July 2018 Volume 13, Number 73
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12 July 2018 Volume 13, number 73 UNDERGROUND RAILROAD FREE PRESS® Independent reporting on today’s Underground Railroad community urrFreePress.com California, UK, France, and Australia Strengthen Laws Requiring Businesses to Report Suspected Slavery in Their Supply Chains California, the United Kingdom, and ate suppliers for trafficking, require France have all recently implemented suppliers to certify that materials In This Issue their own versions of the UK's Mod- used in products comply with the ern Slavery Act that calls on busi- laws on slavery and human traffick- A major loophole in US slavery re- nesses and companies to report on ing, and crack down on employees porting law exempts most companies slavery in their supply chains. and contractors failing to meet slav- from having to report slavery in their ery and trafficking standards. Viola- supply chains. 1 While slavery is widespread, en- tions are subject to prosecution by the forcement is being concentrated on California Attorney General. South and Southeast Asia where it is The nominating period for the three especially prevalent. However, the 2015 California anti- 2018 Free Press prizes remains open slavery law has a major shortcoming through August. California's anti-slavery requirements in that it applies only to businesses 1 are spelled out in the state's Califor- having annual worldwide gross re- nia Transparency in Supply Chains ceipts over $100,000,000, thus not ap- Act of 2015. Newly strengthened en- The new Harriet Tubman Byway is plying to a high majority of the state's winning prizes and open for business. forcement includes The Act requires businesses including many small California manufacturers and retail sweatshops where it is known that 1 sellers to train company employees California's slavery and human traf- and management who have direct re- ficking problem is concentrated. It is sponsibility for supply chain man- Loving Day and Juneteenth: what estimated that there are 3,400 en- they are and why they are important. agement, verify and evaluate product slaved persons in the state, nearly all supply chains for risks of human traf- of them immigrants. ficking and slavery, audit and evalu- 2 How many active Underground Rail- Free Press Prize Nominations Open Through August 31 road organizations are there? See our It's that time of year again. Do you know of a person or organization doing Lynx website page for over 160. great things for the Underground Railroad? Submit a nomination for one At urrfreepress.com#_Links_1 of the three annual Free Press Prizes. It's easy. Visit "Prizes" at our website. Have Your Site or Program Listed Something on your mind? Have a Join 160+ others at Lynx, the Underground Railroad community nexus. good suggestion? Just drop us a line at [email protected]. Curious About Something You Would Like Researched? At urrfreepress.com Submit a question to be included in the annual Free Press survey coming up this month. "Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Experience" Awarded At its recent annual conference, the Maryland land, north through Delaware to Wilmington Economic Development Association (MEDA) and on to Philadelphia. awarded the Harriet Tubman Underground The Tubman Byway was named one of the Railroad Experience MEDA's 2018 Economic best driving tours in the country by the Feder- Development Marketing Award. MEDA is a al Highway Administration for its scenic beau- consortium of state and county civil servants ty and significant history. USA Today named in executive economic development positions. two sites along the Tubman Byway—the The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Tubman Visitor Center and Blackwater Na- Experience consists of the 125 miles of the tional Wildlife Refuge—as two of Maryland’s Harriet Tubman Byway which winds its way 10 best attractions. along roads following nearby routes that The Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Tubman took when leading escapes from her Experience also includes a visit to the National previous home in Dorchester County, Mary- Please go to Byway, page 2, column 2 123 Underground Railroad Free Press 2 Loving Day and Juneteenth, and Why Should We Observe Them Award -winning author Tolbert McCarroll, Juneteenth — June 19. Racism has been The 2018 Free Press Survey better known as "Brother Toby", cofounded and still is the great curse of American the ecumenical Starcross Monastic Com- history. The Emancipation Proclamation munity (www.starcross.org) in rural Sonoma Look soon in your inbox for our invi- became effective on January 1, 1863, but County, California, in the 1970s. Before tation to participate in the 12th annu- for various reasons it did not include all founding Starcross, he was an attorney for al Free Press survey of the interna- hum anitarian causes. Starcross supports the slaves in the United States. It wasn't tional Underground Railroad com- charitable work through the sale of premi- until June 19, 1865, when the estimated munity. We are pleased to commis- um olive oil from its own trees and from 250,000 slaves in Texas were freed by sion these yearly surveys and provide donations. The community's main endeav- “General Order No. 3.” It decreed that all results at no cost to all interested. or involves homes that it founded in Cali- slaves, including those in Texas, were You are welcome to download sur- fornia, Romania and Uganda for aban- freed. White supremacists immediately vey reports and distribute them as doned children oppressed by the AIDS came up with new versions of slavery, in- pandemic. The adoptive father of several you like. Visit urrfreepress.com for cluding Jim Crow laws, segregation, past survey reports. children, he has for 50 years lived by Meis- lynching, imprisonment, legal abuse, ter Eckhart's adage that what a person poverty, etc. We still have a long way to acquires by contemplation should be spent in compassion. Now well into his go but there are reasons to rejoice about Underground Railroad Free Press® eighties, Brother Toby writes Weekly Reflec- the step taken on June 19th. Independent Reporting on t ion, enjoyed by thousands. Here is a re- Today’s Underground Railroad Since the 1980s and 1990s, this holiday cent gem that we think will appeal to Free has been widely celebrated among Afri- Peter H. Michael, Publisher Press readers. Reprinted with permission. [email protected] can-American communities. Texas, to its 301 | 874 | 0235 Some Days to Remember credit, became the first state to establish June is a busy month. There are gradua- Juneteenth as a state holiday. Today 45 of Underground Railroad Free Press serves as the tions, weddings, planting, weeding, and the 50 states recognize it in some fashion. nexus of the international Underground Railroad community, maintains its central registry, calen- much more. Here at Starcross we also And for various reasons, it is a big hit in dar and surveys, and publishes its free epony- throw in a few commemorations, some of Paris! mous newsletter at Underground Railroad Free which you've probably never heard of be- Press, 2455 Ballenger Creek Pike, Adamstown, In an increasing number of places there Maryland, 21710. fore! I want to mention two that were im- are festivities featuring traditional songs Free Press is distributed by email. Send new sub- portant in the fights for human dignity. and historical reenactments coupled with scriber email addresses and changes to the email address above. Back issues are available free at Loving Day — June 12. Sometimes there parades, street fairs, and cookouts. Add- th our web site. 100 Anniversary is a trick question in a constitutional law ed to these are the contributions of con- We welcome news articles and letters to the edi- exam, Discuss the legal issues involved in temporary African-American writers and tor. All rights to submissions including emails Loving Day. As you can imagine, there artists such as Maya Angelou (1928-2014), and letters will be treated as unconditionally as- signed to Free Press for publication and copyright are a lot of wild guesses! But Loving Day who wrote in her famous poem: purposes, and subject to our unrestricted right to is a commemoration of a Supreme Court The caged bird sings edit and comment editorially unless otherwise case in 1967, Loving v. Virginia, which agreed with authors. with a fearful trill struck down all anti-miscegenation laws Free Press accepts tasteful nonpolitical advertis- of things unknown in the United States. It was the final end ing which we reserve the right to reject for any but longed for still to bans on interracial marriage. Mildred reason that in our sole judgment is not accepta- and his tune is heard ble. Submit advertising in pdf, jpg or text for- Loving was African-American and mar- on the distant hill mats. Visit our website for rates and layout spec- ried to Richard Loving who was Cauca- ifications. for the caged bird sian. They were arrested for cohabiting as sings of freedom. man and wife, "against the peace and dignity" of the Commonwealth of Virgin- Byway ia. They avoided jail time by promising to Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad things you can leave Virginia and moved to Washington, Historical Park visitor center, nearby D.C. The Supreme Court case was a Broddess Farm where Tubman grew up, do at Free Press una nimous decision and the couple the Bucktown Village Store, the Harriet moved back to Virginia. Tubman Museum and seven other build- The Supreme Court handed down the de- ings along the way. Click on links at urrFreePress.com to: cision on June 12, 1967, and ever after that Much of the tour passes through very pic- Subscribe time this day is celebrated at many places turesque tidewater countryside which Join the Community or View Lynx in the United States, especially where has changed little since Harriet Tubman Make a Free Press Prize Nomination mixed-race couples are common.