​5 ways to celebrate toussaint L’Ouverture, one of Haiti’s most legendary residents

"I WAS BORN A SLAVE, BUT NATURE GAVE ME A SOUL OF A FREE MAN."- TOUSSAINT L’OUVERTURE

May is Haitian Heritage Month!  What better way to honor our heritage than by looking back to the father of modern Haiti—François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture, also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda.  As the leader of the only successful slave revolt in modern history, L’Ouverture helped form Haiti’s constitution and win its independence from France. L’Ouverture declared black, white, and mixed residents of Haiti to be socially equal and paved the way for the United States to orchestrate the Louisiana Purchase from France.

Here are five ways to celebrate L’Ouverture, one of Haiti’s most legendary residents, by exploring his mention and history through contemporary culture:

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1. Read Malcolm X’s 1964 Speech at the Founding Rally of the Organization of Afro-American Unity, where he declared “Why, your grandfather was Nat Turner; your grandfather was Toussaint L'Ouverture; your grandfather was Hannibal. Your grandfather was some of the greatest black people who walked on this earth. It was your grandfather's hands who forged civilization and it was your grandmother's hands who rocked the cradle of civilization. But the textbooks tell our children nothing about the great contributions of Afro Americans to the growth and development of this country.”
2. Watch the 2009 PBS Documentary “PBS Egalite for All: Toussaint Louverture and the Haitian Revolution“ (for free!) on Youtube
3. Learn about Social Justice via the blog for Palm Beach County’s own Toussaint L'Ouverture High School for Arts & Social Justice
4. Listen to the song “Incident at Neshabur” by Carlos Santana, who said “Neshabur is where the army of Toussaint Louverture – who was a black revolutionary – defeated Napoleon in Haiti. So that's what it's about. I think by writing songs like 'Incident at Neshabur' and 'Toussaint L'Overture,' we felt we were our own kind of revolutionary…”
5. Explore the 15 silkscreened artworks celebrating the life of L’Ouverture by artist Jacob Lawrence online or in book format from your local library or bookstore

 
References:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toussaint_Louverture
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_heads_of_state_of_Haiti

#HaitianHeritageMonth