Slavery Footprint 2023

Every major human rights movement has wielded the most powerful technology of its era — from the printing press to television to big data — to expose injustice and unite a cause.

This form of technological activism is not new. Many of the great human rights movements used the technology of their day to expose injustice and unite a movement. Everyday citizens throughout history have connected through the newest technology to raise awareness, build critical mass, and bend the arc of the moral universe toward justice. The abolition movement was gaining momentum in Great Britain around 1783, at the same time that the printing press was becoming the mass means of communication. Images could now be printed in newspapers, pamphlets, and books, and the abolitionists understood they could use these mediums to reach a wider audience and educate people about the evils of slavery. In 1789, William Wilberforce's pamphlet was published — a detailed and eloquent condemnation of the slave trade that argued it was immoral, unchristian, and a violation of human rights. His writing was widely read and helped to galvanize support for the abolitionist cause. The abolition of slavery in the United States involved a wide range of individuals and groups. One of the most effective tools in the abolitionist's arsenal was the newly invented telegraph, which was instrumental in spreading information and rallying support for the cause of abolition. Abolitionist newspapers, such as William Lloyd Garrison's The Liberator, used the telegraph to quickly disseminate their stories and editorials to other newspapers around the country. The Selma to Montgomery marches were a series of civil rights protests that took place in 1965 in Alabama, USA, led by civil rights leaders such as Martin Luther King Jr., John Lewis, and James Bevel. These leaders understood the power of television to reach a wide audience and raise awareness about their cause. With 92% of American households owning a television, the civil rights leaders worked closely with television networks to ensure the events of the marches were captured on camera and broadcast across the nation. The widespread coverage brought the issue of voting rights to the forefront of American politics and led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, which banned discriminatory voting practices and ensured that African Americans had the right to vote.

The map of consumer awareness shows a changed world, but mapping global supply chains will take years of continued effort and collaboration.

Looking at over a decade of data on the Slavery Footprint map, it is amazing to see that while consumers became aware over time, laws were passed, businesses stepped up, awareness was spread, and real progress was made. The world today is not the same as it was when Slavery Footprint first launched. Thirty-two million consumers helped prove that awareness, at scale, is a form of power. Yet it feels, in some ways, like starting over. Mapping supply chains will take years. New global laws — including the US Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, Germany's Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, and others — now require companies to go further than ever before in demonstrating that their supply chains are free from forced labor. Progress is being seen every day, and the consumer movement that inspired FRDM remains the moral foundation for all the work still ahead.