Without Haiti, the United States would not "be what it is today," Haitian Ambassador Raymond Joseph said during a speech in the McDowell Formal Lounge Monday.
Haiti's impact has largely been overlooked because it is a republic where slaves used force to win their freedom at a time when slavery was still legal in the United States. This was not an example of independence the United States wished to endorse, he said.
In the U.S., people usually portray Haiti as the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Joseph said.
"The Louisiana Purchase happened because of Haitians, and, usually when I tell young Americans were it not for 'poor little Haiti' the U.S. would not be what it is today, [they say] 'What are you talking about, man?'"
Haitian influences on U.S. history are not limited to the Louisiana Purchase, he said. Haitian Jean Baptiste Pointe du Sable founded the city of Chicago, a fact that went unacknowledged until 1968. Another Haitian, Pierre Toussaint, helped establish the first black school in New York. In 1779, soldiers from Saint Dominique - modern-day Haiti - fought alongside American colonists during the Revolutionary War.
In October, Savannah, Ga., dedicated the first monument to those soldiers, Joseph said.
"If just last year - 228 years later - people are recognizing what [Haitians] did for America, I say, well, this is nothing," he said. "Really nothing."
Régine René, a graduate student in the School of International Service, who recently returned from New Orleans, said during the event that she was "crushed" to hear Louisiana State University students still saying "What does Haiti have to do with Louisiana?"
"We have to have a change in the history books," Joseph said.
Max Friedman, an associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences, said schools do not mention Haiti's contributions to the United States often.
"These topics come as a surprise to most students, except perhaps for graduate students who have read much 19th century history," he said in an e-mail.
Referring to the $163 million in foreign aid that Haiti received from the U.S. in 2006, Joseph said, "I think that finally some people are realizing what Haiti did for more than 200 years to help you be what you are today."
Haiti contributes to American culture today - Americans particularly like the music of Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean, Joseph said.
"We still contribute, right up to this day," he said. "We contribute our pop singers."
The School of International Service Graduate Council's International Affairs Committee hosted the event.
