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St. Patrick - Teachable Moment in American History
posted by: Cindy Omlin | March 16, 2015, 08:39 PM   


Gateways to Better Education (GTBE) reports that the Orange County Board of Education passed a resolution "encouraging educators to teach students about the life and contributions of St. Patrick. The board highlighted Patrick's stance against slavery and "the need to still eradicate human trafficking in the United States and around the world." The board's resolution also emphasized his work in promoting literacy and literature as an important development in Western civilization."

GTBE shares:

As a young Roman citizen he was captured by Irish raiders and became their slave for six years. He escaped and later in life returned to Ireland. Through his missionary work, he changed the barbarian culture. As historian Thomas Cahill points out, Ireland ended the slave trade during his life time or shortly thereafter.
Nerys Patterson of Harvard Law School and Orlando Patterson of Harvard University wrote in the New York Times that Patrick opposed slavery in writing on behalf of the victims of slavery - "especially women captured for sexual exploitation." 
The issue of slavery is still relevant today. The FBI's website on human trafficking states: "It's sad but true: here in this country, people are being bought, sold, and smuggled like modern-day slaves."
The FBI reports that between 2009 and 2012 its human trafficking cases increased from 167 cases to 459 cases. An increase of 275 percent!

The text of the resolution passed by the Orange County Board of Education follows:

Resolution of the Board of Education

Orange County, California

March 11, 2015

Contributions of St. Patrick

WHEREAS Patrick of Briton was captured and brought to Ireland where he endured six years of slavery, and

WHEREAS human trafficking and slavery still exists today throughout the world including in the United States, and

WHEREAS Patrick was the first known person in the Western world to write against slavery, and

WHEREAS upon his escape from slavery Patrick eventually returned to Ireland and advanced civilization in the region which brought an end to slavery during his life or shortly thereafter, and

WHEREAS due to his work, "he instilled a sense of literacy and learning," writes historian Thomas Cahill, which caused Ireland to "preserve Western culture while Europe was being overrun by barbarians," and

THEREFORE, be it known that the Orange County Board of Education acknowledges March 17, 2015 as St. Patrick's Day, and

FURTHER, the Orange County Board of Education encourages all Americans to reflect on Patrick's stance against slavery, the impact he had on the development of Western civilization, the need to still eradicate human trafficking where it exists in the United States and around the world; and commemorate this day with appropriate events and activities in their schools, places of worship, neighborhoods, and homes.

Have fun with St. Patrick's Day, but use it as a teachable moment about things that are very relevant to American society today.  NWPE has resources on St. Patrick posted on our website and you can use the following as well.    

RESOURCES:

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