The U.S. National Commission for UNESCO at the U.S. Department of State is also one of the groups recognizing August 23rd and the ongoing struggle against modern forms of slavery and human trafficking. I thank them (and their Executive Director Alexander F. Zemek) for their efforts on this important issue.

Venita Benitez Founder
Global Slavery Remembrance Day Hampton, Virginia March 25, 2009

This image, 'American Memory' is the United States of America's Library of Congress for researchers and now is made available for anyone interested in searching America's slavery. It is the Slavery Resource Guide and it directly links to slavery documents in America's Library of Congress.

On May 23, 1861, run-a-way slaves sought refuge at Fort Monroe, and became contraband of war, ending hundreds of years of slavery in Virginia.

Global Slavery Remembrance Day campaign will run for generations with emphasis on the following dates. January 1st. In 1807 Thomas Jefferson signed into law the banning of illegal importation of Slaves effective on January 1, 1808. March 25th (United Nations Holiday), March 25th has been designated the annual International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of Slavery and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. August 23rd (UNESCO Date) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) International Day for the Remembrance of the Transatlantic Slave Trade and its Abolition. This date commemorates the 1791 San Domingo (Haiti) revolt, which marked the first decisive victory of African slaves against the oppressors.

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