Sanité Bélair

Suzanne “Sanité” Bélair was a free young woman who joined the revolutionary army and rose to the rank of lieutenant. She married Charles Bélair, a general and nephew of Toussaint Louverture.

In 1802, when the French army came to restore slavery, Sanité and Charles Bélair led an uprising in the Artibonite. She was captured, and her husband gave himself up to stay with her. Both were sentenced to death. On 5 October 1802 she refused the blindfold and faced the firing squad standing.

Achievements

• Served as a sergeant, then a lieutenant, in the revolutionary army.
• Helped lead the 1802 uprising against the French expedition.
• Faced her execution with a courage that became legend.
• Is honored as a national heroine, and her portrait appeared on a banknote for the bicentennial of independence.