Kentucky's Nine Racetracks Join First Lady's Anti-Trafficking Poster Campaign
Kentucky First Lady Britainy Beshear announced on October 13 in Frankfort that all nine of the commonwealth's racetracks are partnering with the First Lady's Human Trafficking Awareness Coalition to post signage teaching the public to recognize and report the signs of human trafficking, consistent with signage at airports, hotels, convention centers and stadiums. In September, the First Lady sent a letter on the coalition's behalf to all nine racetracks.
The tracks — Churchill Downs in Louisville, Keeneland and the Red Mile in Lexington, Ellis Park in Henderson, Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky Downs and The Mint in Franklin, Cumberland Run in Corbin, Oak Grove, and Sandy's Racing in Ashland — will display posters developed by the First Lady's Office, modeled on the federal Blue Campaign's airport ads and available in English and Spanish, listing warning signs such as a person not controlling their own travel documents or money, lacking freedom of movement, being unable to state a logical travel plan, or a relationship that appears inauthentic, particularly between a parent or guardian and a child.
Beshear said trafficking is a global problem requiring everyone to raise awareness and educate, helping save lives and secure justice for survivors, and noted the tracks welcome millions of visitors a year. Johan Mirkovic, vice president and general manager of The Mint Gaming Hall at Kentucky Downs, said fighting traffickers "belongs to all of us" and that traffickers rely on silence and on bystanders assuming someone else will act. Coalition member and survivor Deanna Lynn Spangler said the signs matter because, from her own experience, it is hard to realize another future is possible when you do not know where to find help. The 15-member coalition was created by Governor Beshear's executive order in March and is chaired by the First Lady. Reports can be made to the Kentucky Department for Community Based Services at 877-KYSAFE1 for suspected child exploitation, to the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888-373-7888, or, in an emergency, by calling 911 or Kentucky State Police at 800-222-5555.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 丘吉尔园赛马场（路易斯维尔），Wikimedia Commons，CC BY-SA 2.0，Ken Lund
