Black History Month

Continued from Part One... Few monuments help illustrate those connections, though a Miami society is looking to change that. The Haitian American Historical Society is planning a monument in Savannah, Ga., to honor the Haitians who fought alongside colonial soldiers in the siege of Savannah during the American Revolution. At least 500 free black men from the French colony that became Haiti volunteered with American colonists and French soldiers in October 1779 in an unsuccessful attempt to drive the British from the coastal Georgia city. Their little-known contribution to America's struggle for independence is a point of national pride in Haiti. After returning home, Haitian veterans of the Revolutionary War led their own rebellion and won Haiti's independence from France in 1804. "That kind of symbol is not only going to be… [more]

Here is a fascinating article linking Haiti with Black History Month: Published Wednesday, February 14, 2007 Haitians celebrate cultural legacy during Black History Month By JENNIFER KAY Associated Press Writer MIAMI Abolitionist Frederick Douglass and writers Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston are among the heroes celebrated every February during Black History Month. Shadowed in history, however, are their ties to Haiti, the first free black republic. That relationship is being examined this year by the founders of Black History Month. The Association for the Study of African American Life and History designated this year's theme as "From Slavery to Freedom: Africans in the Americas," encouraging people to explore the emancipation of slaves and their struggles for equality in the 19th century in Jamaica, Brazil, Haiti and the United States. It's about time, say Haitian-Americans who want the… [more]