives.

We stand in support of the victims of the Libyan slave trade.

In all sincerity and solidarity,

Hamilton’s Black and Latinx Union