Venerable Pierre Toussaint (1766 – June 30, 1853) was born a Catholic slave in Haïti. His master taught him to read and write and he came to New York from Haiti in 1787. In New York, he became an apprentice to one of the city's leading hairdressers. In 1996 Toussaint was declared Venerable by Pope John Paul II, the second step toward sainthood.