Why I am a 21st Century Abolitionist

by Kay Marshall Strom

I was in India researching the first of my international books, Daughters of Hope, when I came face-to-face with the reality of modern-day slavery. Jyoti, a young teen, was showing me through a city built on a huge garbage dump, her childhood home. A shabby little girl stopped to stare at us, but when we tried to talk to her, she ran away.

“What will become of her?” I asked Jyoti.

Jyoti covered her face and sobbed.

We sat together in the garbage dump, Jyoti and I, and she told me her story. She was about the age of the shabby little girl when her father sold her into prostitution. She managed to escape, but when she arrived back home her enraged father attacked her with a machete.

“Please,” Jyoti begged, “take me home with you. I’ll work for you forever and you never have to pay me anything.”

Slavery was all she knew.

“Wait!” many will say. “You mean people still keep slaves today? Isn’t that against the law?”

Yes they do and yes it is. Every country of the world outlaws slavery. Even so, at least three times as many people live as slaves today as in the horrible days of the African Slave Trade. When the first Abolition bill passed in 1807, 4 million people were enslaved. Today, according to UNICEF, the number is more like 12 million.

Of course, slaves no longer come chained together in slave ships, to be sold in open air slave markets. Today they are bonded laborers, enslaved for life for a small debt; or they are child laborers; or victims of human or sex trafficking. But they are slaves nevertheless.

Want to join me as a 21st Century Abolitionist? Here are some ways:

* Educate yourself, and pass it on. Become a slavery expert. Read all you can about the issues and be ready to pass your knowledge on to others.

* Join with others already making a difference. It’s hard to jump in alone and do something of substance. But others have already carved out a place on the forefront.

Consider: International Justice Mission (IJM) www.ijm.org

Free the Slaves www.WarSlavery.org

Anti-Slavery International www.antislavery.org

* Make your voice heard. Petition your elected officials to place a high priority on enforcing anti-slavery laws and to put real pressure on countries that tolerate forced labor.

* Buy fair traded products. Fair trade provides a justice-based sustainable model of international trade. If your local retailers don’t stock these, request that they start.

* Step into the gap on another’s behalf. If you suspect someone is being held against his or her will, call the U.S. Dept. of Justice’s free hotline: 1-888-428-7581. Professionals will take it from there—even if you are wrong!

* Pray Micah 6:8. What does the Lord require? Justice. Mercy. A humble walk with God.

“You may choose to look the other way, but you can never again say, ‘I did not know.’”

~William Wilberforce~

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Kay Marshall Strom is the author of thirty-six published books. Five were chosen as book club selections, nine have been translated into foreign languages, and one was optioned for a movie. Already well established as a non-fiction writer, her Grace In Africa fiction series has met with high acclaim, receiving praise from Publishers Weekly and a starred “Highly recommended” review from the Library Journal and placement on ALA Booklist’s 2010 listing of “Top Ten Inspirational Fiction.” Book 3 of the series, The Triumph of Grace, was released February 1, 2011. The first of her Blessings in India series will release in September 2011. In addition to her writing, Kay is an in-demand speaker. Her work as a 21st century abolitionist takes her around the globe where she speaks out against social injustice, especially modern-day slavery.

Interview with Kay Marshall Strom and Book Giveaway

Narelle here. I'm delighted to welcome back Kay Marshall Strom to our blog. Today we’re giving away a copy of Kay’s September release, The Voyage of Promise. Please note the giveaway is limited to residents in the USA and Canada.

Kay Marshall Strom is the author of thirty-five published books. Four were chosen as book club selections, nine have been translated into foreign languages, and one was optioned for a movie. Her current Grace in Africa trilogy has received high praise in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. Kay, travels the globe, speaking out against social injustice, especially modern-day slavery. She and her husband live in the Pacific Northwest.

“This compelling drama will challenge readers to remember slavery’s brutal history, and its heroic characters will inspire them. Highly recommended.” An excerpt from The Call of Zulina Library Journal starred review.

Grace Winslow, the daughter of a mixed marriage between an English sea captain and an African princess, escapes a detestable betrothal and is swept up in a slave revolt. As the truth about the fortress Zulina unfolds, Grace begins to grasp the brutality and ferocity of the family business—the capture and trade of slaves. She knows freedom and she knows slavery. But Grace will not be enslaved, and she will not give up on the man she loves. Through her struggles in West Africa and London, she finds God reaching out to her.

Narelle: Grace Winslow is the daughter of an English slave trader and his African wife. How has her mixed cultural heritage influenced her thoughts and ideas on slavery?

Kay: That’s the big issue. Despite being pulled between her father’s wish for an “English lass” and her mother’s desire for a daughter of Africa, Grace reaps the privileges of growing up on the side of power. Yet she suffers greatly from her parents’ “slave or slaver” mentality. In book 1, The Call of Zulina, a major theme is her need to choose a side—slave or slaver—then to live with the consequences of her choice.

Narelle: What do you find most fascinating about 18th Century West Africa?

Kay: Thanks to the West’s rabid hunger for slave labor, the African coast was ravaged and oppressed, and tribes armed with guns and gunpowder were set one against the other. The first time I visit a reconstructed slave fortress—the prototype for Zulina Fortress—I was struck dumb by the sight of a pair of baby-sized manacles bolted to the wall. The most fascinating thing about 18th century West Africa? What depths to which otherwise decent human beings can plunge when driven by greed, their eyes fixed on money and power.

Narelle: Please share with us a few of your research tips.

Kay: Much of my writing is non-fiction, focused on international social justice. I call myself a 21st Century Abolitionist. It was in my research and travels to Africa for other books that I found the seeds of “Grace in Africa.” The prototype for Grace’s parents, Joseph Winslow and Lingongo, are the real life 18th century couple who kept John Newton (author of Amazing Grace) enslaved for almost a year. Of course I read, read, read everything I could about the era. But my travels to West Africa brought the whole situation alive. Also, I developed friendships with several Africans, and was able to call on them for help and advice.

Narelle: The Voyage of Promise is book 2 of your Grace in Africa trilogy. We first meet Grace in The Call of Zulina, and The Voyage of Promise is the continuation of Grace’s story. How has Grace’s faith evolved and influenced her decisions?

Kay: On my trips to Africa, I’ve been greatly impressed with the stories of people who have had absolutely no Christian contact except a Bible or New Testament they found somewhere. I wanted to reflect that in the book. Grace could have talked with a Christian and had a dramatic conversion in book 1, but that just didn’t ring true. So, yes, her faith definitely does evolve.

In book 1, the spiritual influence is the slave who raised Grace—Mama Muco who, as a child, came in contact with a Western missionary. Mama Muco saved the missionary’s Bible, and Grace teaches her to read it. Though Mama Muco’s faith is strong, her knowledge is sketchy.

In book 2, Grace comes in contract with several people of faith who offer her more guidance. Also, she is confined for many weeks on board a ship to England with nothing to do but read the Bible. Grace’s evolving faith does influence her decisions, and it leads her to challenge the duplicity of the Christian slavers.

And then in book 3—The Triumph of Grace, due out in February—well, you’ll have to wait and see!

Narelle: Please tell us about your upcoming releases.

Kay: Book 1, The Call of Zulina, released last year, is set in West Africa in 1787. Grace, naïve and protected, is caught up in a raging slave rebellion at her parents’ slave fortress. With a foot in each world, she must choose her allegiance, and be willing to pay for her choice with her life.

Book 2, The Voyage of Promise, takes place five years later, after villagers have grown comfortable and complacent. Slavers burst back into Grace’s life with guns blazing and tear her family apart forever. Old enemies reappear, but so do friends she never knew she had. This book starts in West Africa, then sails to London where abolition groups brew. But the opposition there is powerful, aggressive, wealthy, and wields terrifying influence. Once again, Grace is caught in the middle. Though it seems hopeless, she will not give up her determination to reunite with her husband. (This book will be released September 1)

Book 3, The Triumph of Grace, takes up the action the following year and moves from London to the plantations of South Carolina, and then… Nope! Can’t give it away. (This will be released February 1, 2011)

Kay, thanks for joining us today. By commenting on today’s post, USA and Canadian residents can enter the drawing to win a copy of The Voyage of Promise. The drawing will take place on Friday, August 27 and the winner announced on Sunday, August 29. Please leave an email address [ ] at [ ] dot [ ] where you can be reached.

"Void where prohibited; the odds of winning depend on the number of entrants. Entering the giveaway is considered a confirmation of eligibility on behalf of the enterer in accord with these rules and any pertaining local/federal/international laws."

Lisa Harris posted an interview with Kay on January 18. You can read Lisa's interview here.

To learn more about Kay Marshall Strom and her books, please visit her website.

Narelle Atkins writes contemporary inspirational romance. She resides in Canberra, Australia with her husband and children. To learn more about Narelle, please visit her website.

Meet Kay Marshall Strom-Book Giveaway!

LISA HARRIS: Today I’d like to welcome Kay Marshall Strom! With an upcoming release of my own set in Africa that deals with modern-day slavery issues, I am particularly interested in Kay’s book that deals with slavery in the historic setting of West Africa.

Welcome Kay. Tell us a little about yourself.

KAY: I am a writer/speaker/wife/mom/traveler/shaker-up of comfortable thinking. Topics that challenge us to think globally and outside safe parameters especially attract me. I am a Christian who is more interested in what Jesus and the Bible truly teach than in what the loud talkers among us tell us we should think. It used to be that I thought my voice was limited to writing non-fiction—which I do enjoy, by the way—but to my great joy I’ve discovered that fiction can be an amazing way to communicate. Thank you, Grace Winslow (my main character in The Call of Zulina) for teaching me this great lesson!

LISA: How long have you been writing, and how many books do you have published?

KAY: I’ve been writing my entire life, but I really began to look toward publication about twenty-five years ago. I have 36 published books.


LISA: I’m particularly interested in your story, as I used to live in West Africa. Tell me about the book you’re featuring today and especially its international setting.

KAY: The Call of Zulina is Book 1 of a three-book saga. Set in West Africa, it centers around Grace Winslow, daughter of a British slave ship captain father and an African mother. Trapped in a marriage arrangement with a pompous, disgusting white slave trader, she flees her home and ends up in the middle of a slave revolt at Zulina slave fortress. It is there that she comes to understand the horrific nature of her family’s involvement in the slave trade. Grace is forced to choose a side—slave or slaver—and to live with the consequences of her choice.

LISA: What made you want to write this story/your connection to this setting?

KAY: While I was in Senegal, West Africa, working on Once Blind: The Life of John Newton, I toured an old slave fortress and was struck dumb by a set of baby-sized manacles bolted to the wall. Shortly afterward, while researching John Newton, the author of “Amazing Grace”—a slaver turned pastor/abolitionist—I read about an English slave trader and his African wife who ran a slave business. I couldn’t help but wonder: “If they’d had a daughter, who would she be—English or African? Where would her loyalties lie?” That was the birth of this story. Grace is that daughter with one foot in each world, but who belongs in neither.

LISA: What research did you have to do for this book?

KAY: Because so many factors and players came together to make the African slave trade so horrific, I needed to do research from many different points of view—colonial, African, financial, industrial. (It was shockingly astounding to hear the righteous indignation with which white traders fought back against those who challenged them, for instance.) My research included personal trips to the “slave coast” of Africa and a subsequent trip to the Goree Island slave fortress, as well as a wide variety of reading and interviews.

LISA: What was your favorite part of writing this book?

KAY: Discovering the strength of Grace Winslow! I saw this strength and endurance exemplified by women I met in Africa—especially those in Sudan. As I read the stories of men and women ripped away from their homes and lives and forced to endure such dehumanizing circumstances, I pictured the women I met in Sudan.

LISA: The hardest?

KAY: The hardest part by far was coming to understand the searing depths of the African slave trade degradation.

LISA: This is a horrid reality that continues to this day. What are you working on now or going to write next?

KAY: The Call of Zulina is just the first book in the Grace in Africa trilogy. Book 2, The Voyage of Promise, is on the editor’s desk and scheduled for release next fall (2010), but I’m still finishing Book 3, The Triumph of Grace (due for release spring 2011). After that I will be starting another international trilogy: Blessings in India. This will follow the course of two Indian families through three generations: One—privileged, high-caste landowners—pride themselves on being descendants of first-century converts to Christianity, yet they cling to the Hindu beliefs of karma and caste subjugation. The other family, the Blessings, are despised untouchables who struggle to eke out a subsistence survival in the garbage heaps on the fringes of Indian society. The first book of this trilogy is due for release in September 2011.

LISA: What are you currently reading?

KAY: I just finished Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang. It’s a real-life saga of a Chinese family that endured three generations of violence and heartbreaking tragedy in the name of a country’s progress.

LISA: Tell us something fun about yourself that readers may not know.

KAY: One of my side proclivities is speaking on cruise ships in exchange for fun cruises for my husband and me. There is no end to the places I want to go and the things I want to see!

Now that’s a job I need to have, Kay. ☺ Thanks so much for being a part of our blog. I’m really looking forward to reading Graces’s story.

Kay has graciously offered to give away a copy of The Call of Zulina. This contest is open to any address worldwide, so leave a comment below with a way to contact you. I will draw a winner on January 30th!

To read more about Kay and her writing, please visit her website!