Freedom from Slavery: The Fight Continues…
Just as Martin Luther King Jr. remains a global icon for civil rights, the push towards a more just world continues. Reverend King remains an example in the continuing fight for increasing civil rights and freedoms.
Good of All and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, stand by the tenets of MLK. One of the most important freedoms we are still struggling with today is freedom from slavery, under Article 4.
Too often, we often think of slavery as a historic event, or a problem that has already been solved. Just last year, the United States recognized the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation.
While slavery is illegal both domestically and internationally, it unfortunately still occurs in various forms. Today, slavery continues to take away basic freedoms from millions of individuals, and sadly children. This past summer I worked with a non-profit organization, Shared Hope International. Here, we worked to fight against violations of the most basic of freedoms, the freedom of children from domestic minor sex trafficking and slavery. These children have been deprived of their civil rights.
Regarding this freedom from slavery, President Obama stated “We reflect on the Amendment that wrote abolition into law, the decades of struggle to make its promise real, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that has drawn nations together in the pursuit of equality and justice. These achievements once seemed impossible — but on this day, let us remember that they were not, and let us press on toward the future we know is possible.” This future is possible. Both the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, prove that the impossible can be overcome.
By increasing civil rights awareness and incorporating the lessons learned from Martin Luther King Jr., we can partner to advocate for the freedom from slavery for all people.
