Talk held in hopes of educating today’s world about horrors of past
By: Bill Greenwood
Members of the Kingston Presbyterian Church on Route 27 want to educate the public about the reality of slavery in today’s world.
The church’s Adult Fellowship group will host a presentation by Maria Sliwa on Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in the church assembly room. She is a former New York City policewoman who will speak about modern day slavery among women and young girls, according to Virginia Wolf, coordinator of Adult Fellowship.
Ms. Wolf said she expects Ms. Sliwa, of the American Anti-Slavery Group in Boston, to discuss the plight of women of the Darfur region of Sudan, who have been victims of sexual assault in the midst of the country’s genocide.
"I think there’s been so much in the news lately about the situation in Darfur," Ms. Wolf said. "(Because of) the fact that (Ms. Sliwa has) been there six times and is familiar with the situation there, I think people might like to have a first-hand account."
Ms. Wolf also expects Ms. Sliwa to speak about how many Chinese and Filipino women have been brought to the United States under false pretenses, put into brothels and made to work in slave conditions.
"(Ms. Sliwa is) very concerned about what’s happening here in the United States," Ms. Wolf said. "(Slavery is) a very local issue, but it’s also a global issue."
Ms. Sliwa will be available to answer questions during the Adult Fellowship’s coffee hour, which will be held after the presentation from 10:40 a.m. to 11 a.m. She also will hold a question and answer session at the end of her speech, which will last approximately 45 minutes, according to Ms. Wolf.
The free event is open to the public.
The Adult Fellowship group, which consists of about 30 members, holds programs every Sunday from September to June, according to Ms. Wolf. Past programs have included Bible studies, discussions of local issues and mission speakers.
Ms. Sliwa is the sister of Curtis Sliwa, founder of the Guardian Angels in New York City and host of a daily radio program on WABC-AM in New York. Her Web site can be found at www.freeworldnow.com.

