Modern-Day Slavery
When most Americans think of slavery, they think of the 18th or 19th century; they think of the topic as being historical. But most people are ignorant to know that this social justice issue is far from history. Modern-day slavery is as real as it was 150 years ago, it just occurs in different forms now. During the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade, individuals were taken from their native country in Africa and brought to the United States to work on plantations. In today’s day and age, slave victims are treated like property, used for free labor, sex trafficking, and bonded labor. With that said, slavery occurs everyday and everywhere – yes, even inside the United State’s borders.
Now wrap your head around this: There are more victims of slavery today than ever before. It is estimated that there are at least 27 million victims in which 60,000 of those are located in the United States. 60,000 is quite a monumental number and it only implies one thing – slavery occurs right in front of our eyes and we are uninformed and unwilling to do something about the matter.
Now wrap your head around this: There are more victims of slavery today than ever before. It is estimated that there are at least 27 million victims in which 60,000 of those are located in the United States. 60,000 is quite a monumental number and it only implies one thing – slavery occurs right in front of our eyes and we are uninformed and unwilling to do something about the matter.
Making a Difference...
Although many people may not be familiar with modern-day slavery, there are organizations and people who dedicate their time and efforts to ending this social justice issue. There are numerous amount of organizations and individuals committed to the cause, they each take a different approach in ending slavery, but it is important to note that with the rapid advancement of technology and the internet, these organizations have been able to succeed in their efforts at a much quicker rate. It is without a doubt that the quickest way to reach people now a day’s is digitally – whether it be via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a simple website. Individuals and organizations such as Free The Slaves, Lisa Kristine, and Corban Addison have mastered their digital spaces in order to reach their goals and inform individuals.
Free The SlavesFree The Slaves is a well-respected non-profit organization working globally to end modern-day slavery, free individuals who fall victim to slavery and change the laws that allow it to occur in the first place. Additionally, they have created many digital programs in order to reach people. To begin, they have a website (freetheslaves.net). They also have a Facebook and Twitter account. One of the many advantages of Twitter is the ability to share something with practically the world just seconds after it has occurred. They keep people up to date on what is going on nationally in terms of slavery though their Twitter page.As I previously stated, many people do not realize that slavery is not just a thing of the past, and Free The Slaves makes that very clear through all of their digital programs and spaces.
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Lisa KristineLisa Kristine is not your average human rights activist; she is a photographer. Kristine travels the world capturing photos of individuals who have been enslaved and the drudgery labor that they must do. She also works with the organization, Free The Slaves but essentially does a lot of work on her own to end modern-day slavery. She is different from most activists because she focuses on taking pictures in order to put a face to modern-day slavery. It is so easy for us to talk about a topic or to talk nonchalantly about someone who lives halfway across country but when you actually give a face or personality to the matter, it gives it importance – which is what she does. Supporters can visit her website and purchase her photography; a portion of the purchases made, go towards the work done to end modern-day slavery. Additionally, she uses her Facebook and web page to gain a sense of credibility and allow people to stay up to date with her newest projects, and speaking engagements.
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Corban AddisonAdditionally, another individual who uses a digital space in order to get his message across is Corban Addison. Addison is an author, a lawyer, and a human rights activist. He uses his website (corbanaddison.com) to inform people of the formal facts of human trafficking and illegal slavery and to get people to help. His website also contains a tab where viewers can attend his speaking events and book signings. Moreover, his website has a page dedicated to government official websites, this is essentially so viewers can visit these sites and learn what the United States, and other countries are doing to stop slavery and what they are saying about this social justice issue. In essence, the digital space that he has created allows viewers to interact and learn about himself and modern-day slavery.
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PresentationTo the right is a Power Point presentation that I initially presented to the peers in my college English class. I explained to them the facts of slavery, and shared with them the individuals and organizations that I personally admire and respect because of the work they do to stop slavery. Additionally, I discussed why this social justice issue is important to me. Enjoy!
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In Conclusion...
Modern-day slavery is a social justice issue that has been going on for far too long. It is actually a very tragic matter considering it could be stopped if people just took the time to educate themselves on what it is going on in the world and in our very own neighborhoods. The simple fact that slavery still exists today says a lot about what we choose to tolerate and deal with, because slavery is illegal in every single country in the world, but yet it still happens. What is even more astonishing is that some slaves are forced to be slaves because of bonded labor - basically they owe a debt that they cannot afford to pay off. Some of these debts are as little as $18. The average American makes $20 an hour, now just let that sink in. What a majority of people do not realize is that a lot of the things we buy at stores can be traced back to forced labor. For example, cocoa beans, which are used for coffee is one of the top items that can be traced back to slavery. With that said, by buying slave-made items, we are indirectly supporting it. Ultimately, the information and the facts about modern-day slavery are all there and easy to access because of digital efforts made by organizations and people like Free The People, Lisa Kristine, and Corban Addison. Now, it's up to us to be the change we want to see in this world!
Pictures:
www.daughtersofwisdom.org.uk
superforest.org
freetheslaves.net
babelio.com
thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com
www.daughtersofwisdom.org.uk
superforest.org
freetheslaves.net
babelio.com
thecnnfreedomproject.blogs.cnn.com