Silence and Resistance
About this ebook
"Silence and Resistance" recounts the author’s upbringing under state-sponsored terror, domestic violence, forced silence, the bewilderment of loss, and generational secrets. It is also a haunting narrative of the author’s profound journey to uncover and reckon with the buried secrets of her family's past.
Set against the rich backdrop and singular history of Haiti, this poignant tale explores the complexities of love, trauma, and identity through the lens of a father's dark legacy. When she discovered that her father committed an unspeakable act, the revelation shattered Monique’s understanding of family. Forced to confront the silence that has long shielded the truth, she must navigate the emotional turmoil of betrayal and the weight of inherited pain. She must, too, reconcile her love for a man who was both a nurturing parent and a perpetrator of violence.
Through vivid and expert storytelling and intimate reflections, "Silence and Resistance" delves into the psychological scars left by familial secrets and the struggle for personal redemption. It is a powerful exploration of the necessity to confront uncomfortable truths, break the chains of silence, and ultimately find healing with one’s own voice and destiny in the embrace of honesty.
About the author
Monique Clesca has led two incredibly fulfilling lives. First, as an activist, and second, as a Journalist. As an advocate, she worked in the field of international development, advocating for children's and women’s rights, and has participated in high-level policy issues linked to Haiti and Africa. She has been a long-time volunteer of a women-led organization that provides holistic support to girls and women who have suffered domestic and sexual violence. The President of Niger awarded her the country’s highest honor, Commander in the Niger Order of Merit, in 2016 for having spearheaded a country-wide movement for the elimination of child marriage.
Since her retirement from the United Nations in 2016, she has worked as an international consultant. Also a leading voice as a feminist, pro-democracy, and pro-social justice activist in Haiti, she has been a speaker at the Yale Law School, Harvard Law School, Georgetown Law School, the Parliament of Canada, and a guest on Democracy Now, NPR, CNN, MSNBC, NBC News, and Black News. Her articles and essays center around Haiti and themes of displacement, family bonds, gender, politics, and identity issues, and have appeared in the New York Times, Narrative, the Miami Herald, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, Le Nouvelliste, and NYU’s Black Renaissance Noire Magazine, among others.
