THERE ARE APPROXIMATELY 50,000 SLAVES IN THE U.S. TODAY. LEARN MORE WHEN AUTHOR RON SOODALTER SPEAKS IN SALEM.

SALEM, MA – Historian and author Ron Soodalter will speak at the Salem Athenaeum, 337 Essex Street in Salem, Tuesday, November 3, 2009 at 7:00 PM on a topic most people know little about, may ignore or even deny exists: modern-day slavery in our own country.  Soodalter is the co-author, along with Kevin Bales, author of Disposable People and president of Free the Slaves, of a compelling new book, The Slave Next Door: Human Trafficking and Slavery in America Today

The lecture is a collaborative presentation by the Salem Athenæum, the Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice and The Bentley Lecture Fund of the First Church in Salem, Unitarian.  It is offered as part of the Salem Award Foundation’s mission “to recall the lessons of the Salem Witch Trials and to develop and broaden public understanding of current injustices.”

Contrary to popular belief, slavery did not end with the Civil War; it is an invisible epidemic involving tens of thousands of people from every part of the globe, including U.S. citizens, who are controlled by violence, paid nothing, and forced to work until they die, escape, or are rescued.

Slaves can be found—or, more accurately, not found—in all 50 states, working on construction crews, as fruit pickers and domestics, factory, restaurant, and sweatshop laborers, and as victims of sexual exploitation. They are hidden in plain sight, lured here by traffickers, who made false promises of opportunity.

Soodalter and Bales do more than document the accounts of victims who trusted their dreams to the wrong people.  Their book discusses, as will Soodalter, what is (and is not) being done on the federal, state, and local levels to free and support victims and to apprehend the bad guys. Soodalter will also talk about how to recognize slavery in one’s own neighborhood or city and share a blueprint for the ultimate eradication of slavery in America.

Refreshments will be served, and signed copies of The Slave Next Door will be available for purchase.  Space is limited, however, and reservations are suggested.  Tickets can be purchased online at www.salemaward.org or by sending a check (made payable to the Salem Athenæum) to the Salem Athenæum, 337 Essex Street, Salem, MA 01970.  Tickets are $10 for members, $15 for non-members, and $5 for students. Doors will open at 6:30 PM.

Ron Soodalter, historian, folklorist, and lecturer, is also the author of Hanging Captain Gordon: The Life and Trial of an American Slave Trader, as well as articles on the historic and modern slave trade.  His is also a noted Lincolnian scholar  and serves on the Board of Directors of the Abraham Lincoln Institute.

The Salem Award Foundation for Human Rights and Social Justice (www.salemaward.org) was established in 1992, the 300th anniversary of the Salem Witch Trials, and is presented annually to an individual or individuals who have made a significant contribution to the cause of human rights. 

The Salem Athenæum (www.salemathenaeum.net) is one of the oldest membership libraries in the United States, beginning as The Social Library in 1760.   It has nurtured generations of readers, and, today, serves as a lifelong learning resource and community for Salem and the North Shore. 

The First Church in Salem, Unitarian (www.firstchurchinsalem.org) was gathered in 1629 and is one of the oldest Protestant churches in North America.  Because of its history and legacy, it has been an advocate for social justice initiatives on the North Shore for more than 200 years, a tradition that continues to this day. 

Images, interviews and additional information are available upon request.

CONTACT:            Jean Marie Procious, Director                          Brian Watson

                                The Salem Athenæum                                       Salem Award Foundation