“In music, a call and response is a succession of two distinct phrases usually played by different musicians, where the second phrase is heard as a direct commentary on or response to the first. It corresponds to the call-and-response pattern in human communication and is found in many traditions.”
Last night just outside DC in Arlington, Virginia music and activism merged to united to bring a fresh face to the movement against modern slavery. The theater was abuzz with excitement, as government officials, NGO's, activists, concerned citizens and music lovers alike to their seats to see and hear Call + Response
Call+Response is a groundbreaking documentary, or should one say rockumentary, that exposes the world's most terrifying secret: there are more slaves today than ever before in human history. 27 million human lives, the majority women and children, have become modern disposable commodities, leaving slavery as the forefront of the worlds human rights violations, and ceasing to leave the slave trade in history as so many have come to believe that is where it remains.
The Rocumentary and the ever growing modern abolitionist movement includes the support of Grammy-winning and critically acclaimed artists including; Moby, Natasha Bedingfield, Cold War Kids, Matisyahu, Imogen Heap, Talib Kweli, Five For Fighting, Switchfoot, members of Nickel Creek, Rocco Deluca, each artist contributing their art and inspiration to form a collection of modern abolitionist songs. The music combines with testimony and vision from leading experts in the field such as Kevin Bales of Free the Slaves, Gary H of IJM, Groundbreaking journalist Nickolas Kristoff, and celebrity activists such as Ashley Judd and Julia Ormond.
The footage begins with the rough and somewhat grainy images inside the world of child sex slavery, as the haunting words of "boom, boom", and "yum, yum", then you are effortlessly transcended into an artsy rock video. Call + Response goes from hardcore reality to art activism, intertwining and steamily flowing together . Creator Justin Dillon's song, “Baby Blue”, was inspired by a 12 year old girl who was being prostituted, which he met who was locked in her room, which resembled more of a prison cell. Dillon said he wished the girl could write a song on a piece of paper and fold it into a paper airplane and throw it from her window onto the street for someone to hear, the song is now dedicated to all the girls enslaved in the seedy world of sex trafficking.
Following the showing Justin Dillon, who produced and directed the film, took the stage to share how he heard the call. Dillon heard the call loud and clear and his response was music, Justin took what he knew how to do and turned it into music activism, inciting others to do the same. But Dillon didn't just inspire those in the music industry to respond to the call, he is helping a new generation to hear the call and find their individual response.
Do you know what is happening in your neighborhood, what is happening next door? Slavery is not just in a distant land, it is everywhere, it effects everyone. Regardless of your talents and your resources, we all have a responsibility to not just hear the call but respond to the call, this can be done in infinite ways. We cannot just raise awareness, we must work for freedom and justice, and place an end to the impunity that has allowed human lives to be imprisoned by another for profit and greed.
The cost of freedom is relatively low, but it takes people power, it takes you and me to respond to the call of everyday people who have been enslaved. Your voice can be heardit must be heard, for others to hear the 27 million voices that have been silenced by slavery. Injustice reigns only when we stand by and silently watch. So hear the call, even if it is just one voice you hear, hear it and hear it clearly. Do not let your silence contribute to the enslavement of millions, so not let your fear shackle you and respond to the call today.
100% of the profits of the film are going to fund global field projects on the front lines of this issue.
