International Justice Mission hosts pop-up thrift shop to help end modern-day slavery

By AnnaGrace Hale | Sports Writer

Fountain Mall will transform into a temporary thrift store from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday as Baylor's chapter of International Justice Mission (IJM) hosts Threads — its annual pop-up shop. Every dollar raised goes directly toward ending modern-day slavery.

“It's just such a cool way not only to raise money, but it's also a really cool way to do advocacy,” Lubbock senior and IJM president Susannah Bumstead said. “There's so many people that know about human trafficking but don't know the specifics or really understand where their money is going.”

The purpose behind Threads is to counteract the labor trafficking that is commonly used in the fast fashion industry. Bumstead said stores with high-need turnover on their products, such as Forever 21, pay workers little to nothing to create clothes in terrible conditions.

Those who shop at Threads are guaranteed that the money they spend will go toward the promotion of positive change, according to the IJM website.

“Thrifting [is] an ethical way to buy pieces that are kind of fast fashion pieces because you know that the money is not going to that trafficked labor,” Bumstead said. “But Threads — specifically the money — is going directly against it.”

Baylor IJM has been collecting and sorting donated clothes since May and is ready to sell what it has received to support anti-trafficking efforts. In November 2021, Bumstead said Baylor's IJM team raised $11,000 from its pop-up shop. This number contributed to the $30,000 that two dozen IJM campus chapters collected nationwide by hosting Threads, according to the IJM website.

Temple senior and IJM vice president of fundraising Grace Whitaker said Threads — and Baylor IJM in general — is a testament to God using the university and its community to make an impact.

“The Lord can use college students' efforts to make a difference and literally to change lives,” Whitaker said. “It's actually the coolest thing that we know that money went directly to anti-trafficking efforts, and even though we could very well never know the names of the people, we get to know lives were changed.”

The funds go directly toward rescuing and rehabilitating those who have experienced either labor trafficking or sex trafficking. Bumstead said rehabilitation is important and one of the most valuable things IJM does.

“They stay with them and help rehabilitate them and help get them into a situation where they can have a family, get a job, be a healthy person,” Bumstead said.

As Baylor's IJM team prepares for Threads on Wednesday, they rest in Micah 6:8. The verse states that the Lord requires only “to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with your God.”

Whitaker said these three actions are the foundation of Baylor IJM's mission.

“We're not asked to save the world,” Whitaker said. “We're not asked to fix the world. We're not asked to be God. But we are asked to do justice and love kindness and walk humbly with our God. We get to do all that we can do and trust that the Lord will bless our effort. Ultimately the burden is His.”