France impoverished Haiti by colonizing it then demanding, extracting reparations

This is Volume 14 of my monthly column entitled Black Dollars Matter. As I point out each month, this column is generally designed to compel Philadelphia’s white businesses/entities and white employers to treat Black consumers and Black applicants/employees/firms with respect. But, more important, it is also designed to convince Black people in Philadelphia to “do for self” economically as well as politically because, in a capitalist democracy, money and politics talk meaning persuade- and BS walks- meaning leaves empty-handed.

However, this month, I — correction my ancestors — decided that I should write about Black folks’ money outside of Philadelphia, even outside of the United States. Therefore, I’m writing this volume about Haiti because the ancestors led me a few weeks ago to an inspiring pro-Black article published in the New York Times.

In July, it will be 107 years since the National City Bank of New York in 1915 told President Woodrow Wilson to rob Haiti of the little wealth it had after France had already jacked that Caribbean nation by invading, colonizing, exploiting, robbing, and extorting it. Following the bank’s command, Wilson sent 330 Marine thugs to Port-au-Prince to begin the 19-year military occupation and economic rape of Haiti along with the murder of over 20,000 of its citizens.

In one of my future Tribune columns, I will expose all the gory details of that racist American crime against humanity. But in this month’s column, I will expose France’s demanding and extracting of reparations from Haiti.

Allow me to repeat that, just so you understand that I did not misspeak. Yes- Haiti was forced to pay reparations to France. Despite the fact that France had invaded, colonized, exploited, robbed, enslaved, and impoverished Haiti for 106 years from 1697 to 1803, Haiti was nonetheless forced to pay reparations to France beginning in 1825.

As reported in a historically explosive and meticulously detailed May 20, 2022 New York Times article (featuring primary source documents) entitled “The Ransom- Haiti’s Lost Billions,”

“(In 1825, which was) two decades after Haiti won its independence from France (in 1803 with its official independence day celebrated on Jan. 1, 1804), a squadron of warships returned with an ultimatum from King Charles X. The choice: money or war.

France demanded that Haitians pay their former masters 150 million francs (which equals $156 billion in U.S. currency in 2022), a staggering amount, far beyond their means. With the warships looming off the coast, Haiti agreed.

“Ledgers and banking statements … reveal a debt so large, and so lasting, that it would help cement Haiti’s path to poverty and underdevelopment.

Haiti became the first and only country where the descendants of enslaved people paid the families of their former masters for generations.”

By the way, Haiti didn’t actually “agree” to pay those 150 million francs (i.e., $156 billion). It was coerced under threat of warships and genocidal extermination. And that threat didn’t come from France alone. You must remember that France had gotten its racist butt severely whupped in the Haitian Revolution from 1791 to 1803. As a result, that threat came from France along with its evil colonizing conspiratorial world powers including, as noted by Numa St. Louis during my “TV Courtroom” show June 3, “the U.S., Spain (which had colonized Haiti before France did), England, Germany, and even The Vatican/Vatican City.”

Numa St. Louis is an expert in Haitian history. He is also a Haitian-American who serves as District representative and policy adviser for U.S. Rep. Dwight Evans. St. Louis speaks knowledgeably and passionately about France’s economic exploitation of Haiti and he made the following enlightened statement when I interviewed him:

“That massive ransom as well as that appalling extortion by France of Haitian money is widely known in Haiti, but still it was refreshing to see it exposed in such a fashion (in the New York Times). It confirmed what we always knew to be true.

There was a plot by western forces to ensure that the first Black republic became and remained a failed state by plunging it into crippling debt and relentlessly sowing chaos, thus making sure it could never fully invest in its people and fully develop.

There has long been a campaign to sabotage those Black people who dared to rise up. The mission of western forces was to choke and starve Haiti, and they have succeeded. And it is barbaric and brutal.

They resent what Haiti did in defeating white supremacy and colonialism. In their eyes, what Haiti managed to do in 1804 was never to be forgiven and she had to pay a steep price for her audacity and victory. Their goal was to extinguish the symbol of what Haiti represents.

The reactionary western press, when talking about Haiti, always makes mention that it is the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. I hope now they (like the New York Times) will offer some context and background on how Haiti became so poor. And tell France it’s time to make Haiti whole.”

Damn right, St. Louis. Damn right! People need to know that Haiti was able to enrich itself with its tremendous natural resources such as gold, silver, copper, and vast oil reserves along with widespread agricultural farmland before white folks invaded, colonized, exploited, robbed, enslaved, and impoverished it. Despite that, Haitians can still benefit from those resources, reserves, and farmland if France would return Haiti’s wealth so Haiti could buy the heavy-duty, state-of-the-art equipment it needs to get back to where it was before white folks invaded, colonized, exploited, robbed, enslaved, and impoverished it.

For more information about France’s extortion of Haiti, read the aforementioned provocative, unvarnished, objective, factual, compelling, and riveting New York Times article by logging on to https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/20/world/americas/haiti-aristide-reparations-france.html.

I hope you’re as outraged as St. Louis and I are. And if you are, please sign the online petition demanding that France return the reparations it robbed from Haiti. You can make that demand by logging on to https://www.change.org/p/google-inc-france-give-haiti-its-money-back

Before concluding this article, allow me to hate on France and some of its racist history because it deserves to be hated on.

France made over 4,200 voyages to Africa during the international “slave” trade that included more than 1,250,000 kidnapped Black human beings. And an additional approximately 1,650,000 Blacks were born- actually bred- as well as transported into slavery in the so-called French West Indies.

France continued the “slave” trade “legally” until 1830, which was long after other European countries had abolished it. And France “illegally” continued it even after the American Civil War ended in 1865.

A total of 14 African countries, which had been colonies of France, are currently compelled by France (with the backing of its economically powerful European allies) to put 85% of their foreign reserves into the French Central Bank. Those 14 African countries also still have to pay a “colonial debt” to France. All told, they are forced to pay $500 billion annually to France.

Yes $500 billion. Each year. From 14 African countries. Each of which had been invaded, colonized, exploited, robbed, enslaved, and impoverished by France. Think about that for a minute.

Our ancestors want you to sign that petition, They want you to sign it now. And they want you to spread the word by sharing it with your family, friends, and associates.

Make France pay. Make France pay now.