President Brings Students to D.C. to Discuss Fighting Modern Day Slavery

President of Rockland Community College Brings Students to Washington to Discuss Their Work Towards Ending Modern Day Slavery

Suffern, NY - Dr. Cliff L. Wood, President of Rockland Community College of the State University of New York, and students Mark Svensson and Tarik Abdelqader, will meet in Washington, D.C., with United States Congressman John Lewis of Georgia to discuss the students' work to end modern-day slavery.

On Tuesday, October 6, 1 p.m., the students will meet with Lewis at the office located at H-330 U.S. Capitol to present their campaign to enlist citizens to sign letters in support of anti-slavery bill, H.R 2522, Congressional Commission on the Abolition of Modern-Day Slavery Act. If the bill is passed, it would establish the first United States commission aimed solely at monitoring and combating slavery in all its forms. The students' goal is to present 100,000 signatures to Lewis by May 2010.

Student Mark Svensson of Orangeburg, N.Y., a 19-year-old sophomore, is the co-chair the Anti-Slavery Committee. He was first inspired to fight slavery in the fall of 2008 after hearing the former slave Simon Deng speak at the College. Deng, a refugee of southern Sudan, was abducted and sold into slavery at the age of nine. Svensson said, "National Geographic reports there are more than 27 million slaves today—more slaves than at any other point in human history."

Dr. Cliff L. Wood, College President, said, "We have to be concerned about what's happening in Sudan, and I am very proud that students are speaking up."

Tarik Abdelqader of New City, N.Y., a 19-year-old sophomore, is also co-chair of the Anti-Slavery Committee and President of the Student Government Association. Speaking of children brought up in slavery, he said, "Instead of going to school and gaining an education they are forced to work in harsh conditions, are beaten and even killed if they don't perform their duties."

Abdelqader and Svensson's article, "Slavery Now More Than Ever," was published by the Fellowship of Reconciliation at: http://www.forpeace.net/blog/ethan-vesely-flad/slavery-now-more-ever

The anti-slavery letter is available for signing at http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/freedomforall

For more information about the Rockland Community College Anti-Slavery Committee, contact John Marra, Coordinator of Student Activities and Volunteer Services, at jmarra@sunyrockland.edu, (845) 574 – 4302, or visit: www.sunyrockland.edu.  Student Mark Svensson can be reached at Markussven@yahoo.com  For more information about former slave Simon Deng, who is a member of iAbolish American Anti-Slavery Group, visit: http://iabolish.org/

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Rockland Community College, a unit of the State University of New York, is located 25 miles northwest of NYC. The majority of its students transfer to four-year colleges, and many find immediate employment upon earning their associate's degree or certificate. The College also offers others, from preschoolers to senior citizens, the opportunity to simply learn something new. Quality education...at a price you can afford.