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Patrick Jean-Baptiste

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Rituals, Runaways, and the Haitian Revolution

Show Notes Study Guide
A photograph of the entrance to a sunny, upscale gated community featuring a closed metal gate flanked by two large stone and stucco pillars. The driveway is paved with brick, and tropical palm trees line both sides of the entrance, illuminated by warm, late-afternoon sunlight.

Part III — When Solidarity Turns Against the People

Every community has a story it tells about itself. It speaks of order, of safety, of shared sacrifice and shared benefit. But beneath that...
A dark, moody, and dramatic digital painting of a woman in a long, tattered dress standing in a dimly lit, dusty interior. She holds up a large, antique balance scale or weighing pan filled with rough, heavy rocks or rubble, illuminated by a single shaft of light from an unseen window.

Part II — The Weight Bent by Nostalgia

A community is not held up by good intentions. It is held up by discipline, by the unromantic work of boundaries and the people...
Three figures with backpacks are depicted climbing over a tall black metal fence and an adjacent stone pillar to enter a large, upscale house with a red tile roof and palm trees under a bright sky.

Part I — The Gate That Forgot It Was a Gate

This is only the first part of a larger meditation. In part two, we will follow the burden placed on the responsible when rules...

Why Investors Are Misreading the AI vs Software Story

I'm noticing a growing disconnect in the markets today. My investor friends are acting schizophrenic—pouring capital into companies growing 40% to 50% a year,...

Influencers, NGOs, and Gangs: The Shallow Rungs of Haiti’s Ladder

Haiti is drowning in noise. The chatter of morning radio. The endless quarrels on WhatsApp. The processions of aid trucks plastered with foreign logos....
Colorful tropical birds illustration featuring three exotic species perched among lush leaves and flowers, with a woven nest holding eggs, symbolizing Haitian wildlife and nature conservation

A Multi-Level Vision for Harnessing the Haitian Diaspora’s Remittances

“Men anpil, chay pa lou.” (Many hands make the load light.) I have carried this proverb with me for as long as I can remember,...
**Alt text:** Side-by-side image featuring the cover of the book *I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom* by Julia Gaffield on the left, showing a painted portrait of Dessalines in military uniform beneath dramatic skies. On the right is a black-and-white headshot of author Julia Gaffield, smiling with straight hair and wearing a blazer.

I Have Avenged America: Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Haiti’s Fight for Freedom

Summary This episode explores the life and legacy of Haiti’s founding father, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, through the lens of historian Dr. Julia Gaffield. Drawing from untapped...