Not a few events possess the capacity to instigate significant emotions in us by the mere mention of their dates. Equally true, there are dates that ought to stir our souls to action but fail to do so because we are unenlightened of their importance. One such of the latter was April 17. It was on this date in 1932 that Emperor Haile Selassie ordered the ending of slavery for his nation. Unfortunately, Ethiopia was not the last nation to do this. (That bit of history belongs to the East African country of Mauritania in 1981!) Nor did it put an end to the degradation and humiliation of the enslaved, but it was a major political step toward the ending of an inhumane treatment of life that has been practiced almost as long as there have been humans. Perhaps this date should stand along side Juneteenth in worthiness of solemn observation.
The history of slavery has one of the most entrenched depths of all the human social institutions. Far more than could possibly be treated justly in this short column, it traces its roots so far back into humanity’s past that no one with accuracy can give an approximation of its beginning. Slavery has been practiced as an acceptable portion of every economic system of every nation known. (The one possible exception would be the Kikuyu tribe of Kenya, who not only did not practice involuntary servitude but militantly opposed those who did.)
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But my driving impulse here finds no satisfaction in relating a history lesson to you through this column. The bona fide purpose is to make you aware that while all nations on earth have laws and constitutions which broadly declare against slavery, in truth, sexual and labor exploitation is very much alive right under our noses. Yes, Haile Selassie did outlaw the morally repugnant institution, but he never enforced the law. Even to this day, one can easily locate enslaved people in Mauritania because that portion of their constitution also is ignored. (However, if you were to mention this fact publicly, odds are you will find yourself escorted out of the country, for their police strongly enforce a law that forbids so much as mentioning the custom.)
Sadly, some form of coercion is practiced in almost every nation on the planet. If, in your closet, you have clothing manufactured in another nation, more than likely you have, without knowing it, supported the enslavement of someone. It is that prevalent. Every day, people of little education and/or who are seriously impoverished are exploited for their unfortunate life circumstances and either are compelled or falsely promised better circumstances by those who take advantage of them.
On any given day it is estimated that about 50,000,000 people labor in involuntary servitude!
The willing governmental participation varies from the total cooperation of countries such as North Korea and Eritrea (each with enslaved populations measured in terms of millions of humans) to nations such as Denmark and Switzerland) which boldly disdain and actively fight the practice but yet discover about 4,000 people trapped in those forced labor situations. The United States is not immune to human trafficking; in 2022, there were 2,950 forced labor or sex cases prosecuted.
Scholars largely agree that the two outstanding hurdles to truly ending slaveholding are: 1) the lack of enforcement of present day legislation which allows it to thrive unabated, and 2) its culturally ingrained acceptance that tends to hold such a person in its bondage even when there are no visible shackles or chains.
While there is no panacea that will resolve this curse of humanity immediately, it is my belief that one of the most insightful Americans of all our history spoke to this issue in the most perceptive manner possible.
Education is the answer. Frederick Douglass said, “Once you learn to read, you will forever be free,” and, “Knowledge makes a man unfit for slavery.” Our political leaders need to be made fully aware of the problems all around us and we, as responsible citizens, owe it to our fellow denizens of the world to know what we are up against. Education simply makes a person intelligently aware of the world about us and gives us an edge against exploitation.
Jesus had such liberation in mind when He taught, “The truth shall set you free!”
Johnny Phillips
The Rev. Johnny A. Phillips is a retired minister who lives in Burke County. Email him at phillips_sue@bellsouth.net.
