24399:: Nlbo: (Reply) on Famous Haitians (More Haitian Women) (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Nlbo@aol.com

In terms of history, there are many women which I can't write about at this
moment. Claire Heureuse, Dessalines' wife was the first female army nurse . Ida
Faubert is probably the first free black female published writer in this
hemisphere. Suzanne Simon Jean Baptiste, Toussaint Louverture's wife was a very
courageaous woman on Toussaint's side. Madame Pageot, the maid who saved
Dessalines in a first assassination attempt in a so called reception or dinner they
were preparing for him in a rectory.

In regards to Mother Lange, Washington Times ran an article about her
recently. It's too bad that most of the 1  million Haitians in the United States
don't know about this courageous woman and 8 million Haitians in a Catholic
country don't know her either. How much of our history had been hidden from us while
we were learning about Voltaire,  Madame de Sevigné and all other Europeans?
The unveiling of Mother Lange and other Blacks who contributed to the Catholic
church in the United States was the work of black Catholic
historian,Benedictan monk, the Rev. Dr.  Cyprian Davis who shed this light to us.  Even in
mainline U.S Catholic history books Mother Elizabeth Clarisse Lange's name is not
mentioned. If it is mentioned the way they put it, you will not know she was
Haitian. Michel Laguerre writes a lot also on Haitians contributions to the
United States. Rev. Dr. Cyprian Davis' focus is on Black Catholics.

I have known about her since l995 and have been proposing to my church people
to have an environment so young Haitians and other young Blacks can learn
about their ancestors in the Christian faith. So far no one had listened.

Another Haitian woman who toiled with Mother Lange was Mother Theresa Maxis
Duchemin who left the Oblate Sisters and founded the order of Immaculate Heart
of Mary in 1845 that is a predominantely white congregation. It wasn't until
l968 that it became known  she was Black not alone Haitian.

Juliette Gaudin, a Haitian woman co-founded  the Sisters of the Holy Spirit
in l842 with Henriette Delille the founder in Louisiana- All these new
congregations were founded under strenous hardships when it was illegal for Blacks to
read. The nuns were not allowed to walk in the streets with their habits. It
took them years before Rome accepted them as religious order.

It's a shame that many Blacks I run into in my area, especially the
ministerial leaders who are supposed to lead the flock don't show interest in learning
about the (Black) roots in Christianity and in this case the Catholic church
so they could teach it  young people.  In case of those three Haitian religious
women mentioned above, it's not a question of what denomination one belongs
to, it is a matter of Black women's contribution to  history  that should be
passed on.

Although we are in March now, it's not too late to say Happy Black History
Month! Well, Black history shouldn't be a one month event, neither should March
be. Women , especially Haitian women should be celebrated 365 days a year

Happy Monthly Celebrations!

Nekita