Vanderbilt University School of Nursing will call attention to the growing public health issue of human trafficking on Friday, Aug. 2, by creating an interactive art installation on 21st Ave. in front of its building.
The Red Sand Project will start at 11 a.m. at 461 21st Ave. S. Students, faculty, staff and other participants will pour red sand into sidewalk cracks in front of the school and continue in both directions until sand supplies run out.
The red cracks are designed to call attention to the issue and represent the human trafficking victims who slip through the cracks. Participants are asked to take photos of their work and post them to social media using hashtags #RedSandProjectTN and #RedSandProject.
Members of the campus community are invited to attend and participate. There is no need to RSVP.
Participants are encouraged to wear red or black; VUSN will provide the sand and distribute red sunglasses to the first 200 participants.
The project is in cooperation with the Tennessee Department of Health, Reproductive and Women’s Health Team, which is holding Red Sand Projects across Tennessee the week of July 29-Aug. 2. The governor is expected to issue a proclamation during the week regarding the issue of human trafficking.
The global Red Sand Project has been carried out on college campuses and by various organizations in all 50 states and in 70 countries. The sand is made from the feldspathic rock family and colored red with organic pigments. It doesn’t stain, and is free of wheat, gluten and nuts. (https://participate.redsandproject.org/about/faqs/)