Haitian Artists Assembly of Massachusetts

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Toussaint L’Ouverture Cultural Center of Massachusetts took place on Monday near TD Garden. The center will act as a gathering place and resource for local Haitians. And organizers hope it will also help the legacy of one of history’s great leaders live on.

In the late 1980s, a tense political situation in his home country of Haiti left visual artist Charlot Lucien with little hope for his future. He was in his mid-20s at the time and involved in political cartooning at a moment when the country’s leaders scorned political expression through media. So, he left.