Do Your Part to End Modern-Day Slavery

Think the Civil War ended slavery back in 1865 or so? Not even close. Slavery is alive and well in Florida, though some progress has been made in the last year or so. And although modern-day slavery is hidden, it's hardly isolated from the more civilized world. In fact, if you've ever bought a tomato from a supermarket during the winter, you've benefited from slave labor in Florida.

Tell grocery chains Giant and Stop & Shop to swear off slave labor!

Sound scary? There's much more horrifying information to consume at the Florida Modern-Day Slavery Museum, which is traveling the state until April 15. The museum was created by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, a community union of Florida farm workers, in order to bring attention to these appalling violations of human rights. The museum is housed in a box truck like the one in which migrant workers were locked for more than two years, released only to pick tomatoes for no pay. And although that case drew particular attention, it is by no means an outlier: experts estimate that thousands of people -- often Latino immigrants who don't speak enough English to stand up for themselves and simply don't know their rights -- are held in slave conditions (this brilliantly-reported piece in Gourmet magazine was the first to alert many Americans about slave conditions in Florida).

The museum traces the history of farm labor servitude and displays artifacts and information from some of the most horrific cases of worker abuse in Florida, including the blood-stained shirt of a 16-year-old boy named Edgar who was beaten by his boss after he stopped picking to take a drink of water in 1996. Visitors can also view a 32-pound bucket filled as many as 150 times a day by farm workers for just 45 cents per bucket. But the point of the museum is not simply to horrify visitors -- it's to raise awareness about the living conditions of some of America's poorest and most abused residents. Many of us routinely see more classic versions of American poverty, whether in the inner city or in rural areas of the country, but for those of us who haven't been on a Florida farm lately, slavery is much harder to understand. Visiting the museum (even virtually) is a good step, but so is making sure you don't buy fruit and vegetables picked by slaves.

Parts of the museum also celebrate the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' past successes: Yum Brands, which owns Taco Bell and KFC, Whole Foods, Burger King, Subway and several other food companies have signed agreements committing not to use slave-picked produce. The Coalition is currently targeting Publix, the largest grocery chain in the southeast, and Ahold, which owns northeast grocery stalwarts Stop & Shop and Giant. Ahold will discuss the issue at a shareholders' meeting on April 13. Sign the petition telling Ahold that its customers want the company to stop supporting the slave industry in Florida.

Photo credit: KOMUNews