Modern Day Slavery Series Starts February 28th

Library Day at Seattle Art Museum | Main

It is hard to believe and difficult to fathom that you could, today, in the 21st century, find yourself living next door to a slave. Author, Kevin Bales describes how a person might find him or herself in such a dire predicament in the book The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in American Today.

According to the Washington State Office of the Attorney General, human trafficking is the "fastest growing criminal industry in the world today." In 2003, the State of Washington had the distinction of being the first state to pass a law criminalizing human trafficking. Between 14,500 and 17,500 people are trafficked into the country each year, according to the U.S. Department of Justice estimates.

Washington State is grappling with this knotty issue. If you are interested in increasing your knowledge and awareness of the topic, please plan to attend the three-part series The Price of a Life: Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking at the Central Library. Sara Lerner, reporter/announcer for KUOW radio will moderate the series which is designed to highlight local, regional and national efforts in addressing the problem of human trafficking.

Be sure, also, to tune into Morning Edition on National Public Radio, March 16–19, for Sara Lerner's in–depth look at labor trafficking in Washington State. She received a KUOW Venture Fund Grant Award to focus on the topic.

In addition to the series, The Price of a Life: Modern-Day Slavery and Human Trafficking Resource List features books, government documents, CDs, DVDs and websites. This list has been developed to increase understanding and knowledge of slavery and trafficking and the human cost of the loss of family, personal liberty and livelihood. (Print copies of this list are available at the History, Travel and Maps desk on the 8th floor of the Central Library).

Legislating to Liberate
2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 28

Learn how and why Washington State is in the forefront of national legislation regulating against human trafficking and slavery.

Jeanne Kohl-Welles, Washington State Senator, 36th District
Velma Veloria, Activist, first Filipina-American, Asian American and first woman elected to Washington State Legislature.

The Cost of Capture
2 p.m. Sunday, March 14

Hear firsthand accounts of how victims of forced bondage obtained their freedom.

Tim Matsui, Photojournalist and Documentary Filmmaker
Emma Catague, Activist, Co-Founder of Asian & Pacific Islander Women & Family Safety Center

Stopping the Traffic
2 p.m. Sunday, March 28

Discover how local organizations are addressing the illegal trade in human beings.

Sara Lerner, reporter/announcer for KUOW Puget Sound Public Radio
Detective Harvey Sloan, Co-chair of the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT), a Human Trafficking Task Force
Ye-Ting Woo, Co-chair of the Washington Advisory Committee on Trafficking (WashACT) a Human Trafficking Taskforce
Kathleen Morris, Program Manager for the Washington Anti-Trafficking Response Network.


Posted by Seattle Public Library at February 25, 2010 6:00 a.m.


Modern Day Slavery Series Starts February 28th