Candles are lit for introspection and to make a wish during Bwa Kayiman 2023 in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park on Saturday, August 12, 2023. Photo by Tequila Minsky for The Haitian Times.

By Tequila Minsky

NEW YORK—The date is August 14, 1791. The site, a forest in northern Saint-Domingue called Bwa Kayiman, the Cayman Woods. The event, a congress and Vodou ceremony where 200 people enchained or disaffected with French enslavement met to launch a revolt that led to the First Black Republic in the western Hemisphere. The legacy, an enduring symbol of resistance to oppression that inspires liberation movements across locations and periods over the past 212 years.

Uh oh, it looks like you’ve hit a paywall! But don’t worry; we’ve got you covered. Here are a few ways you can access this story.