Pierre Toussaint: From Slave to Sainthood
This blog is about Pierre Toussaint. The piece is culled from my Africana scrap album. Here is Pierre Toussaint’s story. 1. He was born on July 27, 1766 in Saint-Marc, Artibonite Saint- Domingo ( now Haiti) 2. He was brought to New York City as a Slave in 1807. 3. He worked as a hair dresser, barber, philanthropist, and helped many immigrants and refugees from Haiti. 4He also helped to raise money to build the old St. Patrick’s Cathedral on Mulberry Street. He built a school for black kids. 5 June 30, 1853: Toussaint died at the age of 87. He was buried at St Patrick’s Cathedral on 5th Avenue. 6. 1996: Pope John Paul 11 declared him venerable - a step 2 on his way to becoming a full-fledged saint. Bibliographic salute Jones, Arthur: Pierre Toussaint: A biography