Fostering awareness of modern slavery

Fostering awareness of modern slavery can change people’s lives. This was the message that an honor society recently shared with Citrus College students.

On April 5, during Social Justice Week 2010, Phi Theta Kappa sponsored a documentary screening of, “Human Trafficking in your own Backyard” followed by a discussion in the Handy Campus Center.

Slavery is about one person being controlled by another person through the threat of violence, according to Kevin Bales, president of Free the Slaves. There are 27 million slaves throughout the world and approximately 10,000 of them are living in the United States, he said.

Historically, the United States is thought of as the land of dreams. People immigrated to this country in search of a better life.

 Sadly, this dream is being used to trap people.

The documentary included four victims of slavery.  One dreamed of earning money to give her parents everything they wanted. One man wanted to provide medicine for his sick son, and the other two were promised education. 

A former slave, Maria Suarez, was tricked when she was 16 by a woman who promised her a good job that would help her attain her dream for her parents. But, it turned out, there was no real job offered for her. The lady sold her for $200 to an old man living in Azusa.

“Everyday he beat me, rape me, abuse me physically and emotionally,” Suarez said in the documentary.

Miguel, whose last name was not used in the video, was a former slave at an orange grove in Florida and had a 6-year-old son with cancer. He couldn’t afford to pay for his medicine, so he crossed the border in hopes of saving his family.

“When I came here I earn nothing, it was a false dream in the end I was here working and I was a slave,” Miguel said in the documentary.

In the video, Louis Entongwe was described as a man who helped slaves to safety and rescue slaves. Rose Ordine, a former domestic slave, ended up marrying Entongwe’s cousin.

At the age of 14, Ordine was tricked to leave her family in Africa for an American education and a babysitting job. 

When Entongwe became aware of Ordine’s past experiences, he tried to rescue the other slaves.

Stories like Entongwe show how an average citizen plays a major role in helping slaves attain their freedom.

 “When I look at it now, I know if I didn’t do it, nobody else is gonna do it,” Entongwe said in the documentary.

According to Carolyn Perry, Citrus College child development, social and behavioral sciences professor and faculty adviser to PTK, the main purpose of the presentation was to create awareness in knowing that modern slavery exists. The average citizen can make a difference, she said.

“They did a good job in showing the presentation,” said Rayna Holloway, a 20-year-old child development major. “It’s very sad…I just wish more people would be aware that it is happening.”