Traveling across this country, I’ve been lucky enough to witness the breathtaking beauty of our national parks—landscapes so awe-inspiring they leave you speechless. But along the way, I’ve also seen something far darker: the ugliest side of humanity.

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The worst was in Loveland, Colorado, at Riverview RV Park.

As we were preparing to leave, I noticed three young people walking by—two men with a young woman between them. One of the men had his hand on the back of her neck, which immediately struck me as odd.

I paused, watching them walk past. That’s when I saw it.

The woman’s hands were behind her back. Twice, she made the human trafficking distress signal with both hands.

My heart sank.

I jumped in the car to follow, but they slipped into areas I couldn’t reach. I went to the office and asked if they knew the group. Nothing. I explained what I had seen, but the woman working there didn’t seem too concerned. Frustrated and shaken, I called the police as we were leaving. A sheriff’s deputy later contacted me, and I gave him every detail I could remember. I haven’t heard back from law enforcement, but I do not expect that I will.

Still, the memory weighs on me. This young woman reached out for help. I can’t stop asking myself—did I do enough? Could I have done more?

Is she safe? Is she alive? Where is she now?

My heart breaks for her, and for the countless others like her.

Please—Know the Signal

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The universal human trafficking distress signal is simple:

Hold your hand up, palm out. Tuck your thumb into your palm. Close your fingers over your thumb, trapping it.

This gesture can be shown quickly, quietly, and discreetly by someone in danger. Recognizing it could save a life.

It looks like you’re folding your fingers into a fist over your thumb.

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If you notice something that doesn’t look quite right, have the courage to question it. Have the courage to step up and take action. It won’t matter if you’re wrong, only if you’re right.

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Selected Sections from Maya Angelou’s “Still I Rise”

With your bitter, twisted lies,

You may trod me in the very dirt

But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Just like moons and like suns,

With the certainty of tides,

Just like hopes springing high,

Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?

Bowed head and lowered eyes?

Shoulders falling down like teardrops,

Weakened by my soulful cries?

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

I rise

I rise