Now and then a book comes along that I consider to be a must read. This book is one of those.
The author takes us all the way back to the 1790s and the Haitian Revolution to show readers how this country from its very inception has attempted to keep out those who were being judged by powerful people as being undesirable. Attempts to suppress Haitian migration go back to the United State's founding fathers — enslavers who did not want anyone from a newly freed Black republic to reach our shores.
The process of exclusion of certain immigrants continues today and it has rarely slowed. Understanding this history of national immigration control helps us comprehend how it happened, what has kept it happening, and the attempts that were made to reverse it over the centuries.
The Book Nook airs Saturdays at 7 a.m. and Sundays at 10:30 a.m. on WYSO 91.3 FM and streams at WYSO.org or wherever you get your podcasts.The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, Wright Memorial Public Library, and Tipp City Public Library.
