Pierre Toussaint

the long version

"Pierre Toussaint was born in Saint Domingue (now known as Haiti) in 1781. The child of a slave on a plantation owned by the Berards, a prosperous French family, he was raised as a devout Catholic. When a slave uprising forced the Berards to flee the island in 1797, Toussaint came to New York City as the family's servant. As a black man and as a Catholic, Toussaint found that his new home held dangers of its own: Slaves were brutalized by their owners, free blacks were beaten in the streets, and anti-Catholic sentiment was rampant. But New York also offered him new opportunities. When Toussaint's talents as a hairstylist - along with his charming, refined manners - made him a favorite of the women in New York's upper-class families, he began earning a substantial income. He was given his freedom in 1807, married in 1811, and devoted his life to helping former slaves, supporting the Church, and taking care of the poor and oppressed, all while helping to raise funds for the city's first cathedral."--BOOK JACKET.