28 Days in a Black Dress...

Project Little Black Dress 2013

Well hello there! (I say to myself because I have a blog that I rarely write and have zero followers). Really that parenthetical part isn't necessary, especially after the February that I have just experienced.

Let's get started...

How much is a life worth? What is the price tag you would put on yourself? Pick one, "priceless" isn't an answer. So, now I have to answer that since I just made my non-existent followers answer that. Hmmm...this is a rather difficult one. I don't want to say too high because I like to think I'm humble, and I don't want to say to low because then I'm too humble. Let's go with $1 billion since this is a trick question anyway. My point is that it's difficult for us in the US to put a price tag on a human being. We think of ourselves as priceless or that we're invaluable.

Why does it even matter? Why am I even asking this question? Well, it all stems from my good friend, Elisa, over at the Average Advocate. This gal is quite an amazing person and I am quite fortunate to know her. She has a heart full of passion for those who suffer from injustice and a will to change the world. She is quite dangerous now that I think about it. She is the definition of an advocate. (Seriously, if you asked me the definition of advocate, I would say Elisa). She is always seeking to educate others on the injustice in the world and how we over here in the grand ol' country of the US of A can help those in need, those who can't help themselves.

I'll be honest, I didn't ever look into what she would talk to me about when it came to social justice. I didn't exactly ignore things she talked about, I just didn't delve too much into the things she posted on social media sites or wrote about on her blog. Was I blind or what?! Her blog is packed full of things that she has done to help others, organizations that you can partner with or support for a variety of causes, and ways that you can become an advocate yourself. I know there is lots more goodness there, but I haven't been able to read everything yet.

Okay, so that brings us to something Elisa did last year. My friend wore the same little black dress for 40 days to raise awareness and funds to fight hunger and famine in the Horn of Africa. This effort was deemed Action: Little Black Dress. I watched her and thought, "That's nice. What a good thing she's doing" and I didn't even know what she was raising money for. The extent of my knowledge was that Elisa was doing something for those in need.

Over the past year, I have gotten to know Elisa better and really started to pay attention to who she is and what her life really looks like. What a blessing it has been! I'm pretty sure God had something to do with it, He always does. But I'm serious, because He clearly wanted me to open my eyes they way Elisa's are open. She sees the hurt and suffering and injustice in this world. She sees all the evil and works of Satan. She sees the opportunities that we have to help those that are less fortunate. She sees the good in people and the hope that can be found across this earth. Elisa sees the promise of change and how we can bring God's kingdom to those who need it most. And he wants us all to see like her.

As Elisa began to prep for Action: Little Black Dress 2013, she reached out to others to see if they would be interested to participate as well. She asked me and I immediately said no because I didn't think I would be able to due to working in a corporate office. However, that was a spark. It was a challenge. Why couldn't I wear the same thing every day? It wouldn't look the same necessarily. So I reconsidered. I went back and forth for a week and then decided that I was IN.

And that's how it began for me. It began as a challenge to see if I could actually wear the same dress for 28 days (and not repeat an outfit). If only I had know how much I would learn and grow over that time period, I wouldn't have hesitated to join this project.

Day 1

This year, the proceeds of the fundraiser were designated to go to International Justice Mission and Love146, the cause human trafficking. I didn't know anything about either organization or the cause. So I started off the month by researching each, in order to be prepared when others asked me what I was doing. Elisa sent out an email before we started with recommendations of things to do in conjunction with the action. Finding our purpose was in the list and I definitely found mine while researching. My heart breaks for all those affected by human trafficking. I cannot even begin to fathom all the hurt and pain and misery that comes with being sold or forced into slavery. SLAVERY THAT EXISTS TODAY!

Sadly, humanity has put a price tag on an individual. This website lists prices of human beings! I can't verify if it's a legitimate site, but I do know that that type of pricing exists in the black market of slavery. It's absolutely sickening and disheartening to think about how people can be so cruel and evil to another person. What is wrong with our world?! I could give you tons and tons of statistics but that would make this post even longer and probably discourage you from taking action. I do recommend that you check out the above organizations and Elia's posts at The Average Advocate to learn more about human trafficking.

Whew...

All of that to say, the month of February was an enlightening one. Sometimes I was self-conscious of wearing the same dress every day, worried that someone would notice. And then what? What would they think of me? Would they have enough courage to say anything? The One Month. One Dress. One Cause. button I had probably would have solved that self-induced problem, but I was unsure if that violated some workplace policy. Sometimes I was annoyed that I had to wear the dress, while other times I was glad I didn't have to think about my outfit too much. A lot of times I realized how fortunate I am to have the things that I do and the life that I do. Next, I would wonder why me? Why am I not a slave? And then I would struggle with that (as I still do). Enter frustrations for not having the answers to the universe.

I did recognize that our current day technology makes information pretty accessible. It also makes disseminating that information pretty easy. I also realized that even if I'm annoying most of my Facebook  friends, if one person decides to learn more about human trafficking, then it was worth it. Becoming an advocate doesn't require a lot a skills and knowledge; it takes passion and determination. Elisa is a great example of an advocate, but even just as a person she is someone to imitate. Elisa, thank you for being you. Don't change yourself, only continue to change the world.

God has been at work in me and has given me a passion to help those who are less fortunate, for those who are in situations that I cannot imagine. I have been blessed and I have a duty to help others. I am called to be an advocate.

Day 28