Final day for CIW slavery museum on the National Mall coincides with first formal recognition by Congress of slave labor that built the Capitol...

The CIW’s Modern-Day Slavery Museum wrapped up its two-day stay on the National Mall, and the photo report is now online — and this time, we throw in a free history lesson!

Go inside to learn about the history of “Freedom” (pictured above) on Capitol Hill, and to see the final report from the CIW’s whirlwind three-day visit to the Nation’s Capital.

And, though we don’t usually do this, we’re going to give one more plug for the terrific article in the Nation on Monday’s emotional ceremony at the State Department. So, if you haven’t read it yet, take a few minutes to do so today: “Human Trafficking, a U.S. Problem Too”. Here’s an excerpt:

“… With a nod to the Secretary, Germino offered that ‘it takes a village to raise a child; it takes a whole community to fight slavery.’Germino recognized her colleagues at CIW — and that wasn’t just lip service. In many years of working for and covering NGOs, I’ve never seen one that operates so efficiently as a collective — in the decisions they make, the actions they take, the wages they earn, and the shared credit for victories. CIW simply doesn’t distinguish its parts from the whole.I think that’s a key reason this community-based organization in tiny Immokalee, Florida is able to have such a powerful national impact. It’s why parked outside of the State Department during the ceremony — and on the National Mall today and tomorrow — was CIW’s Modern Day Slavery Museum. And it’s why one of CIW’s many heroes found herself standing in the Benjamin Franklin State Dining Room, hearing the central tenets of CIW’s fight against slavery echoed by the US Secretary of State.” read more