Welcome to the conversation!


Welcome to the conversation!

Harriet Beecher Stowe's (1811-1896) best-selling anti-slavery novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), made her the most famous American woman of the 19th century and galvanized the abolition movement before the Civil War.

The Stowe Center is a 21st-century museum and program center using Stowe's story to inspire social justice and positive change.

The Salons at Stowe programs are a forum to connect the challenging issues (race, gender and class) that impelled Stowe to write and act with the contemporary face of those same issues. The Salon format is based on a robust level of audience participation, with the explicit goal of promoting civic engagement. Recent topics included: Teaching Acceptance; Is Prison the New Slavery; Traces of the Trade: A Story from the Deep North; Creativity and Change; Race, Gender and Politics Today; How to be an Advocate

This blog will expand the reach of these community conversations to the online audience. Add your posts and comments to keep the conversation going! Commit to action by clicking HERE to stay up to date on Salon and social justice news.

For updates on Stowe Center programs and events, sign up for our enews at http://harrietbeecherstowe.org/email.

Friday, August 23, 2013

August 23: International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

In 1997, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) proclaimed August 23 of every year International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. UNESCO's Director-General invites people worldwide to "give this international day all due prominence and to mobilize their educational, scientific, artistic and cultural communities, youth and, in general, civil society" through reflection and conversation.

This year's Message from Ms. Irina Bokova, Director-General of UNESCO, calls not only for remembrance, but for support of the organization's Slave Route Project. The Project, which was launched in 1994, traces the extent of slavery in our history and celebrates the cultural contributions of African people to our global society. Ms. Bokova also reminds us that modern forms of slavery still exist with millions of victims worldwide, and that we must all fight against this injustice.

As we recognize this day of commemoration and remembrance, we at the Stowe Center reflect on Harriet Beecher Stowe's personal efforts to end slavery. Stowe's best known novel, Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), changed forever how Americans viewed slavery, the system that treated people as property. It demanded that the United States deliver on the promise of freedom and equality, galvanized the abolition movement and contributed to the outbreak of the Civil War. Today, we continue Stowe's legacy by inspiring a commitment to social justice and positive change, working against injustices like modern day slavery.

Uncle Tom's Cabin and Stowe call on us to confront slavery and race relations - what will you do to follow Stowe's example on this International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition?

 UN International Day for the remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition

“The story of slavery tells us that we can overcome. That the world can change for the better. And that we can do more than simply survive – we can soar!” 
- Marcus Miller, Spokesperson for the Slave Route Project

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