25389: Hermantin (news)Letter to the Editor (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>


Posted on Tue, Jun. 14, 2005

Bob,

This letter was written to the Miami Herald in  response to a recently 
published article  about  a  congressional task force inquiry into  ways to 
honor the Virginia and Maryland slaves who built the Capitol building and White 
House.  The article header was  "Slaves' work shaped first monuments of 
liberty".


Leonie
________________________________________________________________________
Letter to the Editor

Slaves' labor


Re the June 12 story Slaves' work shaped first monument of liberty: As a 
Haitian American, I think that the story missed the point on what it meant to 
be a slave in the Americas. It is inappropriate for a slave to be credited for 
what he did under the command of his master.

In Haiti, liberated slaves, under the command of King Christophe, built a 
monument of liberty for the benefit of all mankind that is still standing 
proudly today: the Citadelle. Slaves should only be recognized for what they 
have done themselves. Actions that they undertook under their masters' orders 
should be credited to the unjust partners.

JEAN F. COLIN, Miami