Black History Month is filled with celebrations and educational initiatives related to the contributions and achievements by African Americans in the United States. Yet it’s also a time for us to examine the painful legacies that continue to affect Black communities today.
While it is true that trafficking can happen to anyone, Black individuals are disproportionately impacted by this crime against humanity. By examining the connection between the legacy of slavery and the vulnerabilities resulting from racism, we can raise awareness about the ongoing fight for freedom and justice.
Origins of Black History Month
Black History Month was originally a weeklong celebration started by historian Carter G. Woodson in 1926. But the week soon became a month after the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1960s. President Gerald Ford officially recognized Black History Month in 1976, calling upon the public to “seize the opportunity to honor the too-often neglected accomplishments of Black Americans in every area of endeavor throughout our history.”
Each year the month honors the contributions of all African Americans across U.S. history and society, while also featuring a new theme. For 2025, the theme is African Americans and Labor, focusing on the various and profound ways that work and working of all kinds — free and unfree, skilled, and unskilled, vocational and voluntary — intersect with the collective experiences of Black people.
The Legacy of Slavery: How it’s persisted from the past to the present
Looking at the connection between Black history and human trafficking, one can see how this issue has come out of years of injustice and exploitation. The transatlantic slave trade forcibly took an estimated 12 million Africans to the Americas between the 16th and 19th centuries. These individuals were treated as property, forced into labor and stripped of their human dignity.
As a result of these past injustices, African Amercians today still are faced with racism, poverty and lack of access to resources. These societal and systemic disadvantages have made them vulnerable to exploitation of all kinds, specifically trafficking. The fact is, Black women and girls are more vulnerable to sex trafficking than other races — with 40 percent of all victims and survivors of sex trafficking found to be Black in a two-year study by the U.S. Department of Justice. It is crucial we recognize that the relationship between race and the risk of being trafficked is profound.
Connection to LifeWay
By supporting LifeWay Network, you can help to ameliorate the problem. At LifeWay Network, both diversity and inclusion play a key role in our organization. Since its founding, in 2007, LifeWay has served more than 155 women from 38-plus countries through our safe housing program; one of the only organizations in the metro New York City area to offer long-term safe housing to both foreign- and domestic-born women survivors of human trafficking in all its forms (i.e. sex, labor and organ trafficking). At our safe housing program, women from many unique backgrounds are provided with the resources they need to rebuild their lives — from the help of social workers to mental health counseling to legal support, to connections with educational and job training opportunities.
How can you support?
- Learn more about the anti-trafficking movement in New York State. Subscribe to our newsletter.
- Increase your community’s awareness of the anti-trafficking movement by requesting a public speaking engagement. Email Josephine Crisostomo, director of education, training and advocacy at LifeWay Network, at [email protected].
- Stay connected with LifeWay Network and show your support by attending our upcoming events: https://lifewaynetwork.org/lifeway-network-events.
- Make a donation today! Your support will directly impact the lives of survivors, providing them with the resources, support and opportunities they need to heal, rebuild their lives and reclaim their future: https://lifewaynetwork.org/ways-to-donate.
By Beatrice Johnson, LifeWay Network High School Volunteer
February 1, 2025