A native of southern Sudan, Mr. Bok was abducted at the age of 7 and enslaved for ten years. Today he lives in Kansas and works on the staff of the American Anti-Slavery Group. He has worked tirelessly to spread awareness about modern slavery in speeches across the country and with his critically acclaimed autobiography, Escape from Slavery. He has headed a panel on slavery at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, testified before a Senate Committee in Washington, D.C., met with President Bush at the White House, and been invited to carry the Winter Olympic Torch. Mr. Bok has been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, and Essence Magazine, in addition to several radio and television shows.

A refugee of southern Sudan, Simon Deng was abducted and sold into slavery at the age of nine. Today he travels the country, inspiring audiences with his passionate plea for action on behalf of the hundreds of thousands of victims of Sudanese slavery and genocide. He has addressed students at Harvard, Yale, and Columbia University and has met with President Bush and Southern Sudanese president Salva Kiir. In March 2006, Mr. Deng embarked on the Sudan Freedom Walk, a 300-mile trek from NY to DC to call for an end to slavery and genocide in Sudan.

At age 23, Ms. Fernando answered a job advertisement from a local agency looking for housemaids. Instead, she found herself being trafficked from her native Sri Lanka to Lebanon, where she was forced to endure several months of brutal physical abuse. Desperate to escape, Ms. Fernando finally jumped off a fourth-floor balcony to her freedom. Her amazing story is published in her autobiography In Contempt of Fate. She has testified before the U.S. House of Representatives, been interviewed by several radio and television programs, and been profiled in The Boston Herald.

Ms. Slattery , a native of Haiti, became a slave after being orphaned at the age of five. She was subjected to nine years of brutal beatings and exhausting chores by her extended family before she was trafficked to Connecticut. Ms. Slattery was able to escape and begin rebuilding her life as a young woman. She lives in Massachusetts and has been publicly speaking out about modern slavery. She has testified before the Massachusetts State Assembly and addressed the International Women’s Day Conference. Ms. Slattery has also been featured in several radio and television shows, including New England Cable News, as well as the Boston Metro and The Hartford Courant.

Abdarahmane (Abda) Wone is the North American Communications Director for the African Liberation Forces of Mauritania (FLAM) and a speaker for the American Anti-Slavery Group (AASG). In 1989, his family, along with more than 120,000 other black Africans, was deported from Mauritania by the totalitarian regime then in power. Having seen slavery in Mauritania first-hand, Abda has advocated for the rights of Mauritanian slaves and refugees for the past 17 years. He is currently pursuing a graduate degree in International Affairs at Columbia University in New York City.

A refugee from the Darfur region of Sudan, Mr. Yahya is the chairman of the Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy (DCFD). In the early 1990s, his village was attacked by the Sudanese government-backed Arab militia, known as the Janjaweed. The raiders decimated his village and Mr. Yahya's relatives and neighbors were shot, raped, and burnt alive. Today, he works with other refugees and speaks out against the genocide in Sudan. Mr. Yahya has spoken at Duke, George Washington University, and alongside Gloria Steinem at a rally in front of the UN.

Mr. Abdel Nasser Ould Yessa is currently the Foreign Secretary for the underground anti-slavery group, SOS Slaves. Mr. Yessa was born into the ruling class in Mauritania and spent much of his childhood surrounded by slaves. They were not only his servants but also his playmates. At the age of sixteen, Mr. Yessa studied the French Revolution and became captivated by the idea that "all men are created free and equal". Today, Mr. Yessa lives in exile in Paris heading up the international efforts of SOS Slaves.