Whenever we think of celebrities, we often think about the movies they are in, how much money they have, how crazy it would be to meet one, or their kids' weird names (but seriously, who names their kid Apple, Ocean, or my favorite—Pilot Inspektor?). What we don't typically think about is who they are as a real person outside of the celebrity identity. Celebrities are real people, and when they aren't doing celebrity things, some of them do pretty awesome "real person" things.
One of the most recent acts of a celebrity being (a much cooler version of) a normal person is that of Laurie Holden from The Walking Dead. Laurie is more than a slayer of zombies; she is a volunteer for Operation Underground Railroad—a human rights organization mostly dealing with sex trafficking. Recently, she helped with a raid down in Columbia where they helped save 55 girls from sex slavery.
The Way It Went Down
Operation Underground Railroad went down to Columbia and got in good with a group of traffickers. They then set up a huge party to coerce the traffickers into selling them underage girls (prostitution is legal in Columbia, having consensual sex with a 14 year old is also legal, but paying for sex with a minor is illegal). Once the money exchanged hands, law enforcement dropped in like the grasshoppers in A Bug's Life. Instead of wielding her zombie killing gun, Laurie helped social workers to comfort the victims after the arrests were made. But she still played a HUGE role in the raid.
Small Step
Laurie should feel accomplished for the work she did, but she still felt heartbroken because she knows that many of the girls will go back to that life (which a handful of them did right after the raid) and there are so many more of them out there. Unfortunately her feeling this way has merit: 55 girls may seem like a lot, but it is ridiculously miniscule when compared to the approximate 21 million victims in the world. It may only be a small step, but it's a step in the right direction.
Not all celebrities can be heroes in television, but they can be heroes in real life like Laurie Holden.
Share This Article
