Haiti: An Open Letter to “Cruising into History”, from Guy S. Antoine
From: Guy S. Antoine
To: info@cruisingintohistory.org ; John.Conyers@mail.house.gov ; WBAI
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 9:40 AM
Subject: Cruising into History
Gentlemen:
The premise was that “Cruising into History” would stimulate pride and solidarity between people of African descent, celebrating our common heritage and the ideals of the Haitian Revolution. CIH would be like a magnificent horse, racing against the lies offered for our consumption over the past 200 years). The race is about to start, the gates have been opened, all eyes are focused on CIH and what a lot of people see at this point, to their stupefaction, is the “horse's ass”. It appears that CIH is about to run, against all expectations, in the opposite direction.
Time out! This was not the intent. Hello, organizers?
Unless you are confident that your horse can run backward and still be in contention, you must now rectify your position. The day after the race will be way too late. Timing is the essence. You have in your power, now, not yesterday nor tomorrow, to produce a winner or just another sorrowful loser.
The Haitian Revolution was all about autonomy and self-determination for African Blacks in a land carved out of the bloodiest Empire the World has ever witnessed. The unspeakable horrors of the large-scale enslavement of Africans in America, from the 16th through the 19th centuries, and the systematic impoverishment of Blacks for the enrichment of Whites which followed to this day, as a natural by-product of slavery, cannot be simply brushed aside for celebrating 200 years of nominal independence of Haitians. What independence? Today, in its bicentennial year, Haiti must suffer the imposition of an unelected “interim government”, selected for it through deliberate and forceful intervention, by the descendants of French slave masters and White American politicians who perpetuated the slavery system well beyond their 1776 revolution. That is an infamy. That is a catastrophe of historical proportions. That is a calculated insult to our African ancestors and to the heroes of the Haitian Revolution. We had long been waiting to celebrate 2004. The assault on our most cherished symbolism must have been premeditated. We do not believe that it happenedthrough sheer coincidence.
The most visible component of that assault was the coup d'etat toppling the government that Haitian citizens elected overwhelmingly in November 2000. However its roots go a lot deeper. It is in essence the continued and systematic denial over two centuries of our right to self-determination. The message to our people is clear: not then, not now, not ever! Our choice is to accept the message, pretend to ignore it, or formulating a principled response to our disempowerment. That is the dilemma faced by CIH on the eve of its maiden voyage.
Hello, organizers? Have you learned anything from the Titanic? Should you pay attention to the warnings being sent or proceed full speed ahead toward the iceberg of Haitian sentiment that longs still for the concretization of its revolutionary ideals, and above all else self-determination?
Contrary to the assertions of appointees of our selected and interim governments, the majority of Haitians persist in the belief that enlightened African Americans cannot be on the side of structural injustice, and will not falter in seconding Haitians in the quest to secure, against all odds, what is our ancestral destiny: a self-determining nation for descendants of African slaves among the people of the Americas.
We are greatly appreciative of your original intent to commemorate Haiti's Bicentennial. The struggle continues today and it makes sense that this be recognized without ambiguity. It comes as no surprise that the unelected government of Haiti would want to you to validate its legitimacy. That is what can be expected from governments anywhere. You, on the other hand, have the opportunity and the responsibility to clarify your mission for all to know.
Let it be known that in August 2004, at the start of the race, CIH will be leading the field by a nose and not by a “horse's ass”.
Guy S. Antoine
Windows on Haiti http://haitiforever.com
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY send your letters of protest to info@cruisingintohistory.org ; John.Conyers@mail.house.gov.
Forwarded by the Haitian Lawyers Leadership http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html
Please also see:
Human Rights Monitors Release New Report Describing Widescale Grassroots Haitian Resistance and Continuing Repression by Coup Government http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2388.html
Human Rights Horrors in Haiti, by Anthony Fenton
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout4.php&id=1837&blz=1
WBAI http://www.wbai.org
Cruising into History http://www.cruisingintohistory.org
From: Guy S. Antoine
To: info@cruisingintohistory.org ; John.Conyers@mail.house.gov ; WBAI
Sent: Saturday, August 07, 2004 9:40 AM
Subject: Cruising into History
Gentlemen:
The premise was that “Cruising into History” would stimulate pride and solidarity between people of African descent, celebrating our common heritage and the ideals of the Haitian Revolution. CIH would be like a magnificent horse, racing against the lies offered for our consumption over the past 200 years). The race is about to start, the gates have been opened, all eyes are focused on CIH and what a lot of people see at this point, to their stupefaction, is the “horse's ass”. It appears that CIH is about to run, against all expectations, in the opposite direction.
Time out! This was not the intent. Hello, organizers?
Unless you are confident that your horse can run backward and still be in contention, you must now rectify your position. The day after the race will be way too late. Timing is the essence. You have in your power, now, not yesterday nor tomorrow, to produce a winner or just another sorrowful loser.
The Haitian Revolution was all about autonomy and self-determination for African Blacks in a land carved out of the bloodiest Empire the World has ever witnessed. The unspeakable horrors of the large-scale enslavement of Africans in America, from the 16th through the 19th centuries, and the systematic impoverishment of Blacks for the enrichment of Whites which followed to this day, as a natural by-product of slavery, cannot be simply brushed aside for celebrating 200 years of nominal independence of Haitians. What independence? Today, in its bicentennial year, Haiti must suffer the imposition of an unelected “interim government”, selected for it through deliberate and forceful intervention, by the descendants of French slave masters and White American politicians who perpetuated the slavery system well beyond their 1776 revolution. That is an infamy. That is a catastrophe of historical proportions. That is a calculated insult to our African ancestors and to the heroes of the Haitian Revolution. We had long been waiting to celebrate 2004. The assault on our most cherished symbolism must have been premeditated. We do not believe that it happenedthrough sheer coincidence.
The most visible component of that assault was the coup d'etat toppling the government that Haitian citizens elected overwhelmingly in November 2000. However its roots go a lot deeper. It is in essence the continued and systematic denial over two centuries of our right to self-determination. The message to our people is clear: not then, not now, not ever! Our choice is to accept the message, pretend to ignore it, or formulating a principled response to our disempowerment. That is the dilemma faced by CIH on the eve of its maiden voyage.
Hello, organizers? Have you learned anything from the Titanic? Should you pay attention to the warnings being sent or proceed full speed ahead toward the iceberg of Haitian sentiment that longs still for the concretization of its revolutionary ideals, and above all else self-determination?
Contrary to the assertions of appointees of our selected and interim governments, the majority of Haitians persist in the belief that enlightened African Americans cannot be on the side of structural injustice, and will not falter in seconding Haitians in the quest to secure, against all odds, what is our ancestral destiny: a self-determining nation for descendants of African slaves among the people of the Americas.
We are greatly appreciative of your original intent to commemorate Haiti's Bicentennial. The struggle continues today and it makes sense that this be recognized without ambiguity. It comes as no surprise that the unelected government of Haiti would want to you to validate its legitimacy. That is what can be expected from governments anywhere. You, on the other hand, have the opportunity and the responsibility to clarify your mission for all to know.
Let it be known that in August 2004, at the start of the race, CIH will be leading the field by a nose and not by a “horse's ass”.
Guy S. Antoine
Windows on Haiti http://haitiforever.com
PLEASE FORWARD WIDELY send your letters of protest to info@cruisingintohistory.org ; John.Conyers@mail.house.gov.
Forwarded by the Haitian Lawyers Leadership http://www.margueritelaurent.com/pressclips/haitianlawyers.html
Please also see:
Human Rights Monitors Release New Report Describing Widescale Grassroots Haitian Resistance and Continuing Repression by Coup Government http://www.globalexchange.org/update/press/2388.html
Human Rights Horrors in Haiti, by Anthony Fenton
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout4.php&id=1837&blz=1
WBAI http://www.wbai.org
Cruising into History http://www.cruisingintohistory.org