Why Slavery Is Not Just History

Country:

Brazil United states Mexico India

Author:

Sarah Swan
Pulitzer Center Staff

Tracing the Roots of Slavery in Modern Power Structures

Through our journalism and education programs, the Pulitzer Center promotes awareness of slavery’s lasting impacts in Brazil, the United States, and around the world.

A year of investigative work supported by the Pulitzer Center has broken new ground in Brazil, tracing the relationship between Brazilian politicians and slavery through their family trees.

Reporting for Agência Pública, Amanda Audi uncovered not only historical connections between powerful Brazilian families and slavery, but identified current instances of labor exploitation by those descendants of slave owners. At least two politicians own farms investigated for working conditions that Brazil’s Ministry of Labor and Employment found analogous to slavery. Despite conclusive investigations, they have yet to face serious consequences.

“The family trees of representatives of the executive and legislative branches showed that some families have remained in power for centuries, benefiting from the economic, political, and legal system of slavery in Brazil,” says Pulitzer Center Senior Program Manager Bruna Wagner of her “Year in Stories” pick. While the reporting is in Portuguese, you can translate the project into your preferred language using the Google Translate tool on the Pulitzer Center website.

In the U.S., as an education partner of The 1619 Project, we have reached over 28,000 students and teachers in 30 states and Washington, D.C. Over the past five years we have equipped classes with curricular resources that explore connections between history and today. These online resources have been accessed over 1.5 million times.

Tomorrow, we will host the culmination of this year’s efforts engaging students and educators around these topics in the 1619 Impact Showcase. The Showcase will explore questions like: How are educators implementing the Project’s themes in the classroom? How can educators equip learners to take action and make change that advances racial justice? What is the sustained impact of this work?

This event is free and open to the public.

Learn more about our impact in five years of teaching The 1619 Project, and we hope you will join us tomorrow.

Best,

Impact

The Pulitzer Center-supported project Inside India's Dangerous Silicosis Crisis, reported by Delhi journalist Akhilesh Pandey for The Caravan, has spurred calls to action in the nation. The project includes a report and documentary that examine how silica dust from India’s industries is costing impoverished workers their lives. Silicosis is a lung disease caused by inhalation of the dust.

Pandey recently told the Pulitzer Center that, in response to his reporting, the Dhaatri Foundation, PRASAR, and other Indian NGOs are working in Madhya Pradesh state to raise awareness about the disease and victims’ rights. A meeting about the issue is scheduled for January in the state capital, Bhopal. In addition, Pandey said, activists want to include his article in a petition to the Supreme Court addressing silicosis.