UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new exhibit titled "Haiti: Liberation of the First Black Republic," featuring rare and distinctive books and manuscripts from the Charles L. Blockson Collection of African Americana and the African Diaspora, will be on display at the entrance to Penn State University Libraries’ Paterno Family Reading Room, second floor Pattee Library, on the University Park campus.
On display through Friday, Dec. 16, the exhibit examines the history of Haiti, the first modern Black republic resulting from their successful fight for liberation from the French in the island colony of Saint Domingue. Between 1791 and 1804, a series of conflicts between enslaved Black people, the British military, and French colonizers culminated in the defeat of the French by the enslaved peoples. On Jan. 1, 1804, General Dessalines, the first ruler of Haiti, declared independence. Despite the challenges Haiti has faced since liberation, the successful defeat of French colonial domination has served as a model for Pan-Africanist freedom struggles around the world. Black people’s resistance against slavery and other forms of colonial oppression and dehumanization are well documented in the Blockson Collection, held within the Special Collections Library at Penn State University Libraries.
While preparing the exhibit, the curator, Glynnis Reed, said she noticed a number of books in the Blockson Collection pertaining to the Caribbean, and Haiti in particular, including books on the Haitian Revolution, Toussaint Louverture, and Vodou. She also noted that the founder of the Blockson Collection, Charles Blockson, had curated an exhibit at the African American Museum in Philadelphia about Haiti’s liberation and authored a book to accompany the show, emphasizing the importance of Haiti to the Blockson Collection.
Haitian Vodou, a religion rooted in West and Central African spiritual practices, was significant in the Haitian campaign for independence. Books on Haitian Vodou from the Blockson Collection are included in this exhibition to illuminate the spiritual roots of Haiti’s fight for freedom. This exhibition aims to help destigmatize the Haitian Vodou religion by situating it in cultural history and revealing the power of spiritual faith in Black liberation struggles.
“I was aware that Vodou played a significant part in the Haitian Revolution and I wanted to highlight that in this exhibit. I didn’t want to gloss over this aspect of the history, particularly after finding several materials in the collection that validated the perspective that Vodou was used to support the enslaved Africans’ fight for freedom from French colonizers,” Reed said.
"Haiti: Liberation of the First Black Republic" is curated by Reed, a second year doctoral student in art education and women’s, gender, and sexuality studies. Since August 2021, she has served as the Blockson Graduate Assistant with Penn State University Libraries’ Eberly Family Special Collections Library. The exhibit coincides with her research interest in African Diaspora Religions and its intersection with art-making practices and disability.
For more information, including questions about accommodations provided for this exhibition, contact Clara Drummond, exhibitions coordinator, at cjd86@psu.edu or the Special Collections Library reference desk at 814-865-1793.