How many people are aware that famed African-American composer and bandleader, Francis Johnson, was an avid believer in Haiti? Like many free blacks of the North, he seems to have looked favorably on Haitian independence. So much so, in fact, that he composed "Recognition March of the Independence of Hayti" after France finally recognized their former colony's independent status. Unfortunately, I have not come across any recordings of this song, but its an interesting case of historical links between Haiti and African-Americans.
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