On Monday, Haitian Americans like Lucien will be one step closer to this vision during the groundbreaking of the Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center, which is slated to open in the North End later this year. It will serve as a meeting place for community organizations to gather and artists to hone their craft, and as a tourist spot for travelers looking to learn more about Haitian culture.

“This is a first-of-a-kind opportunity for not just Haitians, but fellow Bostonians and people within the region to forge city, state, and even international partnerships,” said Dr. Elizabeth Farrah Louis, a Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist who co-chairs the cultural center’s executive committee.

In the late 18th century, Toussaint Louverture was a formerly enslaved man-turned-general who, in Haiti, led the only successful slave revolt in modern history.

The cultural center’s groundbreaking comes at a pivotal time as thousands of Haitian migrants fleeing humanitarian crises in their home country are arriving in the Greater Boston area at rapid speed. The ongoing unrest has pushed the existing infrastructure to its limits as political, religious, and community leaders scramble to meet the immediate needs of new arrivals. From October 2022 to September 2023, Haitians made up three in four migrants logged in state records, but the numbers are likely much larger. Thus, advocates of the Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center say the influx of Haitian migrants makes the space’s opening even more significant — as a physical reminder of what the nation’s third-largest Haitian community has to offer to Boston.

“What currently is a part of the public narrative in Boston is migrants coming and taking up housing and space and resources in the city,” said Aisha Revolus, a member of the space’s executive committee. “But at this cultural center, we’re going to provide. We’re changing the narrative.”

The Haitian community’s history in Greater Boston spans decades. They have come in waves since at least the late ‘50s, when wealthier families and students fleeing François “Papa Doc” Duvalier’s rule resettled in the metropolitan area. The 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act helped more Haitians emigrate from their home country, and thousands have arrived in Boston in the decades since. Nearly 29,000 Bostonians reported Haitian ancestry as of 2021, according to a Boston Planning and Development Agency analysis of census data.

Despite their long-lasting imprint on the region, their access to political, economic, and social power has only recently materialized, said at-large City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, the first Haitian American elected to Boston City Council, in 2021.

“Better late than never,” Louijeune said. “Physical infrastructure will continue to fortify the infrastructure of the diaspora, and hopefully, this center will help us get there.”

The idea of a cultural center spans several years, but it started to become a reality when, in 2016, the Boston Planning and Development Agency, or BPDA, searched for a civic organization to occupy a 2,000-square-foot brick-and-mortar space at the Lovejoy Wharf luxury condominiums.

The successful BPDA bid comes with a free 25-year lease, to be renewed every five years, and a $50,000 grant for renovations.

Louis said about a quarter of the center will be a visitor’s space with information about Boston’s Haitian community. The rest of the site will include a conference room, cafe, function hall, library, and gift shop.

Lucien, an executive committee member, and Louis said the group set a $250,000 fund-raising goal for its first year. It has collected $18,000 so far, on top of the grant that came from the bid.

“We have to fund-raise for positions like the executive director, program director, and other sort of staff,” Louis said.

Located at 131 Beverly St., at the juncture of Boston’s North End and West End neighborhoods, the Toussaint Louverture Cultural Center will have “huge exposure to tourists,” Lucien said. It will be a four-minute walk for Celtics and Bruins fans attending games at TD Garden, concertgoers and clubbers at Big Night Live, and Amtrak and MBTA commuters at North Station.

Its location will not only help them generate consistent revenue to keep the center’s doors open but also “engage the neighborhood on who we are as Haitian Americans,” Lucien said.

Revolus, who works in communications full time, said the hub will be important for non-Haitians to learn about the country’s rich history; and it will teach generations of their own community about themselves, too.

Revolus, 25, went through Boston Public Schools where Haiti’s contributions were a footnote in her textbooks, and many students were ashamed of being Haitian because of the negative stereotypes that people place on her community.

But through volunteering her communications and graphics skills to the cultural center’s committee, she’s learned from Haitian elders about historical moments like war hero General Francois Capois’ displays of valor in the Haitian Revolution, or demonstrators’ symbolic toss of a Christopher Columbus statue into Port-au-Prince’s harbor.

“My hope is that people like me who are younger can connect with other young folks from Haiti and across the diaspora to talk about our shared heritage and culture,” she said.

The upcoming cultural center follows other Haitian-focused organizations that have popped up in Boston in recent decades. The Haitian Multi-Services Center opened in Dorchester in the late ‘70s to help immigrants secure housing, boost literacy, and find work. Perhaps more well known is the Immigrant Family Services Institute along Blue Hill Avenue, which has led the local response to Haiti’s ongoing unrest. But most of these places’ primary mission is to provide wraparound services to Haitian immigrants, to help newcomers get on their feet.

“Of course, we still need places that respond to these needs,” Lucien said. “But we now need a place that is promoting who we are.”

Tiana Woodard is a Report for America corps member covering Black neighborhoods. She can be reached at tiana.woodard@globe.com. Follow her @tianarochon.

#3 Boston and #4 Minnesota kick off the inaugural PWHL Finals tonight at 5 p.m. EDT. Before the fun begins, it’s time to look at how these two stack up.

The Playoffs So Far

Starting with Boston, many expected their semifinal series with Montréal to go five games but instead, Boston swept it. Despite the sweep, it was an extremely close series and thanks to every game going to overtime, they played a whopping 246:30, equivalent to just over four games. The main reason Boston pulled it off was the ridiculous play of Aerin Frankel. She faced an astounding 145 shots—many of which were high-danger—and stopped 141.

Full recaps of each game in the series are linked below, plus an in-depth look at the series’ main storylines

As for Minnesota, they pulled off an even more surprising reverse sweep of #1 Toronto, who chose them as an opponent. They also have their goaltender to thank, but it’s not the one most expected. Maddie Rooney took over the net from Nicole Hensley in Game 2 and has played her heart out ever since. She was less busy than Frankel, stopping 92 of 94 shots in four appearances, but remarkably secured two shutouts in three potential elimination games for her club.

Full recaps of each game in the series are linked below.

Season Series

These clubs meant five times in the regular season. Boston held a slight edge in the series, going 2-1-0-2. Boston’s regulation wins were on the road and their overtime win was at home, while Minnesota split their wins between home and the road.

Full recaps of each game can be found below

• Wed, Jan 3 @ BOS- Minnesota 3, Boston 2
• Sat, Jan 27 @ BOS- Minnesota 3, Boston 4 (OT)
• Sun, Feb 25 @ MIN- Minnesota 0, Boston 2 
• Wed, Mar 13 @ MIN- Minnesota 4, Boston 0
• Sat, April 27 @ MIN- Minnesota 1, Boston 2 

Offense

A combined 19 goals were scored on 256 shots in the season series. Boston tallied ten goals on 124 shots, while Minnesota notched 11 goals on 134 shots (stats for both teams include an empty net shot and goal). Boston’s offense was more balanced than Minnesota’s in the regular season, but Minnesota’s big guns appeared on the scoresheet more often.

Boston has been the better offensive team in the playoffs, but not by a lot. Each notched seven goals, but Minnesota got shut out in their first two games. Boston fired 102 shots on goal for an average of 34 per game but only cracked 30 once (they just did it decisively, with 52 shots in Game 2). On the other side, Minnesota fired 133 shots on net for an average of 26.6 per game and only cracked 30 shots once (in Game 5). 

Now let’s take a more in-depth look at each team’s offense.

Boston Leading Scorers 

• Season Series
  • Goals- Alina Müller and Theresa Schafzahl (2)
  • Assists- Jamie Lee Rattray (3)
  • Points- Müller (4)
• Regular Season
  • Goals- Hilary Knight (6)
    • Lexie Adzija also has six, but five were with PWHL Ottawa
  • Assists- Müller and Megan Keller (11)
  • Points- Müller (16)
• Playoffs
  • Goals- Amanda Pelkey and Susanna Tapani (2)
  • Assists- Keller, Gigi Marvin, Sidney Morin, and Theresa Schafzahl (2)
  • Points- Pelkey (3)

In the season series, Boston saw 16 players tally points, seven of which got multiple. Throughout the regular season, 23 of their 25 skaters who appeared in a game notched points, and 22 got more than one. Seven of their skaters cracked the ten-point threshold, but only Müller and Keller topped 0.5 PPG. 

Currently, 11 of their 21 skaters have points in the playoffs, and seven have multiple points. Boston’s depth has been highly productive, with their bottom six forwards tallying five of the seven goals. Fourth-line left-wing Pelkey and top-line center Tapani are the only Boston players with multiple playoff goals.

Minnesota Leading Scorers

• Season Series
  • Goals- Grace Zumwinkle (3)
  • Assists- Taylor Heise, Kendall Coyne Schofield, and Lee Stecklein (2)
  • Points- Zumwinkle, Heise, and Coyne Schofield (4)
• Regular Season
  • Goals- Zumwinkle (11)
  • Assists- Kelly Pannek (12)
  • Points- Zumwinkle (19)
• Playoffs
  • Goals- Heise and Denisa Křížová (2)
  • Assists- Sophie Jaques, Liz Schepers, and Stecklein (3)
  • Points- Jaques, Schepers, and Stecklein (3)

Minnesota had slightly fewer skaters tally points in the season series, with 14 skaters getting on the scoresheet. Over the regular season, they also had fewer skaters notch multiple points, with 17 of their 21 point-getters finding the scoresheet more than once. That said, they also had fewer skaters appear for them, with only 23 to Boston’s 25. While they had fewer players produce, many of the ones who did were potent, with five skaters cracking ten points and six players tallying over 0.5 PPG. 

In the playoffs, they have a similar spread to Boston, with 11 of their 20 skaters tallying points, seven of which have gotten multiple. Their depth has also been pitching in offensively, with four of their seven goals coming from their bottom-six forwards and one from a bottom-pairing defender. Third-line left-wing Křížová was also the only skater to get multiple goals past Toronto’s Kristen Campbell (one of Heise’s was into the empty net).

Special Teams

In the season series, 25 penalties were taken (all minors) but only three power-play goals were scored. Lee Stecklein took the most penalties for Minnesota with three, while Kaleigh Fratkin led the way for Boston with four. On the power play, Boston went 2/11 (18.2%), while Minnesota went 1/14 (7.1%). Conversely, Boston’s penalty kill was 93% successful while Minnesota’s was 81.8%.

Outside of the season series, both teams have generally abysmal power plays. Boston was dead last in the league in the regular season with a 7.5% success rate, and they have yet to score a postseason power-play goal in six opportunities. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s regular season power play was marginally better, sitting fifth with an 8.2% success rate, and they tallied two power-play goals in Game 5 against Toronto for a 13.3% success rate through five games. 

As for the penalty kill, Minnesota’s was dreadful in the regular season. They were last by a wide margin after killing 67.2% of their penalties. Yet, they’re perfect in the playoffs, killing all ten of their penalties. Meanwhile, Boston’s penalty kill was fifth in the league in the regular season, with an 80% success rate. Statistically, it’s only been marginally better this postseason, with an 83% success rate. However, they did kill a five-minute match penalty in a Game 2 overtime, and Pelkey scored a jailbreak goal to tie Game 3, so they deserve some bonus points for those.

Barring any sudden changes, neither power play will likely be very active in this series. Neither has clicked consistently and it’s doubtful that changes now. That said, considering the looming goaltending battle, even one power-play goal could be enough to change the course of the series so don’t underestimate the value of a sporadic successful power play.

Goaltending

In the season series, Boston started Frankel three times and Emma Söderberg once. Frankel sported a 0.925 SV% and 2.00 GAA, while Söderberg has an eerily similar 0.924 SV% and 2.00 GAA. Meanwhile, Minnesota started Nicole Hensley four times and Maddie Rooney once. Hensley earned a sparkling 0.953 SV% and 1.25 GAA, while Rooney’s one appearance was one she’d like to forget, resulting in a 0.733 SV% and 3.97 GAA.

This series will be a goalie-off, but not between the two goaltenders many would have expected leading into the playoffs. Most would’ve guessed Frankel versus Hensley, but instead, it’ll be Frankel versus Rooney barring an epic collapse by either goaltender. Frankel was the better goaltender in the regular season, with a 2.00 GAA and 0.929 SV% (both third overall) through 18 games. Meanwhile, Rooney had a 2.08 GAA (fourth overall) and 0.915 SV% (tied for seventh overall) through 10 games. Both have been nearly unbeatable in the playoffs, with Rooney holding a slight statistical edge. Frankel carries a 0.97 GAA (third overall) and 0.972 SV% (second overall) through three games, while Rooney has a 0.45 GAA and 0.979 SV% (both first overall) through four games. 

Standard goalie statistics aside, Frankel is currently the goaltender to beat. She faced 51 more shots than Rooney in two fewer games and made numerous highlight reel saves. Rooney was outstanding when needed, but Minnesota’s defensive structure suffocated Toronto so she wasn’t tested as much. However, unless something rattles these goaltenders, both teams will have to find another gear offensively if they want to get anywhere.

The puck drops on Game 1 tonight at 5 p.m. at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, MA. The full schedule and where to watch information can be found on the league’s website here.