Slavery

Michelle Obama's Ancestors: 'American Tapestry' Has Holes in It

Megan Smolenyak | Posted 05.31.2012

Read More: Cory Booker, Dolphus Shields, Flotus, Michelle Obama, Melvinia Shields, Heritage, Rachel Swarns, Native Americans, Obama, Virginia, History, Dna, First Lady, Alex Haley, Ancestry, Slavery, Roots, Genetics, Genealogy, Family History, Great Migration, African Americans, North Carolina, American Tapestry, Books News
Megan Smolenyak

As the genealogist who initially researched the first lady's family tree (four to five generations on all branches), I wanted to love American Tapestry: The Story of the Black, White and Multicultural Ancestors of Michelle Obama, but found myself disappointed -- mostly due to what's missing.

Read Post

Human Trafficking a Growing Global Scourge

Andrew Lam | Posted 05.29.2012

Read More: Trafficking, Slavery, Sex Trafficking, Vietnam, Prosecution, Eritrea, Sex Trade, Black Market, Human Trafficking, Organ Harvesting, Crime News
Andrew Lam

Human trafficking is the fastest-growing criminal business in the world, according to the State Department. It ranks only second to drug trafficking in profitability, bringing in an estimated $32 billion annually.

Read Post

Partnerships for Hope -- Rani Hong with UN.GIFT

Rani Hong | Posted 05.23.2012

Read More: Slavery, Human Trafficking, Modern-Day Slavery, India Slavery, Human Trafficking Slavery, India Child Slavery, Impact News
Rani Hong

UN.GIFT sat down with Rani to discuss her own story and her tireless work to ensure that people around the world can live without fear of enslavement.

Read Post

John Celock

'Frat Bro' Legislator Panned In Video

HuffingtonPost.com | John Celock | Posted 05.22.2012

Read More: University of Kansas, Kansas Missouri, Mike Slattery Kansas, Jay Nixon, Stephen-Webber, College Sports, Kansas Politics, Slavery, Missouri Politics, Andy Greenhaw, Mizzou, University of Missouri, Ku Kayhawks, Video, Politics News

YouTube is the new front in the 162-year-old war between Kansas and Missouri, after a Missouri lawmaker who opposes allowing a Kansas logo on Show Me ...

Read Whole Story

Facing Common Struggles, Domestic Workers Mobilize Across Borders

Michelle Chen | Posted 05.21.2012

Read More: Women, Lebanon, Ethiopia, Latin America, Migrant Workers, Globalization, Immigration, Labor Unions, Feminism, Human Trafficking, Labor, Human Rights, Slavery, Domestic Workers, Asia, Health Care, Video, World News
Michelle Chen

Creative protest through film and media are forming a common language for a dialogue on migrants' rights, breaking their silence with one collective voice.

Read Post

U.S. Car Companies on Cruise Control While the Amazon Burns

James Turner | Posted 05.18.2012

Read More: Automakers, General Motors, Dilma Rouseff, Slavery, Bmw, Mercedes Benz, Ford, Brazil, Forced Labor, Deforestation, Green News
James Turner

In the heart of the Amazon, a scandal is unfolding which threatens the reputation of both the Brazilian president and some of the biggest car companies in the world.

Read Post

The Museum On Site And WaterFire's 'A Thousand Ships' Was A Unique Event, Now Commemorated In A Book

Andrew Losowsky | Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: Museum on Site, Installation Art, Transatlantic Slave Trade, Freedom Festival, Ritual, Slavery, American Slavery, A Thousand Ships, Rhode Island, American Slave Trade, Slideexpand, 200th Anniversary Slave Trade, Waterfire, Providence, Arts News
Andrew Losowsky

'A Thousand Ships' was a unique, participatory event that commemorated Rhode Island's role in the transatlantic slave trade.

Read Post

Ric Savage Digs Up A Slave Identity Badge In North Carolina

Posted 05.17.2012

Read More: TV Canada, Video, Canada Tv, Reality TV, Ric Savage, Slavery, Auction, American Digger, Spike TV, Buried Treasure, Tv Replay, TV News

On "American Digger" (Wednesday, 10 p.m. ET on Spike) Wednesday night, Ric Savage and his team were hunting for relics of slavery in North Carolina. ...

Read Whole Story

Possessed: Voodoo's Origins and Influence from the Blues to Britney

Debra Devi | Posted 05.16.2012

Read More: Religious History, History of Words, History, Etymology, Haitian Revolution, Slavery, Britney Spears, Blues Music, Blues Legends, Screamin Jay Hawkins, African American History, Vodun, African Language, Blues Singers, History of Blues, Blues Musicians, Vodou, Muddy Waters Band, History of Slavery, Arts News, Haiti Voodoo, Video, Culture News
Debra Devi

This was the religion of many slaves brought from West Africa to the Americas and the Caribbean. Vodun was brutally repressed by slave-owners, yet its powerful beats, ethics and aesthetics endured. We owe our concepts of cool, soul and rock and roll to it.

Read Post

Farm Workers Tell How Drugs, Debt Bind Them In Modern Slavery

Tampa Bay Times | Posted 05.13.2012

Read More: Modern Slavery, Slavery, Florida, Florida Slavery, Miami News

HASTINGS -- LeRoy Smith thought he had hit rock bottom when he found himself trolling Atlanta's gay district, looking to exchange sex acts for a hot h...

Read Whole Story

Graphic Novels Tackle Tough Subjects to Help Kids Understand

Kate Kelly | Posted 05.11.2012

Read More: Fight Oppression, Lost Boys of Sudan, Human Rights, Graphic Novels, Underprivileged Kids, Slavery, Books News
Kate Kelly

How do you talk about genocide, human trafficking, modern slavery, oppression and the overall importance of human rights in ways that students can understand? For James Disco, the answer lies in creating graphic novels that tackle tough topics.

Read Post

Cinco de Mayo's Link To Slavery, Civil Rights For Blacks

AP | RUSSELL CONTRERAS | Posted 05.02.2012

Read More: Video, Cinco De Mayo Celebrations, Cinco De Mayo History, Mexican Independence Day, Cinco De Mayo Parties, Abolition, Slavery, Cinco De Mayo, Cinco De Mayo Civil War, Mexican Independence, Cinco De Mayo 2012, Civil Rights, 5 De Mayo, Latino Voices News

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- Here's what Cinco de Mayo has become in the U.S.: a celebration of all things Mexican, from mariachi music to sombreros, marked b...

Read Whole Story

Esperanza Spalding on Creativity, Inspiration and Hip Hop

Demetria Irwin | Posted 04.26.2012

Read More: Earth Day 2012, TED Talks, Hip Hop, Q-Tip, Jazz, Slavery, Grammy Awards, Esperanza Spalding, Bv-Pop-Culture-Entertainment, Pop Culture, Black Voices News
Demetria Irwin

Twenty-seven-year-old Grammy award winner Esperanza Spalding is not only an amazing vocalist and musician, but also an inspiring public speaker. After a recent performance, she sat down to share some of her thoughts on music. Here are a few gems from that talk.

Read Post

American Gulag: A Lot More Than License Plates

Lyric Hughes Hale | Posted 04.19.2012

Read More: Prisoner, Jail, Civil War, Gulag, Prison Labor, Slavery, Inmate Rights, Prison Workers, Slavery in United States, Slavery in America, Prisoner Rights, Inmates, Modern Day Slavery, Business News
Lyric Hughes Hale

Of the 2.3 million prisoners now being held, more than 100,000 work in federal and state prison industry programs. This doesn't mean the usual cooking and cleaning, but work that produces products for sale -- about $2.4 billion dollars annually.

Read Post

Maid in Lebanon: Ethiopian and Lebanese Reactions to the Death of Alem, and Slavery in Lebanon

Kumera Genet | Posted 04.13.2012

Read More: Ethiopian Maid Suicide, Domestic Workers, Human Rights, Ethiopian Housemaid Suicide, Alem Dechesa-Desisa Suicide, Slavery, Alem Dechesa-Desisa, Alem Dechassa, DC News
Kumera Genet

"It has been empowering to see the international outcry against the death of Alem Dechassa. This is the right response to the stories that we have been hearing from Lebanon and the Gulf for years. But more needs to be done, and the time is now."

Read Post

5 Ways To Ensure Your Easter Chocolate Is Slavery-Free

Posted 04.06.2012

Read More: Easter, Video, Stop Traffick, Easter Chocolate, Cocoa Farms Slaves, Child Trafficking, Slavery, Aly Diabate, Slavery Free Easter Chocolate, Slave Free Chocolate, Slavery-Free Chocolate, Slidepollajax, Impact News

Easter's chocolate bunnies will bring smiles to celebrating kids, but the tasteless truth is that African children are suffering unimaginable harm to ...

Read Whole Story

Are We Free? Passover’s Message of Personal and Public Liberation

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach | Posted 04.06.2012

Read More: Passover, Judaism, Scripture Commentary, Slavery, Religion News
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach

Breaking free of negative patterns is difficult, more so for a nation that it even is for an individual. But that's what Passover is all about.

Read Post

Top 10 List Of Enslavements

Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater | Posted 04.04.2012

Read More: Easter, Passover, Top 10 List, Slavery, Judaism, Social Justice, Passover Seder, Jewish Social Justice, Religion News
Rabbi Joshua Levine Grater

Rather than write another article on slavery and the serious issues facing our world, as Passover approaches, here is my Top 10 List of Enslavements, areas that I think are crucial to look at and explore.

Read Post

How Many Slaves Produced Your Seder?

Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster | Posted 04.05.2012

Read More: Passover, Jewish, Human Trafficking, Slavery, Rabbis for Human Rights-North America, Kosher, Passover Seder, Occupy Faith, Green Faith, Food Politics, Judaism, Religion News
Rabbi Rachel Kahn-Troster

As the seder begins, we say metaphorically, "This year, we are slaves. Next year, may we be free people." Let us hope that by next Passover, our feasts of liberation will be made without slave labor and that more people will be free.

Read Post

The Real Story Behind Howlin' Wolf's 'Killing Floor'

Debra Devi | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: History of Words, History, Etymology, Blues Singers, History of Slavery, Blues Musicians, African American History, Hubert Sumlin, Howlin' Wolf, Blues Legends, Slavery, Blues Music, History of Blues, Killing Floor, Blues, Chicago Blues, Black History, Video, Culture News
Debra Devi

"Wolf had seven wives. One was named Helen. She shot him with a double barrel shotgun with buckshot. Out the second floor window. This woman, oh man, he wrote that song about her!"

Read Post

Conversations With Christopher Bessette and Dermot Mulroney on Trade of Innocents

Nicki Richesin | Posted 04.03.2012

Read More: Trade of Innocents, Dermot Mulroney, Human Rights, Yale Law School, Slavery, Ngos, Trieu Tran, Yale University, Film, Christopher Bessette, Mira Sorvino, Bangkok, Human Trafficking, Yale, Entertainment News
Nicki Richesin

The problem of human trafficking is all over the world. Slavery is alive and well in the 21st century; it's time we as a people put an end to it. It's definitely time modern day abolitionists made it known we are not going to turn away from it anymore.

Read Post

PHOTOS: 'Born In Slavery' Project Reveals Last Faces Of American Slavery

The Huffington Post | Jessica Cumberbatch Anderson | Posted 04.02.2012

Read More: Library of Congress, African Slaves, American Slaves, Slaves, American Slavery, The Library of Congress, Slavery, Black Voices News

"Tisn't he who has stood and looked on, that can tell you what slavery is -- 'tis he who has endured," said one of the former slaves interviewed for t...

Read Whole Story

You Were Strangers: The Ethical Significance Of Passover

Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson | Posted 05.30.2012

Read More: Haggadah, Slavery, Freedom, Liberation, Pesach, Passover, Judaism, Jewish Social Justice, Religion News
Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson

Like all Jewish festivals, Passover has its roots in Jewish history, in our connection to creation and in the rich spiritual and moral values of Judaism. Additionally, it helps us distinguish between two very different types of freedom.

Read Post

An Unreal Freedom

Noah Fitzgerel | Posted 05.28.2012

Read More: Mauritania Slavery, Mauritania, Cnn, Abolitionists, Slavery, Teen News
Noah Fitzgerel

CNN recently published a piece on Mauritania, a Saharan nation with a large population considered enslaved. Many Americans are unaware of the continued practice of slavery in foreign lands such as Mauritania.

Read Post

Did A Slave Grow Your Tomato?

Daniel Klein | Posted 05.27.2012

Read More: Food Justice, Daniel Klein, Labor, Mirra Fine, Slavery, Perennial Plate, Lupe Gonzalo, Tomatoland, Organic, Barry Estabrook, Sustainable, Food, Tomato Farming, Food News
Daniel Klein

Cheap food is not really cheap. We made this short film in Immokalee Florida, where a third of the tomatoes in our grocery stores are grown.

Read Post