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The New Haitian Revolution: Thursday, June 16, 2005, 7pm Lucie Tondreau, a member of Veye-Yo, the organization of Haitian activist priest Father Jean Juste, and of the Haitian American Grassroots Coalition, Ira Kurzban, attorney for President Aristide and former attorney for the Haitian government, and Pierre Labossiere, Haiti Action Committee, will all travel to Los Angeles to give up to the minute news of how the grassroots of Haiti are resisting the occupation and pressing for the return of President Aristide. President Aristide was kidnapped by US Marines on February 29, 2004, 200 years after the Haitian Revolution brilliantly defeated Napoleon’s army, the strongest army of its day, and Haiti became the world’s first Black Republic and the first nation in the world born as a result of a slave revolution. The Haitian Revolution paved the way for the abolition of slavery in the US and throughout the Americas. Haiti also assisted with the liberation of Latin America by giving refuge and supplies to Simon Bolivar. Since the Feb. 29 coup, there are estimates as high as 10,000 Haitians killed and thousands of others in prison, jailed or tortured. US Marines have been replaced by UN forces led by Brazil. Supporters of President Aristide, the great majority of the population, are under constant threat. Prime Minister Yvon Neptune, a key figure in the Aristide government, has been on hunger strike to protest his imprisonment without charge and the imprisonment of other political prisoners. He is close to death. No one knows how many women and girls are survivors of politically motivated rapes since the violence began early last year – the two major so-called "human rights organizations" in Haiti — CARLI and NCHR — refuse to investigate human rights reports in the poorer neighborhoods, where most of the attacks have occurred, "because those zones are all Aristide-supporters…". The coup and occupation are the latest action in the 200-year effort by colonial powers to defeat the struggle for freedom of Black people in Haiti and to prevent them from serving as an inspiration to others. The resistance of the Haitian people, the poorest economically in the western hemisphere, has been remarkable. Come hear news of the resistance and learn what you can do. We are in the process of inviting co-sponsors to this event. Lucie Tondreau’s California tour is coordinated by the Global Women’s Strike and Pierre Labossiere of the Haiti Action Committee. For more information, to endorse, make a donation toward tour expenses or in other ways help, call 323-292-7405, or email la@crossroadswomen.net www.globalwomenstrike.net Translation into Spanish and Creole will be available at the event. ACTION ALERT: Haitian grassroots woman activist & labor leaders arrested, harassed by police |