“Timoun se riches malere,” say Hatians: “Children are the riches of the poor.” (Skinner, pg.30)
Spring has begun to fill the air, the trees have begun to blossom and the city is a buzz with renewed energy. However there is a darker side to everyday life for many, and tonight a light in the darkness was lit for them. Amid the sound of espresso machines steaming and after work chatter at DC literary hot spot, Bus Boy's and Poets, there was another buzz in the air…the buzz of freedom!
There are some 27 million people enslaved in the world today…men, women and children seen as nothing more than disposable people. People whose lives are sold for costs of unprecedented lows, often nothing more than a cup of coffee. However tonight one could witness the drive and passion of two men who have stepped forward to answer the call of freedom for each and every one.
“Like plastic pens or paper cups, slaves and potential slaves are so numerous that they can simply be used up and thrown away.” (Bales, pg. 14)
Two men, one goal, separate paths! Both Bales and Skinner have seen the horrors of slavery first hand, and both have witnessed the strength of the surviver. It is this pain and heart that has driven both Kevin Bales and Ben Skinner to dedicate their lives to the fight to end slavery. Skinner literally takes you ‘Face-To-Face With Modern-Day Slavery”, in his writing you can hear the slave holders, feel the suffering of the children, smell the stench of slavery and the distant air of freedom. Bales then takes you into the plan, the plan on ‘How We Free Today's Slaves’, his passion has taken him to do what no one dared. Bales has molded his undoubted authority and berth of knowledge into a formidable plan to rid the world of this plague. In both books you will find the face of slavery, a human face…a mother, a father, a child; you will hear the voices of suffering, strength, courage and hope.
“You are now about halfway to Delmas, and slaves are everywhere. Assuming this is your first trip to Haiti you won't be able to identify them….Some are as young as three or four years old, but they will always be the small ones, even if they’re older….” (Skinner, pg. 5-6)
Both books are a must read and once you pick them up you wont be able to put them down without becoming an abolitionist. They say that the pen is mightier than the sword, and it is unmistakably true with both Ending Slavery and A Crime So Monstrous. However what makes both of these more than just a book is the men behind them…true heroes who have risked their lives to bring the plight of the enslaved worldwide to light.
Our children are not disposable…let us not see the children of tomorrow enslaved! Read, learn, fight and let us end slavery once and for all!
