Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
Section 1.
“Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.”
I was often told that America was the land of the free and freedom is a huge part of American culture. But I don’t feel like I am free.
My name is Soju Kurien and I am currently in Washington DC to end slavery in the United States because I think slavery is wrong in all forms. No exceptions. There is not any exception or set of circumstances that makes slavery okay, and the constitution having an implication that there is undermines everything we’ve been conditioned to believe about America being the land of the free.
My plan is to get in contact with my countries leader, President Trump, and persuade him to use his influence to amend the constitution in order to make history and end slavery in the United States for good. I’m not sure if I can win, but things have reached the point where not fighting is not an option.
A constitutional amendment would have to pass both the House and Senate by a two-thirds majority, then be ratified by 38 of the 50 state legislatures. I am confident that my desire to be free is greater than the desire of those in power to be slave masters.
In order to peacefully create a sense of urgency, and to show how strongly I feel about this issue, I won’t eat any food and will not consume any beverage besides water until the “except as a punishment for crime” clause has been removed from the constitution.
I am aware that what I am suggesting, completely abolishing slavery in the US, will cost the country’s taxpayers billions of dollars and go against centuries of convention. I do not have a peer reviewed comprehensive research paper providing solutions and answers to all the problems and questions that would arise if the amendment was changed. I simply believe with every drop of blood in my veins that no single person in my country should be a slave or a slave master.
I just want to be free, and no one is free until everyone is free.
I sent this message through https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact/ on November 7th, 2025 at approximately 8 AM CST:
“Hello, I live in Texas and plan to visit Washington, D.C. on November 20th to end slavery in the United States. The 13th Amendment to the US Constitution says slavery is allowed as punishment for a crime. I think slavery is wrong and would like to see the exception for criminals removed by passing a constitutional amendment. I hope President Trump can organize a two-thirds vote by the House and Senate, as well as ratification by three-fourths of all state legislatures in order to make history and end slavery in the United States for good. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. Thank you for reading, I look forward to my visit.”
Please be aware that my message was sent during a government shutdown.
You can contact me by emailing soju@sojukurien.com
I’m not really into social media but I have a YouTube channel and bluesky account as well:
https://www.youtube.com/@soju5438
https://bsky.app/profile/sojuk.bsky.social
About Soju Kurien and how to help him
I am an office worker from Texas.
I despise attention seeking behavior, but this is a situation where I think it is necessary. What I really need people to do is spread the word about slavery in the United States and what I am doing in our nations capitol to stop it. Many people I speak with don’t even know this exception for slavery exists.
Please talk with whoever’s willing to listen about how you feel about the 13th amendment. Try asking others what they think about the 13th Amendment, and listen to what they have to say. Do they think there are certain situations where slavery is acceptable? I think the reason we are in this situation today is that most people do not have to worry about injustice until it affects them directly. No one is actively and clearly trying to take away the freedoms of Americans, so most Americans just want to come home from work and relax. But that instinct to avoid this unpleasant, complex topic is exactly what the slave masters are relying on.
You likely assumed that I meant talk with a trusted friend or family member, but it would be especially cool if you talked with a complete stranger about my protest or just how you feel in general about anything. I think in the past few decades we as a country have become much less socially interactive with strangers and that should change because you never know what amazing relationships can form just because you decided to walk up and talk to someone. There is a very real chance it won’t go well but you always have to accept some level of risk if you want to improve your life and connect with others.
It all starts with just one conversation.
I’d strongly prefer to not take money from others. Hopefully I’ll succeed before I run out of my savings. If anyone asks you to send money on my behalf or if it appears that I am contacting you to ask for donations you are very likely being scammed.
Also, I would appreciate it if you found a way to archive this website and my words just in case something goes wrong and the site goes down.
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