Leading in Defiance:
The Untold Heroism of Haitian The First Black Republic
May 22, 2025 | Written By: Dr. Darline Wilkenson
A REVOLUTION WRITTEN IN BLOOD NOT IN INK
A colony so rich in resources that it fueled half of France’s economy. The Jewel of the Caribbean. But behind that jewel? Brutality. Chains. Generations of men, women, and children whipped, branded, broken; yet never bowed. And then, they rose.
They didn’t wait for diplomacy. They didn’t wait for rescue. They became their own revolution. Toussaint Louverture, once enslaved, read banned books by candlelight and rewrote war strategies in his mind. Jean-Jacques Dessalines learned the colonizer’s tactics and used them to crush his enemies, giving them a taste of their own medicine. Sanité Bélair, fearless on horseback, fought as a commander and faced a French executioner with her eyes unflinching. This was Not Rebellion. This was a Recalibration of Power.
Let the world take note: True leadership is not inherited; It is Ignited.
They didn’t wait for diplomacy. They didn’t wait for rescue. They became their own revolution. Toussaint Louverture, once enslaved, read banned books by candlelight and rewrote war strategies in his mind. Jean-Jacques Dessalines learned the colonizer’s tactics and used them to crush his enemies, giving them a taste of their own medicine. Sanité Bélair, fearless on horseback, fought as a commander and faced a French executioner with her eyes unflinching. This was Not Rebellion. This was a Recalibration of Power.
Let the world take note: True leadership is not inherited; It is Ignited.
A FLAG SEWN WITH PURPOSE NOT WITH THREAD
When Catherine Flon took up her needle, it was no ordinary act of stitching. It was Political. It was Prophetic. It was War and Healing sewn into one.
She tore the white from the French tricolor, banished it, and wove together Blue for the Black Citizens and Red for the Mixed-Race Haitians, signaling Unity in Defiance. That flag is More than Cloth. It is a Manifesto. A Living Declaration.
Every thread whispers: We are not what you tried to make us.
We Are What We Dared to Become.
She tore the white from the French tricolor, banished it, and wove together Blue for the Black Citizens and Red for the Mixed-Race Haitians, signaling Unity in Defiance. That flag is More than Cloth. It is a Manifesto. A Living Declaration.
Every thread whispers: We are not what you tried to make us.
We Are What We Dared to Become.
THE HEROISM THE WORLD REFUSES TO SEE
Haiti should be the crown jewel of global leadership case studies. The very definition of "against all odds." But what did the world do?
The world punished Haiti for its courage. France demanded reparations from the people it enslaved. The U.S. refused recognition until it could no longer ignore the power of the Black republic. European nations cast Haiti aside, whispering warnings to their own enslaved populations: “Don’t Try This.”
For over two centuries, the world has tried to bury Haiti beneath narratives of Poverty, Instability, and Disaster. But that’s Not only part of the story; it is the part they favor. Ith is the part that fits neatly into their narrative, “This is What Happens When Black People Rule.”
But what about Haiti’s Resilience? What about the defiant artistry, the unshakable faith, the global contributions, the doctors, dancers, diplomats, and dreamers that Haiti continues to birth?
What about the fact that Haiti Stood When No One Else Dared to Kneel?
The world punished Haiti for its courage. France demanded reparations from the people it enslaved. The U.S. refused recognition until it could no longer ignore the power of the Black republic. European nations cast Haiti aside, whispering warnings to their own enslaved populations: “Don’t Try This.”
For over two centuries, the world has tried to bury Haiti beneath narratives of Poverty, Instability, and Disaster. But that’s Not only part of the story; it is the part they favor. Ith is the part that fits neatly into their narrative, “This is What Happens When Black People Rule.”
But what about Haiti’s Resilience? What about the defiant artistry, the unshakable faith, the global contributions, the doctors, dancers, diplomats, and dreamers that Haiti continues to birth?
What about the fact that Haiti Stood When No One Else Dared to Kneel?
HAITI THE ORIGINAL DISRUPTOR
Before Silicon Valley praised “disruptors”, Haiti was the disruptor. Before corporations preached about “Diversity and Inclusion”, Haiti was embodying “Diversity and Inclusion” centuries ago. The Haitian revolution wasn't just political; it was Spiritual. It was Moral. It was Divine. The Haitian Constitution declared that All Humans Are Born Free, not because of Law, but because of Truth. And Truth doesn’t expire. Truth echoes.
Haiti proved to the world that Liberation is Not a Theory; Liberation Is a Right. Haiti revealed leadership does not require approval. And that sometimes, “The best leaders are the ones history tries to burry, because they are just too powerful to erase.”
Haiti proved to the world that Liberation is Not a Theory; Liberation Is a Right. Haiti revealed leadership does not require approval. And that sometimes, “The best leaders are the ones history tries to burry, because they are just too powerful to erase.”
HAITI’S BURDEN IS THE WORLD'S BLINDSPOT
Haiti has suffered Not because Haiti is weak, but because Haiti was Too Strong. Too Early. Too Brave. The Price of Being First is Often to Be Forsaken, Sacrificed. But Haiti has never asked for pity. Haiti deserves recognition. Haiti earns that truth be told. And Haiti demands that the world acknowledge the legacy of a nation that not only led its people to freedom; but shook the foundations of global oppression.
A CALL TO EVERY MODERN LEADER
To the CEOs, the Movement Builders, the Change Agents, the Educators, the Entrepreneurs: take a lesson from Haiti.
Don’t wait for permission to lead.
Don’t lead with fear, lead with fire.
Don’t Forget: the most powerful revolutions are the ones led from within.
When you Raise your Voice, your Vision, or your Standard, you carry the DNA of the Haitian Revolution. You carry the memory of a flag stitched not in fabric, but in courage.
Don’t wait for permission to lead.
Don’t lead with fear, lead with fire.
Don’t Forget: the most powerful revolutions are the ones led from within.
When you Raise your Voice, your Vision, or your Standard, you carry the DNA of the Haitian Revolution. You carry the memory of a flag stitched not in fabric, but in courage.
WE ARE THE LEGACY
We are descendants of that fire. We walk into boardrooms with the quiet boldness of Toussaint Louverture. We speak truth to power like Sanité Belair. We build dreams like Catherine Flon stitched flags, Intentionally, Beautifully, Unapologetically.
On this Haitian Flag Day, we call on the world, not just to Remember, but to Recognize. Recognize that leadership does not always come from power. Sometimes, Leadership comes from the enslaved who dared to imagine something liberating.
And that story, that legacy, is still unfolding.
Raise the flag. Raise the truth. Raise the next generation of leaders Not to just follow but to defy, to disrupt.
Haiti did not just win a revolution. Haiti lit a fire for every leader who ever dared to lead boldly.
Dr. Darline Wilkenson
Entrepreneur - Coach - Writer
Website: wilkensoncoachingacademy.com
Phone number: 678-215-5531
Email: [email protected]
Entrepreneur - Coach - Writer
Website: wilkensoncoachingacademy.com
Phone number: 678-215-5531
Email: [email protected]