John,

As I mark my second anniversary as the CEO at Polaris, I’m grateful to be part of this social justice movement — alongside you — to end human trafficking.

We’re on a journey to become truly survivor centered. I’ve committed to personal transformation while leading an organizational transformation. And I urge you to become involved and engaged at this critical moment. Your solidarity with survivors matters deeply.

Today, we know we must partner with survivors in all we do. We must commit to listening and learning, and continue to challenge our assumptions about what survivors need, want, and feel.

We’ve learned that many survivors are not only willing to share their experiences, but also capable of leading the anti-trafficking fight. Here are a few ways it’s happening:

• Our Survivor Empowerment Initiative is bringing survivors into anti-trafficking work through hundreds of paid opportunities — with 180 survivor consultants working on important Polaris initiatives to date.

• We’ve welcomed a survivor leader to our Board of Directors and will expand this important representation.

• Half of our Advisory Council members have lived experiences of human trafficking. Serving with high-profile partners, survivors are being heard and influencing how change happens.

• We designed and conducted the first-of-its-kind National Survivor Study, working with over a dozen survivor consultants and reaching nearly 500 survivors overall.

With your care and support, we’ll continue building true allyship with survivors at every step. From strengthening safety nets to changing criminal justice systems, I hope you’ll continue walking this path with survivors as they reclaim their freedom.

This is the future of anti-trafficking. Together, with survivors, we can lead the way.