Like most people, I thought slavery ended in 1862 with Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. The 13th amendment of the constitution was implemented a few years later in 1865, supposedly ending slavery once and for all.
The 13th amendment states:
Section 1. Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime where of the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
I am certainly no expert on modern politics and learn more everyday about how little I truly know. I do know what happened to me and my firsthand experience with modern day slave labor. During the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, thousands of homes needed new roofs, among many other repairs.
I hired a local contractor to replace my roof and surprisingly, got a really good price. At the time, I thought the good price was the result of stiff competition between contractors. I remember being woken up by what sounded like a herd of stampeding water buffalo on the roof. I walked outside and saw 24 Mexican men feverishly working as if they were going for a world record. The entire roof was replaced in three hours – I was astonished. None of the men spoke English, so I was unable to ask them any questions. They piled up in a few work trucks and went to the next job.
At the time, I suspected they were illegal immigrants, but the contractor assured me they were not. The telephone services, including cell phones were still out of order and I couldn’t call anyone. When you have massive holes in your roof with animals and hordes of mosquitoes coming into your house, the last thing you’re thinking about is illegal slave labor. It was several weeks later when the horror stories started, mostly by word of mouth. Stories of how these Mexican workers were promised paychecks week after week spread like wildfire. The contractors promised them money, dangling false dreams of a new life before their eyes. In most of the cases I heard, the contractors waited until the workers became so suspicious of being ripped off, they finally refused to work. At that point, the contractors disappeared with all the money, leaving these battered, hungry men alone without pay. These illegal workers spoke no English and were not American citizens. They had no rights, no one to complain to and no where to go – a disgraceful and horrific crime against humanity.
There are numerous types of modern day slavery from many third world nations, including sex slaves. Last week, I happened to catch an interview with John Bowe on C-Span Book TV talking about his fantastic new book, “Nobodies: Modern American Slave Labor and the Dark Side of the New Global Economy” read the full transcript here.
In the interview, he said he believed the census statistics are incorrect and the percentage of illegal workers in America are as high as 20% of the entire workforce. I tend to agree with him because I have seen it in action – right here on my own property. I strongly urge you to read his book (I’m only half way through it), and check out his websites. One thing he talks about is how it’s very likely all of us may become slave laborers ourselves. Here’s a quote from his website, “Globalization means that soon, we, too, might be working for pennies an hour. It’s like Adam Smith in reverse: trade with people less free than you, and your own freedom is threatened,” a frightening prospect indeed. Go read John Bowe’s wordpress site.
I applaud him for doing the right thing and bringing this issue to the forefront. One thing is for sure, this information is not popular and John Bowe is not getting the attention he deserves. When people do things of monumental importance, they are often buried in the rubble of mainstream political fluff and irrelevant information – like which pastor our presidential candidates use. Situations needing the most attention are almost always considered irrelevant as tiny blips on the media radar.
Why isn’t this subject being covered in the media or under heavy fire by politicians? The answer is simple: money. They are not being paid to cover it. It is up to all of us, as citizens, to get the ball rolling.
Now to the most important part of this article: Please sign the petition to end slave labor – it only takes a minute. It is in our own complacency and laziness that nothing is ever accomplished. The next time you eat a tomato or buy a pair of shoes, think about who actually grew it or manufactured those shoes – they are likely the products of modern day slavery. I proudly offer the popularity of my web site to help with this extremely important cause – it’s the least I can do.
