Source: The New York Times

On January 19, 2003 The New York Times reported that "as an assistant professor in the Religion Department at Wesleyan University, the wife of a Haitian man, the mother of an adopted Haitian daughter and a follower of the [voodoo] religion herself, Ms. McAlister has to find a balance between the personal, the professional and the academic... Voodoo is a religion developed by Africans forced to leave their homes behind and work as slaves on Haiti's sugar plantations. A broad religion with millions of faithful and countless forms of worship, voodoo incorporates some African belief systems with aspects of Catholicism and is known for its saints, its ceremonies, and, unfortunately, its sensationalization, Ms. McAlister said... 'Part of my work is about recognizing there's a religious tradition at work here with elaborate religious rituals that can be compared and contrasted to other world religions,' she said. 'However, part of that involves care taking to some extent. It does involve correcting the public's understanding.'"