Survivor of Slavery in Sudan to Speak at The College of Wooster

Francis Bok will present "21st Century Slavery: Living Proof" on Thursday, April 10

Francis Bok

WOOSTER, Ohio - Francis Bok, a refugee from Sudan and a survivor of child slavery, will present "21st Century Slavery: Living Proof," on Thursday, April 10, at The College of Wooster. The lecture, which is free and open to the public, will begin at 7:30 in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University St.). An informal reception and book signing will follow.

Bok, who was captured at the age of 7 and enslaved during an Arab militia raid on the village of Nymlal in Southern Sudan, saw adults and children brutalized and killed during his 10 years of enslavement. He was forced to sleep with cattle, endure daily beatings, and eat rotten food, before escaping at the age of 17. In 1999, the United Nations resettled him in North Dakota, and in 2000, he spoke out for the first time at a Capitol Hill ceremony with senators and congressmen, sharing his message: "We cannot rest until my people are free." Later that year, Bok became the first escaped slave to testify before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations in hearings that were broadcast live on C-SPAN. He also met with Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. The following month, he was invited to the White House for the Sudan Peace Act signing ceremony, where he spoke at length with President Bush. Since then, Bok has spoken at colleges, faith communities, and grassroots organizations across the country. He has been featured on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, in The New York Times and Essence magazine and by dozens of other newspapers, radio, and television shows, including National Public Radio and Black Entertainment Television. Bok's autobiography, Escape From Slavery, received outstanding reviews from Publisher's Weekly, The Boston Globe, and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Bok's visit to Wooster is the result of a suggestion by Heather Williams, a senior history major who interviewed him for her Independent Study project, which dealt with North-South conflicts in Sudan, as well as slavery and the institution of Sharia law.

Bok's talk is sponsored by Wooster's Africana Studies Department, the Black Students' Association, Campus Council, the Cultural Events Committee, the Department of History, and Phi Alpha Theta history honor society. Additional information is available by phone (330-263-2025) or e-mail (mgoulding@wooster.edu).