As Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations were underway today, dozens gathered at New Bethel Baptist Church to celebrate differently.

Dr. King's message was one of love and service to one another. One group decided to carry that message by educating the community on human trafficking and finding ways to tackle it in our area.

"It's right under our nose, and we just think we need to spend more time and attention educating people about it," said Jaladah Aslam, MLK planning committee co-convener. "Ohio is the sixth highest in the nation in human trafficking; those numbers are unacceptable," she said.

Aslam tells 21 News it's a form of modern-day slavery, and it's hard to combat that when many people are unaware of what it looks like. Barbara Freeman, a human trafficking survivor, works to bring awareness about the situation.

"A lot of people sit back and they like, they don't know what to do or teaching them the signs about it, you know," said Freeman. "Once they see the signs, how do they act on it? Some people just ride past it every day," she said.

The group feels new legislation that would allow for stiffer penalties for those convicted of human trafficking would also help to combat this issue.