When we hear the words "civil rights movement" we think of individuals, marches and demonstrations that punctuate Black America's struggle for equal rights.

The fight to end slavery and the work of abolitionists through the Underground Railroad could be considered one of our nation's first civil rights movements. There are similarities:

• like the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, the Underground Railroad was led primarily by Blacks.
• the goal of the Civil Rights Movement of the '60s was full equality for Blacks.
• the goal of the Underground Railroad was to free the enslaved and establish the civil rights of blacks in a country whose Declaration of Independence stated that "all men are created equal."
• in the 1960s, television was the communication tool used to spread the word, generate interest and report on victories.
• for the Underground Railroad, information was passed along through songs, secret codes, and word of mouth.

Civil rights movements begin when one group of individuals take or are given rights that are not also presented to others, particularly those who are in the minority. Many feel today that civil rights should extend beyond black and white, that discrimination against other minorities because of the traits of that group is wrong-civil rights should be extended to individuals in all minorities-because "all are created equal."

Would you be surprised to learn that there are still people who are enslaved in the United States?

Each day, somewhere in the world, children and young adults are lured and captured, sold, and forced to work long hours in miserable conditions for no pay. Slavery is a growing business. It is estimated that 45,000 to 50,000 women and children are smuggled into the United States each year, with many more enslaved in countries throughout the world. Many who end up as slaves are poor. They are promised decent jobs and happy lives, but then find that their passports are stolen and they are forced to work.