My name is Lucia Dominique Pascale Solages. I am a Haitian feminist, political activist, and one of the co-founders of NÈGÈS MAWON, a feminist organization in Haiti. The struggles I have faced, the values I hold dear, and the beliefs I stand by truly define me. They are the essence of the woman, the citizen, and the activist that I have become.
The name of our organization, NÈGÈS MAWON, which translates to “Maroon Woman” or “Female Marrons,” reveals a lot about who I am. It traces its roots back to the “Maroon Negro,” a symbol of enslaved individuals who fled to the mountains to escape the brutality of forced labor and death during the colonial era. In my homeland, this symbol is immortalized in the form of a statue in the heart of Port-au-Prince, our capital city. This “hero” lives on in our schools, history books, and collective memory, often associated with the stirring slogan “Libète ou Lanmò” – Freedom or Death.
NÈGÈS MAWON, therefore, represents an organization deeply anchored in the ideals of justice and freedom that fueled the revolution of 1804 and led to the birth of the First Black Republic in the World. By choosing this name for our organization, we sought to reclaim this powerful symbol that speaks to the unyielding desire for freedom and humanity of the Haitian people who, despite being oppressed, remained unbroken.
For far too long, the contributions of women to the struggles in Haiti have been rendered invisible. These struggles include not only the fight against slavery but also all the other battles our nation has faced since its independence. We decided to “feminize” this symbol. By transforming “NÈG MAWON” or “Male Maroon” into “NÈGÈS MAWON” or “Female Maroon,” we made a political statement – to put women back in the narrative of our people’s history. This includes not only the extraordinary women, the “heroines” like Sanite Belair, Claire-Heureuse, TOYA, and Défilé, but also and especially the nameless women, the countless unsung heroines whose stories remain untold.
Eight years ago, on a November 18, we launched our organization, a significant day that symbolizes the anniversary of the last major battle of the Haitian Revolution, the “Battle of Vertières.” Our first project was a campaign as part of the global 16 Days of Activism for the Elimination of Violence against Women. For the first time in Haiti, women who survived violence agreed to openly share their experiences on one of the largest media platforms in our country. The act of speaking out took on profound meaning for me.
I was exposed to violence early in my life. My father was abusive towards my mother, and despite being very young, barely four or five years old, those incidents left deep scars on me. However, my mother chose to break free. She took me and my little sister, who was three years younger, and left. That act of defiance, of a single mother with limited resources choosing to break free from a cycle of violence rather than continue living in fear, was the first feminist act that profoundly impacted my life. Of course, I only remembered and understood this much later. But it subconsciously marked me and quickly shaped the woman I was to become, propelling me on the path to becoming the woman I am today.
Launching NÈGÈS MAWON with such a project was also about seeking refuge to confront my rape and begin the path to healing. It was about giving a voice to women who, like the 8-year-old girl I once was, saw their lives shattered by sexual assault. Therefore, the spearhead of NÈGÈS MAWON became a multidimensional support and assistance program for survivors of violence, built around our “Sisterhood” project. Since its inception, this program has helped thousands of survivors of all forms of violence and has established sorority as “one of the powerful weapons of destruction” against gender-based violence.
In 2016, we created the first feminist festival in Haiti, the “NÈGÈS MAWON Feminist Festival.” Having worked in the media as a presenter and producer for eight years, creating large artistic productions and promoting artists, I sought a way to align my creative side with my activism. I needed a space where I could express my activism in the most authentic way: radical, explosive, innovative, creative, and direct. I joined forces with young women who shared the same need—a space to create, to exist differently, to mobilize power and influence, and to place the new concerns of Haitian women from my generation at the center of the debate. Since then, we haven’t stopped. We have developed several programs, supported artistic creations and the process of creation, established more than a dozen national and international partnerships, published a bi-annual trilingual feminist anthology, gathered almost a hundred members, and impacted the lives of thousands of women and girls across the country. Today, NÈGÈS MAWON stands as one of the most active and influential organizations in Haiti.
In 2011, I experienced the loss of my newborn. Like millions of Haitian women, I became a victim of extreme gynecological and obstetric violence. My painful personal experience served as a stark reminder that the Haitian health system is designed to mistreat, neglect, and even endanger the lives of women. The physical, emotional, and mental violence that I endured for several months, coupled with the grief and guilt that seemed insurmountable, compelled me to prioritize reproductive justice in Haiti through my organization. In a country where abortion is completely criminalized and maternal mortality stands as the third leading cause of death among women, NÈGÈS MAWON established a comprehensive program on this issue. This program provides reliable information on abortion, establishes networks of doctors and midwives to ensure safe abortions, offers self-managed abortion support services, and provides post-abortion care. The life and well-being of women are our priority, and we use all available tools to fight the control imposed on the bodies, lives, and destinies of Haitian women.
“Power” is a word that often frightens people, but I wholeheartedly embrace the nickname my friends usually call me, “Woman of Power.” My life journey, my numerous personal experiences, and my political and ideological stance have led me to understand that, as a black woman, I need “Power” in all its manifestations and within all the spaces I occupy. I need it to defend and preserve my rights as a woman and to propel the influence and change I aspire to see in the world. At the age of 27, I made the decision to run for Mayor of Port-au-Prince, becoming one of the youngest women, a feminist activist, to pursue an elective office in Haiti.
Even though I didn’t win the elections, that experience was pivotal in fueling my political ambitions and my unwavering love for “Power”. Rest assured; it’s not my last foray into electoral politics. You can expect to see me running for office again in the future, determined to continue pursuing my goals and effecting positive change.
In the meantime, I am engaged in political activism alongside a group of dedicated brothers and sisters, who are fighting against corruption in Haiti. In 2018, I was among the courageous young men and women who initiated the Petrocaribe Challenge movement, which has become one of the largest anti-corruption movements in Haiti. This movement has evolved into a broader fight against corruption, impunity, and for social justice in Haiti.
Currently, I find myself temporarily residing in New York after having to flee Haiti due to political reprisals. While in New York, I divide my time between managing NEGES MAWON and collaborating with a New York-based organization that provides assistance to Haitian migrants fleeing violence and social inequalities in Haiti. I am also intensifying my voice and political advocacy in influential spheres and decision-making processes at the international level.
Dorothy Height once said,
“I want to be remembered as someone who used herself and anything she could touch to work for justice and freedom. I want to be remembered as one who tried.”
This statement resonates deeply with me and captures my essence. I will continue to try, time and time again. However, I aspire to be remembered as “the one who succeeded.”
Pascale SOLAGES