Dr. Julia Gaffield, historian and specialist in the Haitian Revolution, has released her latest book on Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines. Her deeply human portrait dismantles long-standing misconceptions, depicting the man in all his dimensions — the slave, the soldier, the war leader, the abolitionist, the statesman, and the diplomat. She shared excerpts from the book at the Embassy of Haiti in Washington, D.C., focusing on the man who sacrificed himself for Haiti’s independence and who, in her words, “avenged America.”

Next to the lectern, resting on a pedestal, the bust of Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines filled the embassy’s grand hall with solemn gravity. It was Friday, October 17, 2025 — 219 years after the parricide of Pont-Rouge — a day dedicated to honoring a giant and his enduring legacy of absolute freedom for Haiti and the world.