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Slavery Is Now Licensed: Trust Issues Public Enforcement Declaration


For over 150 years, the suffering of enslaved Americans has been told, sold, and exploited by institutions, organizations, and media without consent from their direct heirs.


That ends now.


The Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust has formally issued a Declaration of Exclusive Licensing Authority Over Slavery-Based Usage. This legal instrument establishes that the historical terms and themes tied to American slavery—including “Slavery,” “Enslaved Ancestors,” “Slave Labor,” and “Descendants of Slaves”—are no longer free for public, commercial, nonprofit, or institutional use without a license from the Trust.


Why This Matters


This declaration is not symbolic.

It is legally binding under Trust Law and backed by standing authority from the Freedmen Reparations Fund Trust, a private legal entity that protects the identity, history, and economic interests of Verified Freedmen—those directly descended from emancipated slaves in the United States.


Entities that profit from the story of slavery—whether through books, grants, films, DEI campaigns, or policy proposals—must now obtain a license to use these terms in connection to American chattel slavery.

Who Must Comply


  • Nonprofits using slavery language for educational, reparative, or fundraising purposes

  • Publishers and filmmakers releasing slavery-based works

  • Government programs referencing slavery for reparations, justice, or historical initiatives

  • Corporations using slavery narratives in campaigns, exhibitions, or DEI work


Grandfathered Exceptions


Only Freedmen-led nonprofits with “slave” or “slavery” in their legal name—and who maintain a formal relationship with the Trust—will be grandfathered in at a symbolic license fee of $1 per year.

Enforcement Has Already Begun


The Trust has already submitted an official invoice to the U.S. Treasury for $250,000, asserting rightful ownership of the Freedman’s Bank name. This serves as a precedent for all future license enforcement, and additional invoices are being prepared.

Community Action


The Trust is calling on the public to help identify unlicensed use of slavery-based terminology in:


  • Books, documentaries, and podcasts

  • Academic programs and DEI departments

  • Federal or local reparations proposals

  • Corporate campaigns and heritage centers

This Is About Protection and Ownership


Slavery is not a general talking point.

It is the inheritance of one people—Verified Freedmen—and it must be treated as protected legal identity, not public property.


This Declaration is a major step in asserting that protection, reclaiming that history, and ensuring that no one else profits from the pain of our ancestors without rightful accountability.


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