President Obama declares January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month”…

President Obama declares January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month”…

Newly launched “Fair Food Project” (right) takes it one step further and invites you to help make the change!

In a proclamation signed yesterday, January 4th, 2010, President Obama declared January “National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month”. The proclamation states, in part:

“The United States was founded on the principle that all people are born with an unalienable right to freedom — an ideal that has driven the engine of American progress throughout our history. As a Nation, we have known moments of great darkness and greater light; and dim years of chattel slavery illuminated and brought to an end by President Lincoln’s actions and a painful Civil War. Yet even today, the darkness and inhumanity of enslavement exists. Millions of people worldwide are held in compelled service, as well as thousands within the United States. During National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, we acknowledge that forms of slavery still exist in the modern era, and we recommit ourselves to stopping the human traffickers who ply this horrific trade…

… The victims of modern slavery have many faces. They are men and women, adults and children. Yet, all are denied basic human dignity and freedom. Victims can be abused in their own countries, or find themselves far from home and vulnerable. Whether they are trapped in forced sexual or labor exploitation, human trafficking victims cannot walk away, but are held in service through force, threats, and fear. All too often suffering from horrible physical and sexual abuse, it is hard for them to imagine that there might be a place of refuge…

… Fighting modern slavery and human trafficking is a shared responsibility. This month, I urge all Americans to educate themselves about all forms of modern slavery and the signs and consequences of human trafficking. Together, we can and must end this most serious, ongoing criminal civil rights violation.”

You can read the proclamation in its entirety here. The president’s words should serve as a powerful rejoinder to those — from the bottom to the top of this nation’s trillion-dollar food industry — who would deny or ignore the continuing scourge of slavery in our fields. And it should remind us all of the fierce urgency of the fight to end this most violent form of exploitation.

And about that fight… A new project has appeared on the battlefield, the “Fair Food Project.” Here’s how its creators describe their approach:

The Project

“Fair Food: Field to Table” is a multimedia presentation promoting a more socially just food system in the U.S. It was created by California Institute for Rural Studies and Rick Nahmias Photography.

Through the stories and voices of farmworkers, growers, businesses and fair food advocates, viewers learn about the harsh realities of farmworker conditions and, more importantly, the promise of improved farm labor practices in American agriculture. The growing movement for “fair food” is tapping into rising consumer demand for food produced in accordance with their values.”

The heart of the project is a three-part series of short videos — divided into the themes “The Farmworkers,” “The Farmers,” and “The Advocates” — that is intended to be used to spark discussion and action across the country though showings on campuses, in places of worship, and in community gatherings. The series is a must-see, and can be viewed on the Fair Food Project site or on YouTube. Here below is the first part in the series, “The Farmworkers” (which, by the way, includes extended interviews with two CIW representatives and footage of the CIW watermelon harvesting coop!). Enjoy, and help spread it around: