Slavery still exists in the world today; it is believed there are over 1 million people in the U.S. who are enslaved, with 17500 slaves being brought to the U.S. every year.

When February 14 came around the corner, most people fretted over what to get their valentine or treated the day as any other. However one might have spent the day, Valentine’s Day is universally known as a day for love, kindness, and gifts—chocolate, flowers, cards, etc.

Valentine’s Day itself might not relate to slavery, but the gifts that are bought sometimes are produced by slaves.

History teacher Robert Ash said “Most of our chocolate comes from Africa: forced labor, child soldiers, etc. Flowers mostly come from Central America where you have young ladies picking flowers and contracting cancer from the pesticides.”

TV/radio news program Democracy Now explains how slavery and the day for love relate. It states that 40% of our chocolate comes from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. It is reported that child labor and child slavery are apparent in this region of Africa. Also, a lot of flowers that we receive come from Ecuador and Colombia. The workers earn low wages, work long hours, and suffer health problems from pesticides.

Junior Tristan Cople admitted, “Gifts, relationships, and a time to show your affection to other people” are what he thinks about when he first thinks about Valentine’s Day.

Buying gifts for other people and performing immense acts of love and devotion could be interpreted as being a “slave” for your partner. Cople said, “I mean they could in some ways relate but not completely. They both involve doing something for someone else, but it isn’t necessary to do something for someone on Valentine’s Day like one does in a slavery situation.”

Not everyone can wrap their head around this topic after growing up believing that Valentine’s Day is a day for love and not the horrors of slavery. Sophomore Norma Davis said, “I can’t relate Valentine’s Day to slavery. [I’m] a little more optimistic and I think of love when thinking about Valentine’s Day.”

Ash commented, “We celebrate the irony that it’s the day for lovers and on the flip side it involves a lot of brutal stuff.”

Valentine’s Day on one side is full or happiness, love, and generosity but on the other hand it involves brutality, slavery, and abuse. In a way, Valentine’s Day could be associated with slavery on the basis that the majority of what people buy for the day is bought from countries using slaves, but this day will always be known for love.