I just became an official member of the Ohio Humanities Speakers Bureau!
That means I’m joining dozens of scholars in the fields of history, literature, philosophy, law and archaeology who have been traveling the state for 20 years speaking at libraries, historical societies, civic organizations and museums.
While each talk is unique, every speaker helps encourage all Ohioans to “explore the human story.” Here’s the summary of my own presentation through the Speakers Bureau that’s titled “Sex, Slavery and Literature:”
The International Labour Organization estimates that there are 20.9 million victims of forced labor and human trafficking. That’s almost double the number of Africans who were shipped to the New World between 1525 and 1866, according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Database. While the face of slavery has changed over the centuries, the same law of supply and demand has remained constant — resulting in more than $100 billion in illegal profits per year. In addition, some of the stories published in news outlets today about sex trafficking echo themes in classic works of slavery literature, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin, David Copperfield and Oliver Twist. Learn how slavery has evolved over the centuries — including right here in Ohio — and what you can do to help end it today.
To learn more about the Speakers Bureau, or to book me for a presentation on this topic, please visit my speakers page.