Fun
(A.K.A. "really boring" but you should read it anyway...) Fact of the Day:
Tomorrow, April 16th, is the
day marked to celebrate Abraham Lincoln’s signing of the Compensated
Emancipation Act. This Act freed 3,100 SLAVES in and around Washington
D.C. in 1862, nine months before he issued the ever-popular Emancipation
Proclamation.
(I would just like to point out that
3,100 is a ridiculously high number of slaves for a city 75,080... mathematically,
that is approximately 1 in 25 people enslaved.)
This act is unique in the way that it
proposed freeing the slaves in the District of Columbia. The government forced owners to free their
slaves, but gave them approximately $300 for each. Hence, the idea of “compensated emancipation.”
While the purpose of this act was to
ensure that slavery in the region phased out, I’m not sure how I feel about the
government paying for the release of
these people. I understand that outlawing
slavery outright could have very poor effects, perhaps even leading to a
rebellion (haha, Civil War). However, I find that if you
want to stop people from enslaving others, continuing to treat them as commodities
is not the way to do it.
But I’m sure good ‘ole Lincoln had a
much better idea of how to handle the situation than I could possibly have.
On
to other matters…
Today commences the One Dress One Month project.
There are quite a few of us participating, and we are ever-so excited.
Not to worry, there will certainly be
pictures of the beautiful ladies posted a little later. There
are some very lovely images of the group in our dresses, but I don’t have
access to them at this moment.
(Margo,
the possessor of the camera, is studying for a big test. I don’t want to bug her into sending me pictures
when she has WAY more important things on her mind.)
Finally,
I could give you facts about the
slave trade that would make you want to cry, that would make you want to tear
out your hair and really question human nature.
But I won’t do that, not tonight.
First, I’m tired and my bed looks really comfy. Second, I’d rather you discover things on
your own.
Being spoon-fed facts about the
enslavement of others isn’t going to make you want to help the victims; it’s just
going to shock you. I want you to have
the same passion for helping as the women in this organization do. I don’t care if you want to protect the
ocean, save orphans, or feed the hungry.
But whatever it is, I want you to DO something. Don’t just sit there and wait for somebody
else to step up… because it won’t get done, I promise.
That's all for now... Thanks for reading my babbling and
for taking the time to consider the issue that is human slavery. It’s certainly not a fun topic, nor is the
project we’re engaging in particularly “fun.” But we do it because this is a project we are
passionate about. We value the lives of
others, and we believe that everyone should have the opportunity to experience
life and freedom.
--Emily
