Thursday, February 11, 2010

The Historical Significance of Haiti

We all know of the recent earthquake that has devastated the country of Haiti. I don’t know if you have donated your money or time to help in the relief efforts, but in the spirit of Black history month I thought you should know about the historical significance of Haiti. Haiti is the only country in the world to gain it’s independence as a result of a slave revolt. From the early small rebellions lead by the likes of Dutty Boukman in 1780 that lead to the larger and successful revolt lead by Toussaint L'Ouverture and finished by Jean-Jacques Dessalines. The slave revolts in Haiti inspired many of the slave revolts in America such as the revolt led by Nat Turner. The link between the Black people in the United States and the people of Haiti is undeniable. Their ancestors are the same as ours. The only difference between us and them is our former slave masters. Our slave masters spoke english so we spoke english and have english names. Their slave masters spoke French so they speak French and have French names. So make no mistake, those are literally our brothers and sisters dying down there. Keep that in mind as you consider making your charitable contributions.