{"id":6597,"date":"2025-01-03T21:00:40","date_gmt":"2025-01-03T21:00:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6597"},"modified":"2025-01-05T21:03:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-05T21:03:23","slug":"how-haitis-independence-day-celebrations-connect-generations-to-fight-for-freedom","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/?p=6597","title":{"rendered":"How Haiti\u2019s Independence Day Celebrations Connect Generations to Fight for Freedom"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0<span class=\"author vcard\"><a class=\"url fn n\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtoninformer.com\/author\/mya-trujillo\/\">Mya Trujillo<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Every Jan. 1, while many commemorate the new year, Haitian families and communities across the globe eagerly convene and recognize their ancestors\u2019 resilience in creating the world\u2019s first free Black republic. From eating Soup Joumou to fun celebrations, Haiti\u2019s Independence Day commemorates Haitian culture and strength, while recognizing the ample work still needed for a truly liberated nation.<\/p>\n<p>Accomplished by resisting imperialism and abolishing enslavement, the Haitian Revolution inspired an onslaught of insurrections throughout the New World, solidifying its prominence as a symbol of solidarity among the African diaspora.<\/p>\n<p>Despite this historic triumph, the fight for physiological needs in Haiti persists amidst social and political instability.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-1    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-1 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-caf9af3267-0\">Since the U.S. and Haiti were the first two republics to free themselves from European imperialism, people often compare and contrast the countries\u2019 progress. During a Human Rights Day Webinar, Jetry Dunont, co-founder and director of AyiboPost, expressed his disapproval of such assumed equivalence, as the U.S. possessed a more stable foundation to build a nation than the Caribbean country.<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div><\/div>\n<div>\n<p>\u201cWhat is always forgotten in that comparison is that Haiti is a nation that was entirely built by the Black slaves,\u201d said Dumont. \u201cHaiti is a beautiful story and we need to understand that we are a very young nation that started from nothing.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-haitian-americans-share-traditions-significance-of-celebration-nbsp\" class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Haitian-Americans Share Traditions, Significance of Celebration\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p>Forming a nation on such an uneven playing field and continuing to tenaciously work toward self-determination showcases the Haitian diaspora\u2019s irrepressible spirit. The country\u2019s persistence, notwithstanding its historic and current strife, serves as an inspiration for young Haitians worldwide to continue celebrating their heritage and ancestry.<\/p>\n<p>Richard Lespinasse is a first-generation Haitian-American whose family immigrated to the U.S. from Port-au-Prince in the 1960s during Fran\u00e7ois Duvalier\u2019s regime. Having visited Haiti various times either for vacation or charitable work, Lespinasse holds a deep love for the island and its history.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHaiti is the only country ever to gain independence from a slave revolt,\u201d he said. \u201cCelebrating independence is important to me and my family because it is seen as a big source of pride.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-2    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-2 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-2bd992b9b0-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>His family keeps their ancestors\u2019 spirits alive by partaking in the widespread Haitian tradition of drinking the pumpkin or squash-based Soup Joumou. The delicacy was once only made for French enslavers during colonial rule and was seen as a token of luck. In 1804, the liberated prepared the soup for themselves as a reclamation of their freedom.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy grandmother would begin preparing the soup on New Year\u2019s Eve so it would be ready by New Year\u2019s Day,\u201d Lespinasse, 34, shared.<\/p>\n<p>Abigail Joseph and her family also participate in enjoying Soup Joumou during the holiday. She eats it twice \u2014 once at church at midnight on Jan. 1, then again at home after her mother and godmother prepare it.<\/p>\n<p>Growing up surrounded by other Haitians instilled a strong sense of community in Joseph \u2014 evident in how she views the holiday as a means of connecting with people of similar interests, backgrounds and walks of life. She hopes to pass on Independence Day traditions to her family\u2019s future generations, such as going to church and eating Soup Joumou \u2014 once she learns how to make it.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s just a reminder of the fight our ancestors won,\u201d Joseph, 22, said about the dish.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-3    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-3 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-dc2e0e383b-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>Like Lespinasse, Joseph is proud to observe Independence Day due to Haiti\u2019s rich history and unshakeable spirit, especially considering the nation\u2019s current crises.<\/p>\n<p>The Caribbean country has been in a State of Emergency since March due to gang-related violence fueled by firearms and ammunition primarily from the U.S., causing the forceful displacement of more than 702 thousand Haitians from their homes.<\/p>\n<p>The United Nations Security Council attempted various peacekeeping opportunities in 2024, including a Kenyan-led Multinational Security Support mission, but they haven\u2019t been successful as the displacement and violence intensified throughout the year.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph believes Haiti\u2019s current situation amplifies the significance of celebrating its fight for independence over two centuries ago.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a real-life story of how Africans, despite being displaced and forced into slavery, were able to band together and fight for their independence,\u201d she said. \u201cIn a society [that likes] to put down Black people, I believe that this story is able to show that we can fight for what we want and need.\u201d<\/p>\n<aside class=\"scaip scaip-4    \">\n<div class=\"newspack_global_ad scaip-4 fixed-height\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-ca419f6974-0\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<div id=\"jp-relatedposts\" class=\"jp-relatedposts\">\n<div class=\"jp-relatedposts-items jp-relatedposts-items-visual jp-relatedposts-grid \">\n<div class=\"jp-relatedposts-post jp-relatedposts-post0 jp-relatedposts-post-thumbs\" data-post-id=\"1185960\" data-post-format=\"false\">Source: Published without changes from Washington Informer Newspaper<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<aside>\n<div id=\"id_1186402\" class=\"newspack-popup-container newspack-popup newspack-inline-popup\" tabindex=\"0\" role=\"button\" data-segments=\"\" data-frequency=\"0,0,0,month\">\n<div data-cswidget=\"11225\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"csTwoWrap csBackground nospo\" data-v-1522e0c8=\"\">\n<div class=\"csTopHead\" data-v-1522e0c8=\"\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>by\u00a0Mya Trujillo Every Jan. 1, while many commemorate the new year, Haitian families and communities across the globe<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":6598,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6597","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-black-history","category-regular-column"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6597","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6597"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6597\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6599,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6597\/revisions\/6599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6598"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6597"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6597"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/africanamericanvoice.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6597"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}