Black Women In The Haitian Revolution
Black Women In The Haitian Revolution
Junious Ricardo Stanton
As we celebrate Women’s History Month there is not
enough time and space to share the brilliant and storied legacies of African
women (the true mothers of humanity and civilization) both on the continent and
throughout the Diaspora. Since the Great Maafa (a Swahili word describing the African
holocaust) our Sisters have been under a triple whammy of racism, male
chauvinism and misogyny and scorn for centuries. It is time they received their
just due as major contributors to the growth and evolution of humanity and
civilization. More information is
becoming known about the marvelous achievements of African Queen Mothers and
The fact of the matter is, everywhere
we find African people, we discover examples of nurturing, feminine beauty,
authorityand wisdom coupled with outstanding service and contributions to their
people. Women were essential in the advancement of humanity and civilization
all over the world. For example little is known about the Blacks who ruled
“Things your teacher never taught you in school include the
birth-place of the original people of
The same is true of the African Sistahs who played pivotal
roles in the liberation of Saint-Domingue
(
Suzanne Belair aka Sanite’Belair, “Sanité or Suzanne Belair’s position as
fighter and wife does not appear as iconoclast as some would make it seem. Born
an affranchi ( a term for a mixed race person) in Verrettes in 1781, she took
up arms in defense of L’Ouverture’s Saint Domingue against Leclerc and the very
real specter of reinstated slavery. She distinguished herself in combat and
rose in rank to earn the title of lieutenant. Ferocious and unrelenting,
she managed several successes, but was eventually captured by the French (some
sources say Dessalines, others Répussard). Sentenced to hanging, she
demanded death by firing squad with respect to her military rank—a similar
death forced upon her husband. In 2004
Cecile Fatiman, “Cécile Fatiman was a Haitian vodoo
priestess born in the 18th century. On August 1791, Fatiman presided over a
ceremony at the Bois Caïman in the role of mambo together with priest Dutty
Boukman. Boukman prophesied that the slaves Jean François, Biassou, and Jeannot
would be leaders of a resistance movement and revolt that would free the slaves
of Saint-Domingue. An animal was sacrificed, an oath was taken, and Boukman and
the priestess exhorted the listeners to take revenge against their French
oppressors. During the ceremony, Cécile Fatiman acted as if she were possessed
by the goddess Erzulie. A week later, 1800 plantations had been destroyed and
1000 slaveholders killed. It is reported that she lived to the ripe old age of
112 years old.” https://medium.com/@iloveblackpeopleapp/cécile-fatiman-eca3e52da19d
Marie-Jeanne Lamartiniére, “Marie-Jeanne Lamartiniére won recognition for her
bravery and heroics during one of the revolution's most famous battles, with
much at stake. Most importantly, Marie-Jeanne's inspirational and symbolic
example on the field of strife helped to unite black and mulatto fighting men
in their successful war against slavery, that led to the declaration of the
world's first black republic on January 1, 1804. Marie-Jeanne was a founding
mother of
Victoria Montou “Victoria Montou known as "Toya" was a fighter in
Jean-Jacques Dessalines army during the Haitian Revolution. She had served as a
warrior for the Empire of Dahomey in Africa before she was shipped as a slave
to
Hopefully
this smidgeon of Black Women’s history has stimulated your interest and desire
to know more about our marvelous history and herstory. We live in the “information
age” where information and knowledge are at our fingertips, there is no excuse
for ignorance or apathy!
-30-
posted by Junious Ricardo Stanton @ 3:30 PM
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