Teen says his heart and faith drives him to end modern slavery

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A force for justice: Teen says his heart and faith drives him to end modern slavery

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    Zach Hunter says he's just a regular teenager who enjoys playing the piano, winning tennis matches and hanging out with friends.

    In his spare time, though, the 16-year-old Atlanta resident also has founded one nonprofit, written two books and spoken at the White House and on national television news shows, hoping to end modern-day slavery and injustice.

    Hunter, the author of the book, "Generation Change" and founder of the Loose Change to Loosen Chains foundation hopes to inspire other teens to help end slavery in their lifetime and travels across the country speaking about injustice. He'll be in Salt Lake City, Monday to speak at the Evangelical Free Church of America's youth conference, "Sojourn: Challenge 2008."

    "I believe in the power of this generation, my generation, the millennials. I believe we will end slavery in my lifetime," Hunter said in a telephone interview. "I think we've had enough of cheap talk and inaction."

    In today's increasingly global economy, there are more than 27 million slaves around the world, Hunter says.

    "Slavery is still a massive problem. More people are caught up in it now than in the trans-Atlantic slave trade."

    At least 14,500 slaves enter the U.S. every year, according to estimates by the nonprofit organization Free the Slaves.

    "It can be a situation where parents sell their children into prostitution to make some income for the family or whole families in south Asia who are forced to work in brick kilns because the interest on the medical loan is so high they can never pay off the debt."

    Hunter became an abolitionist at a young age.

    He started his loose change drive focused on ending slavery, "Loose Change to Loosen Chains," when he was 12 after learning about the history of slavery in America.
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    ''Generation Change,'' his second book, was published this year. It challenges teens to tackle other world issues in addition to slavery, such as homelessness and hunger. Hunter says his book tries to bring back values many have lost, such as trust and kindness.

    "Just like floods and droughts, I think sometimes we've lost things like thankfulness, friendship, unity," Hunter says.

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