Who was Toussaint L’Ouverture, the namesake behind Boston's new Haitian cultural center?

Toussaint L'Ouverture was one of the major leaders of the Haitian Revolution. Lucien compares him to two American greats: Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.

“Of course, I could have named a few abolitionists as well, but the weight of the historical mission that Lincoln had to take on his shoulders, to me, is comparable to what Toussaint L'Ouverture had to deal with,” he said.

The Toussaint L’Ouverture Cultural Center of Massachusetts, set to celebrate its groundbreaking near TD Garden on May 20, 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.