Truth, Solidarity and Repair: Haiti & the Global Movement for Reparations
In 1804, enslaved Haitians successfully overthrew French colonial rule and founded the world's first Black republic. But by 1825, the French returned and demanded Haiti to pay “reparations” for French financial losses, including the value of the lives of the formerly enslaved. With warships off its coast, Haiti was forced to agree to an indemnity debt, which totaled hundreds of millions in today's dollars, a ransom for freedom. Lasting for generations, this so-called independence debt was not just a financial burden hindering Haiti’s development across all sectors, it was a calculated act of economic warfare where foreign funding replaced sovereignty, while the imperial west escalated its predation: repeated military invasions, embargoes, financial coercion, political interference, orchestrated coups, and installed puppet governments and dictators. From France’s gunboat diplomacy, to US military occupation, to UN missions for “stabilisation” and the brutal suppression of justice movements, Haiti has been a laboratory for imperial control. But through it all, Haitian resistance persists marking Haiti as both a symbol and site of global injustice and revolutionary possibility. In this episode, we will hear from Haiti’s former First Lady, Mildred Aristide, in her powerful speech at the 2025 Samuel Dash Conference on Human Rights, whose call for repair confronts colonialism’s unfinished business.
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