Spider leads modern-day abolitionist movement

“It was a greater purpose that brought me here.” 

This is how UR professor Monti Datta explains how he came to live in the city of Richmond –– the former hub of the American slave trade.

Since moving to Richmond, he’s devoted his teaching, studies, and work to ending modern-day slavery and fighting for reform to the policies and laws that protect against it.

Human trafficking and slavery still exist worldwide in developing and developed countries alike.

What most shocked Datta, though, was the fact that slavery still exists in Richmond, where criminal groups still work to exploit immigrants and young children. 

Datta challenges his students and mentees to acknowledge this unfortunate fact ­­and realize that, though progress has been made, there is still much more work to be done.

By educating future generations of leaders and equipping them with the knowledge necessary to affect policy change, Datta proudly stands on the front line in the fight for human rights.

His research also helped launch the Global Slavery Index, which assesses the prevalence of human trafficking across the world. This tool empowers civil society groups in their work with governments and their efforts to eliminate all forms of modern slavery.

“My presence here aims to honor the city of Richmond in a way that dignifies the lives of so many slaves that lived and died here centuries prior — and the lives of those slaves who still dwell in its shadow today.”