Today is National Freedom Day, marking the anniversary of the ratification the 13th Amendment to the US Constitution under Lincoln, promising freedom from slavery and involuntary servitude. The day was enacted by President Harry Truman on June 30, 1948, as he signed the bill proclaiming February 1 as National Freedom Day.
I spent the evening at a Freedom Day celebration, hosted by Courtney’s House, for which they held an open house and shared their dreams of freedom with the community. Taking time to honor others in the filed, the organization recognized key supporters who have enabled them to provide the keys to freedom to young boys and girls who have been victimized by commercial sexual exploitation right here in the DC Metro area. Courtney’s House began in August 2008, as Founder and Executive Director Tina Frundt, herself a survivor of domestic child sex trafficking, took years of hard work and experience in the field, quite literally to the streets. Currently conducting street outreach and providing support programs to 11-21 year old boys and girls. ‘Courtney’s House is projected to be a 6-bed long-term group home for sex trafficked girls between the ages of 12 and 18 years – the only one of its kind in the Washington, D.C.area to cater specifically to this vital population segment.
The following is a letter from Ambassador Luis CdeBaca;
In celebration of National Freedom Day, the United States honors the courage, resolve, and hope exerted by those whose pursuit of freedom was and continues to be unflagging. We look to their example as a guide to creating a world that opens the doors of freedom to every person and fulfills the promise made 145 years ago today.
This day marks the anniversary of President Lincoln’s sending to the States for ratification the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States, which promised freedom from slavery and involuntary servitude. In commemorating this day, we honor the sacrifices of those who lived and died in chattel slavery, those who fought to end it, and those who have worked in the decades since for a country free from involuntary servitude.
The United States recommits itself today to pursue a world without modern slavery by utilizing every means necessary to shine a brighter light on this heinous crime, thereby ensuring the protection of victims, the prevention of future occurrences, and the prosecution of traffickers.
With the culmination of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month, the United States commits to building on global partnerships and to working across borders and barriers to realize the progress and potential of a slave-free world. We will work to ensure that every man, woman, and child, with no preference to national origin or standing in society, may pursue the greatest human right of all: freedom.
Ambassador Luis CdeBaca
Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, U.S. Department of State
Senior Advisor to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton
Therefore while we take time today to celebrate the achievements made in the fight to end the trans-Atlantic slave trade and end legalized slavery in the United States, we must also take time to remember the some 27 Million men, women and children who are enslaved across the globe today. The harsh reality is that the . Therefore please take time to honor those who have, and continue to fight and sacrifice, to see freedom is met for all men, woman and children.
