People

Alexandre Dumas: The Black Count

Alexandre Dumas, born in Haiti 1762, was one of those unforgettable men. Dashing. Powerful. Intelligent. Kind. In battle, he performed like a superhero: single-handedly defeating dozens of men. With his wife, he performed like a romantic: writing soulful letters from the front. As a General commanding some 50,000 soldiers, he succeeded where others had failed, and knocked the Austrians off the Alps for France. He was a legend in his own time. He inspired The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers, written by his grandson. Men like Alexandre Dumas are not forgotten -- they are wiped out, carefully, by other men.

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William de Fleurville (1807-1868)


William de Fleurville (also known as "Florville") was a Haitian-born businessman who met Mr. Lincoln in New Salem in 1831. After Mr. Lincoln helped him attract clients in that community, Fleurville moved to Springfield where he eventually opened barbershop across from the State House and served as Mr. Lincoln's barber for 24 years.

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The Venerable Pierre Toussaint and The Old Saint Patrick's Cathedral

NEW YORK, USA (defend.ht) - The Venerable Pierre Toussaint (1766-1853) was a former slave of the French colony of Saint-Domingue who was brought to New York City by his owners at the age of 21.

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Elizabeth Lange and the Emergence of Black Catholics and Baltimore, Maryland

BALTIMORE, USA (defend.ht) - Sister Elizabeth Lange and four other Saint Domingans, Haitians, refugees of the revolutionary war that migrated to the city of Baltimore between 1792 and 1797 established the first successful Catholic sisterhood for and by women of African descent, in the world, in 1828. The black Catholic movement begun by these Haitian refugees has since shaped the culture and identity of the city of Baltimore and the state of Maryland.

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Memorial Service for Anthropologist Antenor Firmin

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - A memorial service will be held on Monday in Cap Haitien on the 100th anniversary of the death of Antenor Firmin, an anthropologist, journalist and politician who wrote the renowned work, "Essay on the Inequality of Human Races."

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Daniel Fignolé: The 19 Day President

Daniel Fignolé was one of the first influential leaders of Haiti. He was a labor organizer, popular among the workers of Port-au-Prince, that at a moment's notice he could get masses of people in to the streets, known as the "woulo konpresé", the streamroller.

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Maurice Alfrédo Sixto (May 23, 1919 – May 12, 1984)

Once upon a time, there was a man, a Haitian man, one of those men whom we would love to see live forever, but… nature has its own laws.

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Jean-Jacques Audubon des Cayes

Jean-Jacques Audubon was born in Les Cayes, Saint Domingue on April 26 1785, the French colony, known today as Haïti.

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A Profile of Benz Antoine

This tall, strikingly handsome leading man has already made 75 film & television appearances.

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Book reviews

Haiti Noir

Book Review

The anthology edited by Edwidge Danticat puts a uniquely Haitian spin on the crime genre

"Danticat has succeeded in assembling a group portrait of Haitian culture and resilience that is cause for celebration." - Publishers Weekly