slave news stories on Newser

Standing in Way of Alabama Walmart: Slave Graves

Kate Schwartz — Wed, 16 May 2012 09:26:20 CDT

The headaches of new construction: obtaining permits, securing financing, making sure you don't disturb a slave graveyard. The New York Times reports on an unusual situation in Florence, Alabama, where Walmart has plans to open a new store. The issue is that its selected location abuts Coffee Cemetery, the final...

2nd 'Underground Railroad' Ran South for 100 Years

Neal Colgrass — Sun, 18 Mar 2012 13:34:28 CDT

Turns out there was another Underground Railroad that helped Southern slaves escape their masters before the Civil War—only it ran the other way and relied partly on help from American Indians. Reporting on an upcoming conference in St. Augustine, Fla., the AP describes a lesser-known railroad that once shuttled...

Couple Charged With Keeping Woman as Slave

Kevin Spak — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 12:35:05 CDT

A grand jury indicted a Virginia couple on a host of charges this week, following allegations that they forced a woman into domestic servitude for a decade, threatening to shoot her or have her arrested if she tried to run away. According to the indictment, Gloria and Alfred Edwards, aged...

Arab Military Officer Busted for Rhode Island Slave

Mary Papenfuss — Wed, 13 Apr 2011 02:20:04 CDT

A naval officer from the United Arab Emirates has been busted for keeping an unpaid servant while living in a tony Rhode Island neighborhood. Col. Arif Mohamed Saeed Mohamed Al-Ali was nabbed as he attempted to board a flight out of New York's JFK airport. He pleaded guilty last week...

Another Teacher Blasted for Mock Slave Auction

Evann Gastaldo — Tue, 12 Apr 2011 08:14:10 CDT

Note to teachers: Perhaps it would be a good idea to skip the mock slave auctions while covering the Civil War. Parents are in an uproar after yet another elementary school engaged in such a lesson, this time in Norfolk, Virginia, on April 1. Jessica Boyle told all the black...

Black Student Assigned to Play Slave in Mock Auction

Evann Gastaldo — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 11:48:05 CST

An elementary school Social Studies lesson in Ohio turned controversial last week when a black student was chosen to play a slave in a mock slave auction. Nikko Burton, 10, is one of two black students in the class; the other was assigned to play a master, the AP reports....

How 'Washington' Became America's 'Blackest Name'

Evann Gastaldo — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 12:55:05 CST

George Washington’s name is synonymous with America—and of the people who bear his surname today, 90% of them are African-American, according to the 2000 census. How did “Washington” become, as Jesse Washington, writing for the AP calls it, the “blackest name" in America? It could be that blacks chose...

MSNBC Host Sorry for Steele 'Dancing Slave' Dig

Mary Papenfuss — Fri, 08 Oct 2010 05:10:36 CDT

MSNBC host Lawrence O'Donnell has apologized for his implication that Republican Party chief Michael Steele is a "slave" of the GOP. An angry Steele left a message complaining to Lawrence O'Donnell after he said on his program The Last Word earlier this week that Steele "is dancing as fast as...

Dad Chains, Auctions Off Son

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 27 May 2010 11:41:29 CDT

A Chinese father was attacked by passers-by when he tried to auction off his child on the street. He chained the boy, 8, to a lamppost near a sign describing his strong work ethic. Perhaps even more shocking: There were apparently bidders, who wanted to know how much the youngster...