History of Slavery

In this expert session, Jennifer Tosch delves into the intricacies of understanding the historical background and contemporary manifestations of exploitation, focusing on the emergence of modern-day slavery.  About 150 years ago, slavery was still fairly common in large parts of the Americas and Europe. She starts with addressing questions such as: How could such a cruel and absurd phenomenon become so widespread? Where did it happen? What did slavery look like? Was there no popular resistance? And could such a thing happen again? The second part of the session will focus on how the History of Slavery does not end with ‘legal abolition’. The system of slavery changed after the 19th century, and took on new forms of forced labor and exploitation. Jennifer will talk about the ‘future for the past’ that highlights the afterlife and legacy of slavery through ongoing activism, apologies, social justice, reparations and new research.

During the expert session, Jennifer Tosch invites audience participation through a Q&A session, live demonstrations of historical cases, and interactive exercises using the Mentimeter app to explore modern-day slavery's complexities and individual roles in eliminating it. She emphasizes intersectionality and encourages community action, supporting resources and organizations for further learning.

• Recognizing Historical Context: Understanding the historical narratives and legacy of colonialism is essential to comprehending the complexities of modern-day slavery and exploitation.
• Taking Action Against Modern Slavery: Examining personal roles and supporting organizations, becoming informed about industries involved in modern-day slavery, and engaging in community activism are crucial steps in eliminating exploitation.
• Intersectionality in Social Justice: Acknowledging the interconnected nature of historical and current social issues, including race, gender, sexuality, human rights, and women's rights, is necessary for creating effective change and promoting inclusive conversations.

In this expert session, Jennifer Tosch delves into the intricacies of understanding the historical background and contemporary manifestations of exploitation, focusing on the emergence of modern-day slavery. She shares her personal journey of investigating her family history during the period following the abolition of slavery in the late 19th century. During this time, some enslaved people formed cooperatives to buy land, while others were brought as forced labor from colonies to fill labor shortages.

Jennifer illuminates the parallels and distinctions between earlier forms of exploitation and modern slavery, which comprises practices such as bondage, forced marriage, child labor, human trafficking, and forced labor. The top countries harboring the largest percentages of victims include Mauritania, Mali, Haiti, Pakistan, India, Nepal, among others, and the United States is also implicated due to importing products made by exploited laborers.

Emphasizing the significance of acknowledging historical narratives and the legacy of colonialism, Jennifer encourages action from various stakeholders, including businesses, governments, and communities, to eradicate modern slavery. She advocates for supply chain transparency, reformation of global supply chains, increased awareness, education, and acknowledgment of historical inequalities, as well as reparations.

Jennifer also emphasizes the importance of intersectionality when addressing complex social issues. She encourages everyone to reflect on their role in creating change and becoming aware of their power in shaping movements. She highlights how iconic social justice movements began as responses from individuals and suggests becoming informed about industries and companies involved in modern-day slavery, supporting organizations monitoring these corporations, joining or starting a community, and looking into the origins of products we consume daily, such as coffee and chocolate.

During the question and answer session, Jennifer provides resources for individual actions to reduce the number of modern-day slaves, like lists of organizations and reading materials on colonial heritage and modern-day slavery. She also encourages everyone to engage in direct activism and looks forward to future collaborations.

The Black Lives Matter Movement

Why has it suddenly gained so much interest during this Corona crisis. Is there a correlation? Should we protest what is happening in the USA? Or do the same problems occur in other countries? And what’s next? What are the demands of the Black Lives Matter movement? Jennifer also focuses on the movement since 2020, what has been called the ‘George Floyd Effect’ which resulted in ‘global mobilization and protests around the world! The rapid financial and organizational growth has led to the recent controversy, which has also had a ripple effect on the global chapters. You’ll learn about the coalition of these grassroots chapters, about the Global Network Foundation and about the relevance of the movement, its mission, and its purpose today.Jennifer will shed her light on the matter during this session, followed by a Q&A. 

• It was an intriguing presentation. Very well set up.
• Thank you very much, this is so important!!