A 'Revolution of Love'

On Monday morning, 21-year-old Hannah Harmon of Perryville, Missouri, will pedal away from Fruitland Community Church on an adventure that will take her through 37 states and more than 13,000 miles.

Harmon, who will be riding her bike throughout the six-month tour, is embarking on the journey as part of a three-year-old cycling ministry called Riding Against Traffic, which draws attention to the worldwide problem of human trafficking.

The ministry was begun in 2013 by cyclist Garrett Zambrows, who has been helping Harmon launch her trip and will ride with her on the first day of her tour.

"He has basically helped with all the planning for this ride," she said.

Harmon is calling her tour a Revolution of Love, and has been raising money through GoFundMe and other sources for any food or lodging she isn't given by churches or the many volunteers who will house and feed her along the way.

Hannah Harmon visits with Kali on Wednesday at CycleWerx in Cape Girardeau.Laura Simon

"The first donation came in about a month ago," she said.

Her goal is to ride 52 miles the first day and eventually work up to between 80 and 90 miles in a given day's six-hour haul.

Her longest riding day so far has been 125 miles, she said. She expects to roll back to the church on Sept. 18, two days after her 22nd birthday.

"I'll turn 22 on my bike. I'm pretty excited," she said.

Her first stop will be Wickliffe, Kentucky, but the overall trip will take her to places like Nashville, Tennessee; Orlando, Florida; Beaumont, Texas; Seattle; Chicago; and many others.

Her goal in all of those places will be to speak out against sex- and labor trafficking, which affect millions of victims around the world.

In the case of sex trafficking, the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children says one in six runaways is likely to be a sex-trafficking victim. Meanwhile, 4.5 million people are trapped in forced sexual labor around the world, according to the International Labor Organization.

"Human trafficking comes in many forms," Harmon said. "It's not just sex trafficking. It's not just labor trafficking."

As part of her talks, Harmon will educate listeners about what to look for as they attempt to eliminate trafficking in their communities.

One thing to look out for, she said, is when girls who are loners suddenly acquire money and an older boyfriend.

"Pimps target girls with low self-esteem and get them hooked on drugs," she said, and they use the drugs to force the young women into the sex trade.

With forced labor, Harmon said a sure sign something isn't right is when a person at a store or other public place who appears to be an immigrant is accompanied by someone else who hovers over the person and won't allow the person to speak for himself.

Keep up with Harmon's journey at facebook.com/revolutionoflove2016/ and www.ridingagainsttraffic.org.

ljones@semissourian.com

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