Haiti declared independence in 1804 — the first nation founded by people who freed themselves from slavery.
The world’s response was not celebration. France demanded a massive indemnity. The US was the last country in the Atlantic world to recognize Haiti’s independence. They waited 58 years.
Frederick Douglass called Haiti
“bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh.”
Same revolution. Same hunger. Same stakes.
Two hundred years later, Haiti has no stable government. Gangs control the streets. And still, Haiti fights to simply be free.