18 local artists have recently come together to release a series of largely a capella songs to fight sex trafficking in Minnesota. A fundraising effort by the Women’s Foundation of Minnesota, this project includes a CD and a release show at Bedlam Lowertown on May 10. The release show will feature artists including Chris Koza, the Ericksons, We Are the Willows, John Hermanson, and the Prairie Fire Lady Choir; the album additionally includes contributions from artists including Dessa, Haley Bonar, Holly Hansen (Zoo Animal), and Charlie Parr among many others.

Entitled Voice: Songs for Those Who Are Silenced, this compilation CD—which features both covers and original compositions—seeks to bring attention to the issue of sex trafficking in Minnesota. With nearly every track containing nothing more than vocals, the songs generally allude to human rights issues. From Charlie Parr’s bluesy “Buildin’ Leanin’” to the swirling feel-good harmonies of Haley Bonar’s “Birds Are Always,” these tracks speak for themselves yet also suggest the voices that have been silenced by human trafficking.

The Women’s Foundation of Minnesota’s MN Girls Are Not for Sale campaign is a five-year effort to attempt to end sex trafficking of girls in Minnesota. The campaign focuses on the trafficking of underage girls by addressing three main goals: defining girls under the age of 18 who are engaged in prostitution as victims of a crime, and providing them access to holistic services; decreasing the demand for prostitution by means of law enforcement and policy; and mobilizing activism against the prostitution of girls in the state.

Details on the CD release show are available at bedlamtheatre.org. The event will also feature a poster show, and all proceeds will go to the MN Girls Are Not for Sale campaign.

Voice: Songs for Those Who Are Silenced track list

18. Prairie Fire Lady Choir - We Can Be

Andrew Tomten is a student at the University of Minnesota—Twin Cities.