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Wednesday March 23, 2022

To my old master: A former slave writes to his old owner and tells him to get stuffed

This letter is reshared from Letters of Note: In 1864, after 32 long years in the service of his master, Jourdon Anderson and his wife, Amanda, escaped a life of slavery when Union Army soldiers freed them from the plantation on which they had been working so tirelessly. They grasped the opportunity with vigour, quickly moved to Ohio where Jourdon could find paid work with which to support his growing family, and didn’t look back. Then, a year later, shortly after the end of the Civil War, Jourdon received a desperate letter from Patrick Henry Anderson, the man who used to own him, in

Victories

Thursday March 10, 2022

Historic end to state-imposed forced labor in Uzbekistan cotton

Today we are celebrating news that proves making a noise, signing petitions, and posting on social media does lead to change. The system of state-imposed forced labor in Uzbekistan’s cotton industry has ended. Freedom United, together with our colleagues the Cotton Campaign, announces the lifting of the global boycott of Uzbek cotton. This announcement comes as the Uzbek Forum for Human Rights releases its report findings of the 2021 harvest. This breakthrough has come about because of the persistent and coordinated engagement by Uzbek activists, advocates like you who called

Slavery belongs in the past #AmendThe13th

Prison slavery

Wednesday February 16, 2022

What will it take to outlaw slavery in the U.S.?

"I spent 25 years in slavery. It was traumatizing, it was painful, physically and mentally. I felt sub-human, demeaned, socially dead.” – Curtis Ray Davis II, Executive Director of Decarcerate Louisiana, and formerly incarcerated A staggeringly disproportionate number of Black Americans are part of the estimated 2 million people incarcerated in the United States right now. All of them are caught in a legal system of slavery. Despite its stated objective to abolish slavery in 1865, under the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution slavery and involuntary servitude remain legal as

Forced Labor

Friday January 28, 2022

Palihapitiya and the IOC: Not caring and neutrality in the face of injustice

The Beijing Winter Olympics is one week away but instead of a buildup of celebratory anticipation, those who are not on the protest line seem not so much excited as grimly determined to get through the Games unscathed. Athletes, governments, and sponsors and even the International Olympics Committee (IOC) are proceeding cautiously, keeping their heads down and preparing for the worst. "Not the joyous party that we had wished it to be…" It was a different picture ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Back then, the IOC had high hopes based on promises made by China that the games

Slavery-Free Goods

Thursday December 9, 2021

Not another gift guide: What products to avoid this Christmas

At this time of year, many of our supporters find themselves in a tight spot trying to celebrate the season whilst not contributing to forced labor systems. It’s quite a task because the truth is that the products of modern slavery are all around us. That’s why we created this a first-of-its kind interactive modern slavery map highlighting today’s most pressing cases of modern slavery and how our community can take action. With conscious consumption on the rise, lists abound with “ethical” and “sustainable” gift suggestions for friends and family. While we don’t have a list