When I was in college I had the opportunity to graduate a quarter early. Aghast at not graduating with my friends, I scrambled for any opportunity that would let me stay in Athens. It turns out there was a way! I could take two graduate level courses as an undergraduate (and at the price of an undergraduate) and I leapt at the opportunity. (It actually set me up well for graduate school a year later so it was a wise move.)
One of the classes I took was all about militias in the United States and it introduced me to the work of Morris Dees and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). It also taught me that the world is filled with so much more hate and ignorance than I had ever been exposed to. After that class I started donating money to the SPLC because I believed in its cause. They in turn kept me educated about the atrocities they were fighting in the US and trends in hate. Isn’t that awful? You can actually trend hate. Types of hate. Expressions of hate. Recipients of hate.
Here in Cincinnati we have the Freedom Center, a jewel that we’re lucky to have. The museum focuses on people who don’t have freedom, how others have achieved it and the heroes who help others achieve freedom. (Plug: If you go on Tuesdays and are exploring the exhibit walking you through the Civil War, keep an eye out for my Uncle Ray, a volunteer at the Freedom Center. He’s a great resource and able to tell you just about anything you would ever want to know about the Civil War!) For many people, the museum can achieve the same purpose as that graduate course I took: it can open their eyes to some of the hateful things that have happened and are happening around the world, as well as celebrating the people who are making great strides in fighting for freedom.
The newest exhibit at the museum is called Slavery Today and it focuses on the fact that slavery is still very much in existence, including in the US, though we might not always recognize it. Among the examples of slavery illustrated are forced labor, bonded indenture, child slavery and sex trafficking. According to the museum’s website, “an estimated 12 – 27 million people are caught in one or another form of slavery. Between 600,000 and 800,000 are trafficked internationally, with as many as 17,500 people trafficked into the United States. Nearly three out of every four victims are women. Half of modern-day slaves are children.”
Through statistics, pictures and videos, visitors are exposed to the horrors people are putting other people through. While walking through the rooms, I saw people slack-jawed, ghostly white, crying. I specifically remember one video that turned my stomach. A man was speaking of the farm he had and his employees. Except that his employees were indentured servants – yes, like you learned about in grade school – and he was so proud of himself. He talked about how much money he was making and his disregard for the men. I had to turn off the video and walk away midway.
The curators at the Freedom Center did a great job at making Slavery Today impactful, emotional and informative. If I had any suggestions for improvements, it would only be to use more examples of US slavery to make the reality more real within our own country. I’m always scared of people ignoring numbers and thinking, “That happens, but not here.” That said, this is definitely an exhibit I will be recommending to friends and family.
For people who are interested in visiting the Freedom Center but not in being barraged with only negative statistics, be assured that Slavery Today does end in a positive way. It empowers visitors by telling them what they can do, much in the way I felt empowered to battle hate by supporting the SPLC. The museum gives people information about antislavery activities that are happening around the world, including:
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