Twelve Years A Slave, Solomon Northup descendant, Irene Zahos..Call To Action!

Primary Sources, Black History

Twelve Years A Slave, Solomon Northup descendant, Irene Zahos..Call To Action! Join The Gist of Freedom as we welcome Irene Zahos! Mrs. Zahos is promoting a CALL TO ACTION on behalf of Solomon Northup, her great, great grandfather. The Solomon Northup Legacy is initiating a campaign to have Solomon recognized for his activism role to end slavery. His book, Twelve Years a Slave, was a catalyst that prompted people in the mid 1800's to look at slavery under the most extreme conditions of humanity and denigration of the human spirit. www.blackhistoryblog.com www.blackhistoryuniversity.com Solomon Northup upon his release and rescue from bondage became involved with the Underground Railroad acting as a conductor taking escaped slaves from Vermont into the freedom of Canada. He selflessly believed that "all men were created equal and that they should all; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As we look at the 21st century and with Solomon's book having been adapted to the 2013 Academy Award winning film, 12 Years a Slave, a new conversation has become engaged with a CALL TO ACTION giving voice to another hidden aspect of slavery called, human trafficking. The international viewing of the film has encouraged action and some positive results through the work of the UN-ILO. It has also brought American History into the limelight bringing attention to America's Slave History on a plateau that had not been acknowledged before. The National School Boards Association (NSBA) partnered with New Regency, Penguin Books and the filmmakers to distribute copies of the acclaimed film, book and study guide to America's public high schools.