Sex trafficking is much more prevalent than we realize, a form of modern day slavery kept hidden by coercion and oppression. Alex Lawrence lifts the veil on this global market, and suggests ways that we can help combat its pervasiveness.

An art historian, activist, dancer and filmmaker, Alexandra Lawrence has worked with private collections and museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York, and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She served as Director of the Lobkowicz Collections in the Czech Republic. Advocating for those exploited in the illegal sex industry through arts and education initiatives, Alexandra supports organizations working with vulnerable populations in Maine, Massachusetts and Southeast Asia. She helped organize two anti-human trafficking film forums in Boston (2010-12) and co-directed a short film with her husband (2016), a contemplation on modern slavery. On the board of directors of the Knox County Homeless Coalition, she has served on the Maine Humanities Council, the Collection Committee at the Portland Museum of Art and on the Harvard Art Museum Fellows Council. Alexandra holds a B.A. from Harvard College and an M.A. from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx