NYLC Endorses Frederick Douglass Family Foundation’s New Proclamation of Freedom

In September 2012, NYLC signed the New Proclamation of Freedom written by students from nine secondary schools across the country  and the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation. The proclamation acknowledges the existence of modern slavery, or human trafficking, and advocates for a National Human Trafficking Education Program. The secondary schools education program uses service-learning as a key strategy to develop and support initiatives to end modern-day slavery.

The proclamation was created this year to honor the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation and aims to ensure the freedom of U.S. residents from the crime of human trafficking. The proclamation states: “Today, the U.S. Department of State, in its 2012 Trafficking in Persons Report, estimates that there are millions of people enslaved around the world. Thousands have been reported within the borders of the United States.”

FDFF has also created a petition on change.org as part of its 100 Days to Freedom campaign asking for the U.S. Department of Education to “help facilitate a National Human Trafficking Education Program … including curricula that teach historical slavery and Human Trafficking prevention and demand reduction, as well as provide teacher training and reporting protocol training materials.” To date, 1,194 individuals have signed the petition, and 12 schools and organizations have endorsed the proclamation.

"The 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation is a great opportunity to discuss the topics of Slavery and Freedom with students. Even better, when given the tools to take action on today's human trafficking, young people can produce a real effect on this critical issue," says Robert J. Benz, Co-Founder and Executive Vice President, FDFF.

In addition to formal, public support of the proclamation and National Human Trafficking Education Program, NYLC has provided several high-quality service-learning resources that will be delivered to students and schools who receive the training. These resources include Lift: Raising the Bar for Service-Learning Practice, Getting Started in Service-Learning, and recorded webinars available for free in the Generator School Network.

To view the proclamation, sign the petition, and learn more, visit http://www.fdff.org/.