Welcome to GSRD
The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO
at the U.S. Department of State is also one of the groups recognizing Slavery: the unfinished business and the passing of Wilberforce’s “Bill” to abolish the Transatlantic Slave Trade, other related organizations abolishing human trafficking today’s modern day slavery, and the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of the Abolition of the Transatlantic Slave Trade in 2008. Global Slavery Remembrance Day makes the link on the U.S. Department of State Diplomacy in Action page as an organization seeking to bring awareness to August 23rd, a date UNESCO declared as “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”. GSRD celebrated the 200th Anniversary in Dallas, Texas in August 23, 2008. Click here to learn more about the history of the Transatlantic Slave Trade.
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Venita Benitez – Founder, Global Slavery Remembrance Day is in Hampton, Virginia on March 25, 2009. In commemoration of the memory of the victims of slavery the General Assembly in its resolution 62/122 on 17 December 2007, declared 25 March “International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade” to be observed annually. The resolution called for the establishment of an outreach program to mobilize educational institutions, civil society and other organizations to inculcate in future generations the “causes, consequences and lessons of the transatlantic slave trade, and to communicate the dangers of racism and prejudice. (Click video to learn more).
American Memory US History & Culture
This image, 'American Memory' is the
United States of America's Library of Congress
for researchers and now is made available for anyone interested in searching American slavery. It is the Slavery Resource Guide and it directly links to all slavery documents in America's Library of Congress.
Bridging the worldwide gap
Global Slavery Remembrance Day campaign will run for generations with emphasis on the following dates to remember the change:
DECEMBER 2nd - (United Nations date) International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is annually observed on December 2 to remind people that modern slavery works against human rights. The day also encourages people to put meaning to the words of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights that "no one shall be held in slavery or servitude" through their actions. This holiday is not to be confused with, August 23rd, the UNESCO's “International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition”.
JANUARY 1st - (United States Date) the Act to Abolish the Importation of Slaves, in 1807, Thomas Jefferson signed into law the banning of illegal importation of Slaves effective on January 1, 1808. This date symbolizes the beginning of FREEDOM, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE for all whereas we must continue the struggling fight against today’s slavery by putting an end to the kidnapping of children between the ages of 3 – 18. It's called human trafficking today’s modern-day slavery. There is still importation and exportation of slaves in today’s United States of America and throughout the world.
JANUARY - (United States Date) was declared as National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month. 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.
FEBRUARY 1st - (United States Date) National Freedom Day observance on February 1 honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865, although it was not ratified by the states until later.
Major Richard Robert Wright Sr. a former slave believed that there should be a day when freedom for all Americans is celebrated. While living in Philadelphia towards the end of his life, he invited local and national leaders to meet to organize a movement for a national holiday to commemorate Lincoln's signing of the 13th Amendment. The resulting National Freedom Association proposed having a memorial date to call attention to the continuing struggle for freedom for African-Americans. Since President Lincoln had signed the 13th Amendment on the first day of February, that date was chosen to celebrate National Freedom Day. The first commemoration took place on February 1, 1942, at Independence Hall.
MARCH 25th - (United States Date) was designated as International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. This is a day tribute in honoring the memory of the victims of slavery, ancestors, and their struggles to fight this crime against humanity.
JUNE 19th - (United States Date) Juneteenth National Holiday Observance, is a holiday in the United States honoring African American heritage by commemorating the announcement of the abolition of slavery in the U.S. State of Texas in 1865. Celebrated on June 19, the term is a portmanteau of June and nineteenth, and in 2011 it is recognized as a state holiday in 39 states of the United States.
National Juneteenth Enslavement Remembrance Commission - Venita Benitez, Chair
AUGUST 23rd - (United Nations date) International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition is annually observed on August 23rd to remind people of the tragedy of the transatlantic slave trade. It gives people a chance to think about the historic causes, the methods and the consequences of the slave trade.
In late August, 1791, an uprising began in Santo Domingo (today Haiti and the Dominican Republic) that would have a major effect on abolishing the transatlantic slave trade. The slave rebellion in the area weakened the Caribbean colonial system, sparking an uprising that led to abolishing slavery and giving the island its independence. It marked the beginning of the destruction of the slavery systems, the slave trade and colonialism.
International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition was first celebrated in many countries, in particular in Haiti, on August 23, 1998, and in Senegal on August 23, 1999. Each year the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) reminds the international community about the importance of commemorating this day. This date also pays tribute to those who worked hard to abolish the slave trade and slavery throughout the world. This commitment and the actions used to fight against the system of slavery had an impact on the human rights movement.