What does 31Days of Freedom mean to me?
Sugar. Every time we hear the word we instantly think of all things yummy and nice in the world. Chocolate, ice cream, pet names for loved ones, songs using it as a term to describe love, sugar is nothing more than a blissful reminder that all is right in the world. But in truth, sugar is a by-product of slavery.
Back in the 1600’s the Caribbean’s used salves to help start the ever booming sugar industry in their countries as well as South America. Slaves by the hundreds were being shipped over seas from Africa to work the fields and further the crops. Centuries passed, and so did the use of slaves in sugar crops. Or so we thought. Today, in Haiti and the Dominican Republic slaves are being used to once again work a sugar crop that is then being exported into the US for our consumption daily. Where we once thought we had succeeded, we truly have not.
So what is my sacrifice for freedom during these next 31 days? Sugar. No more sweets, sugary drinks, or delicious Starbucks vanilla lattes. I’m going cold turkey. And as I sip on my nice iced glass of unsweet tea, may I be reminded of those whose hands work forcibly without wage or reward. May I be reminded of those who are given water and food fed to them through cage bars and where the idea of a sugary lifestyle is but a myth and fantasy that they sadly may never know. And may we today strive to seek freedom for those without a voice and those who, unlike us, cannot choose.
Heather Owen
Director of Development
The Home Foundation
I too am giving up sugar. I didn’t think about the link with the start of the international slave trade, but it’s appropriate.
I prayed recently that God would break my heart for what breaks His. He’s answered that prayer today. I’ve been praying and weeping all morning for those enslaved. I am a survivor of childhood sexual abuse. I know what it feels like to be violated. But mine was only for a couple of years and by one person. These poor victims are violated over and over daily by hundreds or thousands of people. It is unimaginable!
Looking at my children’s innocence makes me cry for other children around the world that have lost theirs so young.