What Michelle Obama's Slave Ancestor Means for Modern-Day Abolitionists

Her name was Melvinia. As a teen, she gave birth to a child fathered by a white man whose identity is unknown. In 1852, could this young girl, born into chattel slavery in the U.S. and valued at $475 at the age of six, ever contemplate that her great-great-great-granddaughter would be the First Lady of the United States? Probably not. But that is what happened. Ever since Michelle Obama moved into the White House, America has been fascinated with her ancestral ties to slavery. But what does Melvinia mean for modern-day abolitionists?

Melvinia's experience as a slave in 19th century America was not unique. She didn't seem to know who her parents were. As a child, she was transferred from her first owner's South Carolina estate to his son-in-law's Georgia home. The method of transfer? She was bequeathed in his will, right alongside tablecloths and cattle. As a teenager she was impregnated by an anonymous white man under anonymous circumstances. The nature of that particular union may have been lost to history, but the chances that the sex was less-than-consensual are pretty good. And it's not like she would have had a choice, either way. Yep, pretty typical 19th century slave experience.

But what does that mean for us today? With the exception of being legally owned and transferred via a will, Melvinia's experience would not be unusual if she were a modern-day slave. Torn from her home, forced to work under threat of violence, denied compensation, sexually assaulted -- these are all violations inflicted upon human trafficking victims in the United States and around the world in 2009. We'd like to think that with Michelle Obama as First Lady, we can forget Melvinia, or at least chalk her up to a sad quirk of history. But there are millions of Melvinias in the world today, and not all of them will be remembered because their descendants grew up to live on Pennsylvania Avenue.

Michelle Obama is a highly visible reminder not only of slavery as a historical reality, but also of the hope and possibility of rising out of the suffering and degradation that evil institution and subsequent oppressions created for African-Americans in the U.S. But she has a rare opportunity to also be a reminder that Melvinia is still with us. She is cleaning her master's house and picking her master's tomatoes and having sex with her master's customers. She is still a slave, though in an institution of slavery that has evolved and changed over the past 150 years. Melvinia may be the First Lady's past, but she is our present. And unless we take action now, she is our future.

Michelle Obama's triumph does not erase the reality of historical or modern-day slavery and the lives it destroys. But it is an indication of a society willing to address that reality and move toward a more equal and just future for all people -- a future without slaves or masters.

Photo credit: Rusty Darbonne