One of the observed May celebrations is Haitian Heritage Month. Even though North Dakota does not possess a large population of Haitian immigrants, introducing local patrons to cultures outside of their own aims in building empathy, knowledge, and wonder. Plus, if your library does service Haitians, these acknowledgements help show they are a valued part of the community!
Haitian Heritage Month was first celebrated in America in 1998. This celebration originated from Haitian Flag Day, commemorated in Haiti since the 1930s (DEI, 2023).
A Little About Haiti
Haiti is a country, including of a collection of islands, in the Caribbean Sea. (Part of Haiti directly borders the Dominican Republic.) Haiti is quite mountainous, although areas of plains do provide space for agriculture. Its capital is Port-au-Prince. Approximately 12 million people reside in Haiti. Between natural disasters, human depletion of natural resources, and political and social unrest, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the Western Hemisphere. The form of government is a republic with a prime minister, president, and two legislative houses (Ferguson, Girault, and MacLeod, 2024).
History of Haiti
Haiti possesses a long-lasting, and often devastating, history! This summary is just snippets; it would require writing a whole book to fully encompass this country’s past.
Prehistorically, the indigenous Taíno inhabited the area. In 1492, Christopher Columbus landed on Haiti and claimed it for Spain. Spain ruled over Haiti from approximately 1496 to 1697. During this time, most of the Taíno were killed, while enslaved African people were brought onto the island to work in gold mines and sugar plantations. From 1625 to 1697, France colonized Haiti. Sick of slavery, the Haitian Revolution began in 1791. This uprising lasted over a decade. The result entailed Haiti becoming an independent nation after over 300 years, and the first black-ruled country in the world! King Charles of France only agreed to acknowledge Haiti as independent if its people paid 150 million francs (about $21 billion in today’s money) to France. Haiti had to take out numerous debts from other countries to meet this goal. In 1838, France decreased the payout to 90 million francs (about $12.6 billion today). Even with the decrease, it took about over 100 years for Haiti’s people to pay back their loans (1947). Shortly after gaining its independence, Haiti experienced a civil war (Timeline, 2024; Ferguson, Girault, & MacLeod, 2024).
Over the course of the 1900s, Haiti experienced invasion from the U.S., the Parsley Massacre from the neighboring Dominican Republic, and distressing Hurricane Hazel. Additionally, this was a time of great political unrest with various presidents being overthrown (Timeline, 2024; Ferguson, Girault, & MacLeod, 2024).
The early 2000s primarily brought more destruction through hurricanes (Ivan, Jeanne, Dennis, Gustav, Ike, and Matthew), flooding, tropical storms (Fay and Hanna), two high-magnitude earthquakes, and a cholera outbreak. Thousands of Haitians were killed, 100s of thousands were left homeless, and the country’s economy continued to take hit after hit. Political unrest continues to rage today (Timeline, 2024; Ferguson, Girault, & MacLeod, 2024).
Haitians Immigration to the U.S.
As of 2022, approximately 731,000 Haitians reside in the United States. This migration trend really started in the 1980s. Most Haitians flock to Florida, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Georgia. Haitian immigrants primarily work in healthcare fields, and as manual labors (Dain & Batalova, 2023).
Haitian Culture
Haitian culture infuses French, African, and West Indies elements. Its values are deep-rooted in family connections, respect of others, and celebrations. (Some such celebrations include Mardi Gras, Dessalines Day, Haitian Flag Day, and Labor and Agriculture Day.) Typical foods in Haitian culture include rice and beans, sweet potatoes, manioc, yams, corn, pigeon peas, cowpeas, bread, and coffee. Sugarcane, mangoes, sweetbread, and peanut and sesame seed clusters are also used for treats. One of their celebratory meals is soup Joumou. Recipe is available here (Haiti, n.d.).
. Nearly all Haitians are of African descent with many of those being the ancestors of slaves. The official languages are French and Haitian Creole. There is no official religion of Haiti; however, Roman Catholic, various versions of Protestant, and Voodoo/Vodou are all practiced (Ferguson, Girault, and MacLeod, 2024).
Books
Haiti A to Z: A Bilingual ABC Book about the Pearl of the Antilles by M.J. Fievre (Preschool through Elementary)
My First Book – Haiti: All About Haiti For Kids by Penelope Palette (Preschool through Lower Elementary)
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles (Preschool through Lower Elementary)
Haitian Flag Day: Fleurina’s Way by Jinica Dauphin (Preschool through Lower Elementary)
Mmmmm! Soup Joumou! by Carline Smothers (Preschool through Lower Elementary)
Zandolit: A Mango Eating Gecko by Nahomie Vilnaigre (Preschool through Lower Elementary)
Janjak and Freda Go to the Iron Market by Elizabeth J Turnbull (Preschool through Lower Elementary)
Haiti: The First Black Republic by Frantz Derenoncourt Jr. (Elementary)
Haiti My Country by Roge (Upper Elementary through Middle School)
Taste of Salt: A Story of Modern Haiti by Frances Temple (Upper Elementary through Middle School)
Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat (Middle School)
Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite (High School)
Open Gate: An Anthology of Haitian Creole Poetry by Edited by Paul Laraque and Jack Hirschman (High School and Adult)
Haiti History 101: The Definitive Guide to Haitian History by Kreyolicious (Adult)
For Whom the Dogs Spy: Haiti: From the Duvalier Dictatorships to the Earthquake, Four Presidents, and Beyond by Raymond A. Joseph (Adult)
Aid State: Elite Panic, Disaster Capitalism, and the Battle to Control Haiti by Jake Johnston (Adult)
A Taste of Haiti by Mirta Yurnet-Thomas (Adult)
Remembrance by Rita Woods (Adult)
Reading Thomas Merton and Longing for God in Haiti: Learning Wisdom in the School of My Life by Gerard Thomas Straub (Adult)
Awakening the Ashes: An Intellectual History of the Haitian Revolution by Marlene L. Daut (Adult)
Haiti Flavors: Try Cooking Haitian Food: Unique Haitian Dishes by Cedrick Garand (Adult)
Black Haiti: A Story of the Haitian Slave Revolt; or, A Biography of Africa’s Eldest Daughter by Blair Niles (Adult)
Other Learning Resources
Library of Congress: Research Guides
Mandaly Louis-Charles: Haitian Creole
Haitian Voices
Ancient History: The Truth of Voodoo Revealed (Video)
Haitian Creole – The World’s Most Widely Spoken Creole Language (Video)
Haitian Library Programming Ideas
- Teach Haitian Creole (A children’s programming resource is here; All ages resources can be found here.)
- Celebrate Haitian Flag Day – May 18th. (A brief history of the Haitian flag is available here.) Common celebratory activities include fireworks, parades, dressing in the flag colors of red and blue, and sharing meals.
- Incorporate Caribbean music into other programming. (Example one, two, and three.)
- Story tell with Haitian folklore. (Tale example one, two, and three.)
- Conduct a book club using Haitian literature. I would recommend Edwidge Danticat’s Krik? Krak! (Adult programming)
- Explore Haitian art (Resource one, two, and three). Using these techniques, patrons can create their own Haitian-inspired art!
- Teach history of Voodoo/Vodou. Popular culture has established a tie between Vodou and evil spirits. However, the real history of this belief system takes quite a different approach! Resources can be found here, here, and here.
References
Dain, B., & Batalova, J. (2023, November 8). Haitian immigration in the United States. Migration Policy Institute. https://www.migrationpolicy.org/article/haitian-immigrants-united-states.
DEI Department. (2023, May 16). Haitian heritage month. Evident Change. https://evidentchange.org/blog/haitian-heritage-month/#:~:text=Haitian%20Heritage%20Month%20celebration%20is,in%20Haiti%20in%20the%201930s.
Ferguson, J.A., Girault, C.A., & MacLeod, M.J. (2024, April 21). Haiti. In Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/place/Haiti.
Haiti. (n.d.). In World Culture Encyclopedia. https://www.everyculture.com/Ge-It/Haiti.html.
Timelines: Haiti’s history and current crisis, explained. (2024, April 10). Concern Worldwide U.S. https://concernusa.org/news/timeline-haiti-history/.
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