John Cotton Richmond, who is a founding director of the Human Trafficking Institute, will speak during the Gathering and Chapel worship services at Hope College on Sunday and Monday, Oct. 16 and 17, in Dimnent Memorial Chapel through the Hageman Faith Series.
He will present “Getting to the Root of the Problem: Human Trafficking and Beyond” during The Gathering on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 8 p.m. and “Faith and Freedom” during Chapel on Monday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. The public is invited to both events and admission is free.
John Cotton Richmond is known for his role as a founding director of the Human Trafficking Institute, which uses proven strategies to stop traffickers, rescue victims, and decimate the prevalence of modern-day slavery. For more than a decade, Richmond was also a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice and a founding member of the Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Richmond’s work to combat human trafficking has earned numerous honors, including: being named one of the “Prosecutors of the Year” by the Federal Law Enforcement Foundation, receiving the David Allred Award for Exceptional Contributions to Civil Rights and twice earning the Department of Homeland Security’s Outstanding Investigative Accomplishments in Human Trafficking Award.
In addition, Richmond frequently serves as an expert on human trafficking for the United Nation’s Working Group on Trafficking in Persons and at the European Union’s multilateral meetings on human trafficking. He has trained judges, prosecutors, federal agents, and many others on human trafficking investigative and prosecutorial strategies. Richmond has also taught Human Trafficking Law, Policy, and Litigation at Vanderbilt School of Law and has previously worked on human trafficking crimes as the director of the International Justice Mission’s slavery work in India.
The annual Hageman Faith Series was established to encourage a vibrant Christian faith among the students, faculty and staff of Hope College. The lecture series is endowed to invite recognized Christian speakers to Hope’s campus who will inspire and encourage a living and personal faith in Jesus Christ. Selected by the college’s Campus Ministries team, which is overseen by the dean of the chapel, speakers are chosen on the basis of having an articulate, winsome and challenging message that is relevant to college-aged students seeking to grow in their life with Christ.
Dimnent Memorial Chapel is located at 277 College Ave., at the corner of College Avenue and 12th Street.