Red Sand Project was started by artist Molly Gochman to draw attention to slavery. It consists primarily of “sidewalk interventions” — art installations made by people who sign up to participate. When you register, you receive two bags of red sand, which can be used to fill sidewalk cracks. The sand is a reminder to people that, as Gochman puts it, “we can’t merely walk over the most marginalized people in our communities.” Participants are encouraged to take pictures of their installations and post them on social media using #redsandproject.
Because I am particularly concerned about human trafficking, I requested sand and created two installations — one near my workplace and one near my home. I wrote #redsandproject in chalk near my installations in order to encourage people to learn more on social media, and I posted photos of them on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. I felt odd while I was creating the installations; although no one approached me to ask what I was doing, and if they had done so, it would have been an opportunity to talk about slavery, I was worried that someone would confront me as if I were committing an act of vandalism. Still, I’m always happy for a chance to educate people about modern-day slavery, so I was glad to find another way to do this.
A larger scale part of the project is an installation in Houston, Texas, called “Border, US|MX.” It was initially a 2-foot wide, 300-foot long trench filled with red sand. It has since been built up into a three-foot high grass-covered earthwork.
Consider taking some time to learn more about the project and to request your own bags of sand. You’ll be joining people around the world who are working together to draw more attention to human trafficking.
