Day 3 | May 17
This fun-filled day started with a TV appearance on Great Day Washington for their culinary segment where the audience had an opportunity to (re) discover Haitian cuisine from Chef Dimitri Lilavois and briefly learn more about what makes Haiti a unique tourist destination. You can watch the segment at the following link. Simultaneously, a small diverse group gathered at the National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) for a private guided tour with Dr. Joanne Hyppolite, Haitian-American museum curator of the museum’s Cultural Expressions inaugural exhibition and a co-curator of “A Century in the Making: Building the National Museum of African American History and Culture” exhibit. During the tour, guests were able to learn about the various ties between Haiti and the African American community, and had an opportunity to view the statue erected in honor of Toussaint Louverture.
Inaugurated on January 20, 2017, the National Museum of African American History and Culture marks an important and historic step forward in the way Americans view their shared history. The museum is devoted to the documentation of African American life. As the first black republic in the Western Hemisphere’s, Haiti’s successful slave revolt contributed greatly to the advancement of American society serving as an inspiration in the Americas to societies experiencing oppression. It continues to be an motivation today through the contributions of notable Haitians.
Later that evening, Dr. Hyppolite was one of the panelists for the discussion held at Busboys and Poets in Brookland, entitled We Are Forever United: A Conversation Honoring Haitian Contributions to African American History and Culture. The panel also featured the following three experts: Patrick Delatour, Architect of historical monuments and former Haitian Minister of Tourism; Dr. Marcia Chatelain, Associate Professor of History and African American Studies at Georgetown University; Dr. Joanne Hyppolite, Museum Curator specializing in cultural expressions and Patrick Tardieu, curator of Haiti’s oldest library, the Bibliothèque Haïtienne des Pères du Saint-Esprit, and chief digital archivist of the Haitian Government’s Comité Interministériel d’Aménagement du Territoire (Interministerial Committee for Land Management). After articulations by each of the panelists on their particular period and area of expertise, a lively and informative Q&A session with the public ensued. In addition to highlighting Haitian contributions to African American history and culture, the panelists also shared insights on the contributions of African Americans to Haiti.
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