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On June 19, 1865, a Union general proclaimed that slaves in Texas were free. The anniversary of that day, known as “Juneteenth,” is now a federal holiday commemorating the abolition of slavery in the United States. It was also a significant milestone in the global movement towards universal emancipation.
While we don’t know exactly when slavery began, it appeared in virtually every civilization, including in Sumer, ancient Greece and Rome, medieval Europe, India, China, the Middle East, pre-colonial Africa, and the pre-Columbian Americas. However, in the 18th century, a strong abolitionist movement began to form in Great Britain and beyond. Public opinion started to shift against slavery while industrialization made it increasingly economically obsolete. International pressure for abolition mounted, first from the British Empire and later from international bodies like the League of Nations. Today, slavery is officially outlawed in every country.
Unfortunately, slavery has not yet been eliminated. According to the International Labour Organization (ILO), there are 28 million slaves in the world today, or 50 million if you include forced marriages. These are heart-wrenching numbers, but it’s important to note that the ILO uses a very broad definition of slavery, which includes people compelled to work because their employer is withholding their wages or because they have no viable alternative. It cannot, therefore, be compared to the brutal chattel slavery common in pre-modern societies.
Eradicating this modern slavery will require alleviating the deprivation that allows people to be exploited. That means the final end of slavery will likely arrive only after absolute poverty disappears. However, we shouldn’t forget how far humanity has come. Thanks to centuries of progress, we no longer need to fight bloody wars or overturn broadly held norms to end slavery. The moral battle has been won, and that is worth celebrating.
Malcolm Cochran, Digital Communications Manager
Culture & Tolerance:
Energy & Environment:
- Apple Supplier TDK Claims Solid-State Battery Breakthrough
- The British Birds Saved from the Brink of Extinction
- One of World’s Rarest Cats No Longer Endangered
- California Startup Creates Key Electric Vehicle Battery Material from Methane
- Solar Is Going to Be Huge
- Conservation: Rare Caribbean Wildlife Species Saved from Extinction
- Plastic-Choked Rivers in Ecuador Are Being Cleared with Conveyor Belts
- The Untapped Potential of Geothermal Energy
Food & Hunger:
Health & Demographics:
- AI Outperforms Radiologists in Detecting Prostate Cancer on MRI
- GMO Mosquitoes Released in Djibouti to Fight Malaria
- New Blood Test May Detect Parkinson’s Years before Onset
- OpenAI Expands Healthcare Push with Color Health’s Cancer Copilot
- How Cancer Vaccines Could Keep Tumors from Coming Back
- ‘Space Hairdryer’ Regenerates Heart Tissue in Study
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Could Be Treated with a Malaria Drug
- Gilead’s Twice-Yearly Shot to Prevent HIV Succeeds in Late-Stage Trial
Science & Technology:
- Anthropic Releases ‘Most Intelligent’ AI Model in Rivalry with OpenAI
- DeepMind Creates AI Model That Can Add Sound to Silent Videos
- Waymo Says Its Driverless Cars Are 200 Percent Safer Than You
- Joby Says FAA Authorizes In-House Software for Air Taxi Service
- Mosquito-Fighting Drone Takes Flight in Broward
- India’s Farmers Are Now Getting Their News from AI Anchors
- Walmart Plans to Launch Digital Shelf Tags in 2,300 Stores