"slavery"...?

Words only have meaning when attached to stories.
Everyone has different stories behind each word.
To one, a word could signify life and hope, to another the same word means control, guilt, 'savior complex'...
What then do we do when we are telling our story of revolution? Of changing the reality of vulnerability, exploitation and oppression? What words do we use? How do we define, unpack, make clear the message?

Here are some thoughts from friends and community members i've been talking with the last few months:
(I am keeping names out of it, but trying to give a glimpse of the "Story" each is coming from by sharing their ethnicity, race, gender, age, and geographical location. These can seem like unhelpful boxes, and i in some ways cringe when writing them out. Why can't we just all be "human". Yet, we do have unique and beautiful stories. Painful injustice committed and felt. As Richard Twiss shared last week, "We each see a piece of the night sky through our telescope, and we must learn to use one another's telescopes to braden our vision and understanding. And you can't use another telescope just by reading a book.")

Abolition/ Abolitionist: 

• "Seems to connect with the White savior complex" - LT, African American Woman in early 30s from Boston 
• "I use the term Abolitionist because thats what we are - we are abolishing human trafficking" - JW, African American Male in late 20s from Virginia 
• "Could have a negative power dynamic, someone better than the other" - RC, asian american Male in Early 30s from Boston
• "There is an urgency to write the wrongs of history- a deep sense of guilt for what happened and a desire to be on the side fighting for justice this time. If i had been alive then, i would have wanted to be an abolitionist - so today, we are continuing the fight against the purchasing and selling of human beings. But its important to examine motives." SD, Euro-American woman in her late 20s. Boston
• "Sort of could seem to mean 'whites saving blacks'. Although there were black abolitionists in the history of slavery." - JK, African American woman in her 60s from Boston 
• "Its different today, so I say, if you use 'Modern Abolitionist' it works" RT, Native American Male in his 50s from SD
• "The main problem with "abolition" is the disconnect is the lack of abolitionist interest in prostitution. The problems of human trafficking and prostitution are connected, but one is not the other. Fighting against human trafficking is popular--but fighting against prostitution or labor exploitation? For these battles, we will meet strong opponents who will criticize us at every turn and we won't be able to feel as good about ourselves." - GH, Euro-American Male 40+ 
• "Some communities might really love the term Abolitionist; white folks and even immigrant communities. But I don't think the Black community resonates with that language for today" - WR African American / Caribbean islander Male. 60+ from Boston 
• "It has religious connotations" - Ero-American Male. early 30s from Boston

Slavery:

•  "I think it can be helpful to use the term Slavery. But its important to be careful of using "modern-slavery". It cancels out the pain of the historic struggle with slavery. It says that pain is over, this is the modern version, the new story. In reality we are still struggling with the impact of 'historic slavery' and it is connected with what is happening today." - LL, African American Woman. 30+ from Boston
• "I don't like to use Slavery to talk about what is happening today. Today, globally, it is not legal. In the past slavery was a legal institution. So today it is a very different thing" - VB Biracial (african american / white) male 30+ in DC
• "No, it is not slavery, it is not a racially based, institutionalized realty in society today" - WR 
• "We don't like to talk about slavery. It hurts. What we need to do is present the information of what is happening to each community, and let them decide what language to use in describing and communicating about it" - JK
• "I think it's powerful to talk about a continuum of conditions and a mixture of circumstances that lead to these conditions, from kidnapping to coercion to economic enslavement. The terms slavery and abolition cover some conditions, fair trade and economic justice cover others, I think the anti-trafficking movement needs a term that covers a wide range of injustices with the common theme of freedom and justice...." - JL, Euro-american woman 50+ in Boston
• "ahh slavery... Have you been to the Caribbean? to the auction blocks, the slave trading posts?" - African American/ Caribbean male 30+ from Boston

Human Trafficking:

• "It is very much legal language. disconnected from what is happening on the street corner in Dorchester at 5:30am when i am dropping my daughter off at school" - African American woman. 40+ from Boston
• "I prefer to use Human Trafficking for whats happening today" - VB
• "When a person of color tries to stand up for their rights, or make known an injustice we get shut down. 'what are you still complaining for?! you have a black president! and he was even reelected!' We are ignored, seen as wining, no one wants to listen. So then 'human trafficking' is all over the news. Disconnected. thats frustrating." - (paraphrased) LN Latina Woman 30+ in Boston

Emancipation Proclamation:

• "Well, how do i say this? It wasn't empowering. It didn't really do anything. It didn't have teeth to make change. So its not really something we celebrate" - MG African American Male 30+ from Boston
• "President Lincoln and other Republicans were concerned that the Emancipation Proclamation, which in 1863 declared the freedom of slaves in ten Confederate states then in rebellion, would be seen as a temporary war measure, since it was based solely on Lincoln's war powers. The Proclamation did not free any slaves in the border states nor did it abolish slavery.^[1]Because of this, Lincoln and other supporters believed that an amendment to the Constitution was needed." - Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/13th_ammendment

More to come! 

My girls

He's gonna take my girls
My babies
If I do or say anything against him
What he wants goes
That's just the bottom line

Housing, food, presence
Where is he?
He said no. Don't like the neighborhood.
So I turn down the 3bedroom
No.
I'm living at my grandma's
He is couch surfing with friends
He asks for money, so I give it. And more. And more.
Til I i need to ask grandma for some money for milk.
And is he working?
No.
Every month.
I can't say no.

"nooo don't tell daddy!"
They are scared of him too
I'm surprised grandma hasn't strangled him!
But dont you dare say anything against him!
He's my man.

He is all I've got. Right? I love him... Don't I? He wants me, doesn't he? I matter?

I do what he says because we are in a relationship!
...And he threatens to take away my girls.
forever.
I can't live with that.
They need a mommy.
They need a daddy!

This is what I've got. Don't tell me to change. Him or me - I can't.
No.
What he sayes goes. That's just the bottom line.

----
This is my friend's granddaughter's story. My friend (the grandma) is grieving, angry, frustrated - what can she do?! Its so hard.