1922-05: (Estrea Jean Gilles’s Declaration — “I Don’t Drink” as Self-Representation Against Dehumanizing Occupation Discourse, Gilles in the Hospital Explain…

1922-05: (Estrea Jean Gilles’s Declaration — “I Don’t Drink” as Self-Representation Against Dehumanizing Occupation Discourse, Gilles in the Hospital Explaining She Had a Toothache and Was Self-Medicating with Tafia, Less Concerned with Attributing Blame for Her Injuries — a Broken and Later Amputated Left Leg — Than with Documenting That Intoxication Was Neither Her Intent nor Her Habit, Her Declaration an Active Defense Against Alteration of Her Character — at Nineteen Defending Her Reputation so She Could Remain a Trusted Saleswoman in the Very Streets Where She Was Hit): In the hospital after the accident, Estrea Jean Gilles gave a statement. She explained she had been suffering from a toothache and was self-medicating by rinsing her mouth with tafia, a local alcohol. She concluded with a declaration that stood as the center of gravity in her testimony: she did not drink. Gilles seemed less concerned with attributing blame for her injuries — a broken and later amputated left leg — than with documenting that intoxication was neither her intent nor her habit. She likely knew witnesses had smelled alcohol at the scene, and that this could be wielded to tarnish her character and corroborate stereotypes about Haitian women. Her declaration was an active defense against the alteration of her character. At nineteen, she was defending her reputation so she could remain a trusted saleswoman in the very streets where she was struck. As Carolle Charles argues, working-class and poor Haitian women historically defined for themselves meanings of respectability and uses of their bodies.