[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 9906]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                  HONORING THE FREEDOM HAPPENS NOW 5K

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. BARBARA COMSTOCK

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, June 26, 2017

  Mrs. COMSTOCK. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to recognize Polaris for 
hosting the Freedom Happens Now 5K on Saturday June 24, 2017. This 
important event accentuate the plight of the voiceless victims of human 
trafficking in an effort to both raise awareness on their behalf and 
eventually eliminate this modern day slavery.
  Polaris was founded in 2002 by two seniors at Brown University in 
Providence, Rhode Island, Derek Ellerman and Katherine Chon, who were 
inspired to take action after learning about the horrifying account of 
six Korean women who were coerced into working at a brothel just a few 
blocks away from Brown University. This enlightened Ellerman and Chon 
as to how ubiquitous human trafficking really is and compelled them to 
take immediate action. They established Polaris, whose name derives 
from the North Star, which guided slaves toward freedom along the 
Underground Railroad. Since its inception, Polaris has remained firmly 
devoted to ending all forms of human trafficking and has always put an 
emphasis on directly supporting trafficking victims. Polaris has helped 
numerous victims escape from exploitation and worked to prevent more 
people from becoming ensnared by human trafficking. Over the past 
decade, Polaris has expanded their operations and today has evolved 
into one of the most preeminent global leaders in the fight against 
human trafficking.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to join me in commending Polaris for 
their vigorous dedication and unwavering commitment to bring awareness 
to the suffering and horrors that confront the countless victims of 
human trafficking. I truly appreciate all their work and thank them for 
promoting awareness about this important issue through hosting numerous 
events, including Saturday's 5K, which not only united our community, 
but helped us all gain a greater understanding of the realities of 
human trafficking. I also want to express my sincere gratitude to all 
those who participated in Saturday's 5K in a collaborative and laudable 
effort to combat the scourge of human trafficking and provide 
assistance to its all too often unnoticed victims. I wish Polaris all 
the best as they continue their valiant crusade to eradicate human 
trafficking in the United States and worldwide.

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