Campaign kicks off to remove “slavery” from the Colorado constitution

A campaign for a November ballot measure to make “slavery” nothing but history in Colorado kicked off Tuesday.

Amendment T would remove a reference to slavery in the Colorado Constitution, written in 1876, that states, “There shall never be in this state either slavery or involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime.”

The latter clause is a reference to prison labor. Proponents say work programs would not be affected by the amendment. The archaic reference use of the word slavery, however, is unnecessary and conjures up remembrances of the nation’s conflict over the issue, said some of the about 100 people who attended Tuesday’s rally.

Both chambers of the Colorado legislature voted unanimously to put the constitutional amendment on the ballot during the last legislative session.

Read more: http://www.denverpost.com/2016/08/23/campaign-kicks-off-remove-slavery-from-colorado-constitution/