Introduction

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery

Our history of racial injustice is not well understood and is often avoided, creating a racial divide which is evident today in hundreds of formal and informal ways.

Despite their reputation for brutality, slave traders were generally^{1Ben Funk, “Beckwith Denies Any Part in Slaying,” Shreveport (La.) Times, February 6, 1964.} among “the wealthiest and most influential” citizens in their communities.

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery — there is little understanding of the slave trade, enslavement, or the longstanding effort to sustain the racial hierarchy that slavery created. In fact, an alternative narrative has emerged in many Southern communities that celebrates the slavery era, honors slavery’s principal proponents and defenders, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems created by the legacy of slavery. Great progress has been made in deconstructing some of the most explicit forms of racial injustice, but questions of racial inequality and discrimination continue to dominate social, cultural, and political life.

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery — there is little understanding of the slave trade, enslavement, or the longstanding effort to sustain the racial hierarchy that slavery created. In fact, an alternative narrative has emerged in many Southern communities that celebrates the slavery era, honors slavery’s principal proponents and defenders, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems created by the legacy of slavery. Great progress has been made in deconstructing some of the most explicit forms of racial injustice, but questions of racial inequality and discrimination continue to dominate social, cultural, and political life.

Reconciliation with a difficult past cannot be achieved without truthfully confronting history and finding a way forward that is thoughtful and responsible.

Our history of racial injustice is not well understood and is often avoided, creating a racial divide which is evident today in hundreds of formal and informal ways.

The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) believes that a more informed understanding of America’s racial history and the challenges it creates is vital to developing a healthier and more respectful local, state, and national identity. In April 2018, EJI opened two new sites in Montgomery, Alabama: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice, featuring the names of more than 4000 African American victims of racial terror lynching killed between 1877 and 1950; and The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration. Built on the site of a former warehouse where enslaved black people were imprisoned before sale, the 11,000-square-foot museum sits midway between Montgomery’s historic slave market and the main river dock and train station that transported tens of thousands of enslaved people at the height of the domestic slave trade. Museum visitors encounter replicas of slave pens that employ unique technology to bring to life first-person accounts from enslaved people narrating the fear, heartbreak, and inhumanity of the domestic slave trade. Reconciliation with a difficult past cannot be achieved without truthfully confronting history and finding a way forward that is thoughtful and responsible.

We invite you to join us in this effort by exploring and sharing this report on American slavery, visiting the Legacy Museum and National Memorial in Montgomery, reflecting on the bonds between historic and contemporary racial inequality in America, and confronting the injustice in your own community. We hope that more information fosters greater knowledge and honest dialogue, and deepens our collective commitment to a just society. EJI believes that we have within us the capacity to transcend our history of racial injustice. But we shall overcome only if we engage in the important and difficult work that lies ahead.

Bryan Stevenson, Director

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Despite their reputation for brutality, slave traders were generally^{1Ben Funk, “Beckwith Denies Any Part in Slaying,” Shreveport (La.) Times, February 6, 1964.} among “the wealthiest and most influential” citizens in their communities.

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery — there is little understanding of the slave trade, enslavement, or the longstanding effort to sustain the racial hierarchy that slavery created. In fact, an alternative narrative has emerged in many Southern communities that celebrates the slavery era, honors slavery’s principal proponents and defenders, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems created by the legacy of slavery. Great progress has been made in deconstructing some of the most explicit forms of racial injustice, but questions of racial inequality and discrimination continue to dominate social, cultural, and political life.

Test heading 2 in rich text

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery — there is little understanding of the slave trade, enslavement, or the longstanding effort to sustain the racial hierarchy that slavery created. In fact, an alternative narrative has emerged in many Southern communities that celebrates the slavery era, honors slavery’s principal proponents and defenders, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems created by the legacy of slavery. Great progress has been made in deconstructing some of the most explicit forms of racial injustice, but questions of racial inequality and discrimination continue to dominate social, cultural, and political life.

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Despite their reputation for brutality, slave traders were generally^{1Ben Funk, “Beckwith Denies Any Part in Slaying,” Shreveport (La.) Times, February 6, 1964.} among “the wealthiest and most influential” citizens in their communities.

Test heading 3-6 in rich text

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery — there is little understanding of the slave trade, enslavement, or the longstanding effort to sustain the racial hierarchy that slavery created. In fact, an alternative narrative has emerged in many Southern communities that celebrates the slavery era, honors slavery’s principal proponents and defenders, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems created by the legacy of slavery. Great progress has been made in deconstructing some of the most explicit forms of racial injustice, but questions of racial inequality and discrimination continue to dominate social, cultural, and political life.

Test heading 3-6 in rich text

Today, more than 150 years after the Emancipation Proclamation, very little has been done to address the legacy of slavery and its meaning in contemporary life. In many communities like Montgomery, Alabama — which had a prominent role in the slave trade and was a primary site for human trafficking and facilitating slavery — there is little understanding of the slave trade, enslavement, or the longstanding effort to sustain the racial hierarchy that slavery created. In fact, an alternative narrative has emerged in many Southern communities that celebrates the slavery era, honors slavery’s principal proponents and defenders, and refuses to acknowledge or address the problems created by the legacy of slavery. Great progress has been made in deconstructing some of the most explicit forms of racial injustice, but questions of racial inequality and discrimination continue to dominate social, cultural, and political life.