A scattering of red sand poured into sidewalk cracks might seem like a simple act. But in Chattanooga, the crimson thread carries a somber meaning: it symbolizes the lives that too often fall through society’s cracks – the victims of human trafficking.
On Aug. 1, community leaders, advocates, survivors and concerned citizens gathered at the Aloft Hotel on Hamilton Place Boulevard for the city’s annual Red Sand Project event. More than a symbolic gesture, the event brought together organizations from across the city and region to call attention to the ongoing crisis of human trafficking – and to rally around tangible solutions for prevention, rescue and recovery.
“The Red Sand Project is a powerful reminder that human trafficking happens here, and we can’t afford to look away,” said Regina McDevitt, executive director of the Dr. Carol B. Berz Family Justice Center. “At the Family Justice Center, we stand in solidarity with the community to raise awareness and fulfill our mission of promoting safety, healing and justice for all.”
‘All it takes is one’
The event was led by a coalition of organizations including the Hamilton County Health Department, WillowBend Farms, the Family Justice Center, Vision Hospitality Group and a regional alliance known as One Voice – a collective of five anti-trafficking nonprofits that joined forces in 2024 to dismantle barriers and collaborate on solutions.
Sarah McKinnis, CEO and co-founder of WillowBend Farms – and herself a trafficking survivor – set the tone early with a message about the power of small actions.
“All it takes is one,” she said. “One thing, one action, one movement.”
McKinnis recounted how the city’s anti-trafficking efforts grew from a single conversation to a robust alliance of public and private partners.
“We wanted to bring the community together to say, ‘We want to combat human trafficking in Chattanooga.’ Year after year, we’ve come together to stand in solidarity, making a commitment to accomplish two things: to prevent human trafficking and to provide restoration for survivors. Both are needed. Both require action.”
A movement grew from those early conversations. One Voice now includes WillowBend Farms, Blazing Hope Ranch, Her Song Chattanooga, Love’s Arm Outreach and Street Grace Chattanooga. Together, these organizations provide outreach, crisis intervention, housing, therapy and employment services to survivors.
“We sat in a room and had uncomfortable conversations about how we do this together,” McKinnis said. “And if others want to join the fight, how do we make it easier for them? How do we empower them and bring them in so it’s not siloed work but something we truly do together?”
Filling the cracks
The Red Sand Project, founded by artist Molly Gochman, began as a participatory art installation to raise awareness about human trafficking, modern slavery and exploitation. Participants pour red sand into sidewalk cracks, visually representing the lives that too often go unnoticed.
That symbolism was not lost on the Chattanooga crowd.
“By filling these cracks with red sand today, we’re making a visible statement that says, ‘We see you. You matter. We will not let you fall through,’” McDevitt said.
McDevitt recalled a parable about a young boy walking with his grandfather along a beach where thousands of starfish had washed ashore. As they walked, the boy began picking up the starfish one at a time and tossing them back into the ocean. Watching him, the grandfather remarked that there were too many to save and that his efforts wouldn’t make a difference. Undeterred, the boy continued his task, demonstrating that while he couldn’t rescue them all, he could still change the outcome for each one he helped.
“That’s the story of our work,” McDevitt said. “If we make a difference for one, we make a difference for all.”
In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline reported 213 cases involving a total of 446 victims in Tennessee. Each case, as advocates note, often includes multiple victims, making the true human toll even greater.
“This crime affects men, women and children alike,” said Beka Bohannon, administrator of Health and Social Services for Hamilton County. “Human trafficking is one of the fastest-growing criminal industries in the U.S. The Health Department is dedicated to combating this and proudly partners with local leaders like WillowBend Farms and the Family Justice Center to support survivors.”
No room for competition
The creation of One Voice in 2024 marked a turning point for Chattanooga’s anti-trafficking work. Historically, nonprofits operated independently, sometimes even in competition for resources. One Voice changed that.
“We did something in this community that has not been done,” McKinnis said. “We brought all five anti-trafficking agencies together to say, ‘We’re going to do this together. We’re going to dismantle the competition that might exist between us. We have one purpose and one cause. We have a mission.’”
In January 2024, the One Voice collective formed the Counter-Trafficking Alliance of Chattanooga. With 45 agencies and 69 individuals present at the kickoff meeting, the group conducted a strategic assessment of community strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. Their goal: build a comprehensive plan to prevent trafficking and provide faster, more effective services to victims.
That commitment has already produced results.
One key partner in the effort is Vision Hospitality Group, a Chattanooga-based hotel company that has not only trained staff to recognize signs of trafficking but also launched a formal program to hire and support survivors.
“Partnering with businesses like Vision Hospitality – who not only made a statement but then actually did something – has been critical,” said McKinnis.
Jenelle Hawkins of Vision Hospitality spoke at the event, noting how the company’s initiative had already made a tangible impact and inspired other employers.
“If we can give survivors financial independence, then that’s going to eradicate trafficking,” Hawkins said. “They won’t need that money, they won’t need that security, because they’ll be providing that to themselves.”
A significant boost
This year’s event included the announcement of a major grant from the American Hotel and Lodging Association Foundation’s No Room for Trafficking Survivor Fund awarded to WillowBend Farms. The funds will help expand programming for victims, many of whom struggle to access safe housing, counseling, or job training after escaping trafficking.
In just the past year, WillowBend Farms has served more than 246 survivors.
“These are the numbers for just one organization,” McKinnis emphasized. “There are five of us. That’s a lot of survivors that are impacted.”
More importantly, she said, those survivors are finding their voices.
“The resounding voice of survivors is expanding because there’s confidence that they will not be revictimized. It’s being authenticated by a community that says, ‘We will undergird you. We will support you. Your voice will not be used against you.’”
What’s your one thing?
While collaboration, funding and public policy play vital roles in the fight against human trafficking, McKinnis and others were quick to return the focus to the individual – especially those who might feel powerless to help.
“I have people tell me all the time, ‘I don’t work in hotels,’ or, ‘I don’t work for a survivor support group,’” said one of the event organizers. “But as a regular citizen, you can help prevent human trafficking by doing ‘one thing.’”
The organizer then invited audience members to share their own “one thing.”
“I can share a post on Facebook,” said one lady.
“I can check on my neighbors,” another offered.
A third said, “I can encourage hotel owners to get on board.”
“I can speak up when I see something,” said a fourth woman. “I’m still haunted by not reporting something that didn’t feel right.”
Even small acts matter deeply, McKinnis assured the crowd.
“One small action can set off a domino effect. When each of us does just one thing, the impact multiplies.”
The work ahead
As the red sand settled between the sidewalk cracks outside Aloft Hotel, the message from Chattanooga’s advocates was clear: the work does not end with awareness. It begins with it.
“This is not about today,” McKinnis said. “It’s not about pouring red sand. It’s about what happens after today. What can you do to prevent human trafficking and create a pathway for the restoration of survivors?”
McDevitt, too, reminded attendees that lasting change happens not in isolation but in unity.
“We don’t do this work alone,” she said. “The only way we can make an impact is to do it collaboratively.”
From the Red Sand Project’s vivid symbolism to the growing partnerships behind One Voice, Chattanooga is building a model that could echo far beyond its city limits, McKinnis said.
“We must unite to change lives and our community, and to show other communities that what we’ve done in Chattanooga can be done anywhere.”
Then, in a final rallying cry, she added, “Together with one voice, we can say there’s no room for trafficking in this city.”
Help for victims
If you know someone who needs help to escape trafficking, contact the Tennessee Human Trafficking Hotline at 855 558-6484. If you suspect you have encountered a victim of human trafficking, call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 888 373-7888 or text 233733.
Indicators of human trafficking