Program Overview

The Let’s Talk about Forced Labor program explores the topic of forced labor, a form of coercive employment that is a common component of modern slavery. According to Anti-Slavery International, 24.9 million people are in forced labor worldwide and children account for up to 10 million of these victims. 

 This program consists of: 

• A book 
• Two guest speakers 
• A workshop  

About the Badge

About the Book

The Let’s Talk about Forced Labor required book is Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide, and the Secret to Saving the World by Kevin Bales, a professor of Contemporary Slavery and research director at the University of Nottingham, UK.  

Blood and Earth explores the connection between modern slavery and ecological destruction, the supply chain that supports it and what consumers can do to make a difference. 

About the Speakers

Kevin Bales is our first speaker. In addition to his academic leadership, Bales is a Pulitzer-nominated author and co-founder of the Free the Slaves organization in Washington, D.C. He sits on the board of the Freedom Fund and is considered a leading expert on modern-day slavery.  

Watch the Kevin Bales recording.

Our second speaker, Matthew Friedman, is an international human trafficking expert and human rights advocate. Friedman is the founder and CEO of the Mekong Club, a Hong Kong-based organization that uncovers and addresses slavery in the private sector. He is an accomplished public speaker and has presented across the country for 100+ organizations, including Disney and Bank of America. 

Watch the Matthew Friedman recording. 

About the Workshop

Our educational workshop discusses the takeaways from our speakers and book in more detail. The workshop is led by Greer Woodruff, the Senior VP of Safety, Security & Driver Personnel at J.B. Hunt, and Kendis Paris, executive director and co-founder of nonprofit organization Truckers Against Trafficking. 

Watch the Workshop recording.

How to Earn the Badge

Undergraduate students

Achieve the Let's Talk about Forced Labor badge by completing the following activities:

• Watch the recording of Kevin Bales' speaker presentation and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences). 
• Watch the recording of Matt Friedman speaker presentation and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences). 
• Watch the recording of the J.B. Hunt Workshop with Greer Woodruff and Kendis Paris and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences).

Graduate students

Achieve the graduate-level Let's Talk about Forced Labor badge by completing the following activities:

• Watch the recording of Kevin Bales' speaker presentation and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences). 
• Watch the recording of Matt Friedman speaker presentation and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences). 
• Watch the recording of the J.B. Hunt Workshop with Greer Woodruff and Kendis Paris and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences).
• Read the book of the semester, Blood and Earth: Modern Slavery, Ecocide, and the Secret to Saving the World by Kevin Bales and write a reflection on main takeaways (a minimum of 5 sentences).

Community members

Achieve the basic badge by completing these activities:

• Watch the recording of all guest speaker talks.
• Submit key takeaways from each of the guest speaker talks to wcobili@uark.edu (a minimum of 5 sentences).
• Read this semester’s book and submitting key takeaways to wcobili@uark.edu (a minimum of 5 sentences).