1874–1934: (Alice Garoute — Born Alice Thézan in 1874 into a Milat Petit Bourgeoisie Family in Cap-Haïtien, Older Than Many Women She Sought to Recruit, Her …

1874–1934: (Alice Garoute — Born Alice Thézan in 1874 into a Milat Petit Bourgeoisie Family in Cap-Haïtien, Older Than Many Women She Sought to Recruit, Her Mother Rumored to Carry a Revolver in Her Corsage Having Participated in Late Eighteenth-Century Operations Led by Boyer-Balezais to Overthrow the Salomon Government, the Family Exiled to Jamaica for Several Years, Garoute Known for Her Sharp Tongue but Also Charismatic — Telling Folktales About the Past and Professing to Know the Future Through Her Card-Reading Practice, in the New Cohort She Saw a Bright Future for the Four Sylvain Sisters Who Had Emerged from Their Parents’ Political Shadow, Madeleine Entering Law School One Month After the Sacré-Coeur March and Completing Studies Before the 1932 Convention — in Anticipation of 1934 Independence Sylvain and Garoute Working for Two Years on Their Vision): Alice Garoute was an obvious choice for leadership. She was socially respected and politically savvy, and through her antioccupation organizing, she had skillfully led a generation of women into activism. Born Alice Thézan in 1874 into a milat, petit bourgeoisie family in Cap-Haïtien, Garoute was older than many of the women she sought to recruit. For the younger women, she offered a wealth of organizing knowledge and legacy. Her mother, who was rumored to carry a revolver in her corsage, had participated in late eighteenth-century operations led by Jean-Pierre Boyer-Balezais to overthrow the Lysius Salomon government. Garoute’s family was exiled to Jamaica for several years, and when they returned, Garoute was a teenager committed to studying the history of her country. By the end of the US occupation, she was committed to training and supporting younger women’s leadership. Although known for her sharp tongue, she was also charismatic — telling folktales about the past and often professing to know the future through her selectively shared card-reading practice. In the new cohort of activists, Garoute saw a bright future for the four Sylvain sisters, who had emerged from their parents’ political shadow to become intellectuals and activists. Madeleine — the young girl who was a teenager when her mother canvassed the streets in the 1920s — entered law school one month after the Sacré-Coeur women’s march and completed her studies at the University of Haiti the year before the 1932 Constitutional Convention. In anticipation of the nation’s full independence in 1934, Sylvain and Garoute joined their collective expertise and worked for two years discussing their respective visions for a women’s political organization.