A group of students, faculty and staff have formed the End Slavery Now! Coalition to make Elon a model for working against forms of slavery that still exist in the world, from human trafficking to sweat shops to the child soldiering.
“We all know the slave trade was horrendous,” said Jeff Stein, assistant dean of students at Elon. “But it’s too easy for us to ignore the slavery that exists today and the ways that we’re unconsciously supporting slavery and forced labor in our midst.”
Coalition members point to the Third World sweatshops that produced merchandise for companies like The Gap and Nike, child soldiers in Uganda, cases of slave labor and sex slaves in North Carolina. Organizers plan to educate the campus community about these issues through collaborative programs in the upcoming months.
“It’s a well-hidden issue,” Phil Smith, assistant director of the Truitt Center for Religious and Spiritual Life, said of contemporary slavery, a topic that doesn’t garner many headlines. “The way media works, unless there is an event or crisis, there isn’t a lot of exposure. We hope to join others on campus in considering the range of local, global, historical and contemporary dimensions & ramifications of slavery.”
Co-sponsored by a dozen student groups and academic offices on campus, the coalition has planned a number of events over the next year:
• The week of Feb. 10-17, 2008, includes End Slavery NOW! College Coffee, a library exhibition of resources related to historical and contemporary slavery, and a Sunday, Feb. 10, screening of “Blood Diamond” in the Zone from 7-9 p.m. The 2006 film, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Djimon Hounsou, depicts a family fighting against torture, kidnapping, slavery, child soldiering and civil war in Sierra Leone’s conflict diamond trade.
• On March 12, independent filmmaker Danté James will give a presentation on his work, which includes his production of a four-part series titled “Slavery and the Making of America,” which earned him a 2006 Emmy Award. James is currently an artist in residence at Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies.
• April 14, the Seattle-based band “Jubilee,” who donates 50 percent of their proceeds to the International Justice Mission, will perform in the Zone at 9 p.m.
• Next fall, the Coalition, with support from the Liberal Arts Forum, will bring a speaker and also an experiential exhibit on slavery from the Freedom Center in Ohio.
Coalition co-sponsors include the following: Amnesty International, General Studies, Cultural Programs, African/African-American Studies, the Multicultural Center, Philosophy, the Kernodle Center for Service Learning, Religious Studies, Student Activities, Students for Peace & Justice, the Truitt Center for Religious & Spiritual Life and Nonviolence Studies.
Check out the new End Slavery Now! website by clicking on the link below.