Issue 2: Free the Slaves

Contrary to popular belief, slavery did not end at the end of the Civil War. Slavery still exists...and there are more slaves today than there has ever been in the history of our planet. There are 27 MILLION slaves world wide. 50,000 of those slaves are in the UNITED STATES. 8.4 Million are children. In the past, the cost of a slave would be the equivalent in today's money as $40,000. Today, a slave costs the average of $90. Slave made goods flow in and out of the country everyday. Every one is touched by slavery in some way. (So next time you buy something made in China, India, or anywhere in Asia--because that's where most of the slaves are and where most of our goods are made--think about the big possibility that it was made, somewhere along the line, by a slave)
Click here to visit the Free the Slaves website to read stories of former slaves, and to find out what you can do to help.

I first heard about this monumental tragedy when Ceej and I listened to the author of this book, E. Benjamin Skinner, give an interview with the National Constitution Center via podcast. These NCC podcasts are AMAZING. You really should subscribe. Make sure you listen to this specific podcast...it's under the Legacy of 1808 series. Skinner gives this definition of a slave:

Those that are forced to work, under threat of violence, for no pay beyond subsistance.