Annual Haitian Heritage Month Celebration May 1 to 31

The month of May carries distinctive dates that are important to Haitians and people of Haitian descent:

May 20, 1743

Haitian General Toussaint Louverture, later known as the first of the Blacks, was born. Between 1771 and 1803, he successfully initiated the first organized large-scale military battles against the Spanish, British and French armies. Although he was ultimately captured in an ambush and died in France, his vision and actions paved the way for his generals to successfully lead the country to independence.

May 16-18, 1803

Traditional rivals Jean Jacques Dessalines, leader of the blacks and Alexandre Petion, leader of the mulattos met in the city of Arcahaie and agreed to fight as a united front against Napoleon Bonaparte's colonial army. This pact sealed the fate of the French rule in Haiti and led to the creation of the first Black Republic in the world in 1804.

May 18, 1803

Creation of the official blue and red Haitian flag by the Haitian leaders at the end of the congress of Arcahaie.

The Haitian-American Community of Boston, Massachusetts, will be celebrating, for the seventh consecutive year, the Haitian Heritage Month (May 1-31 2005) with a series of patriotic and cultural events organized by the Haitian-Americans United, Inc. (H.A.U.) in collaboration with several other Boston Haitian organizations. Those events include the 5th Annual Haitian Unity Parade scheduled for Sunday, May 15, 2005 and the 10th Annual Haitian Flag Raising Ceremony in front of Boston City Hall on Wednesday, May 18, 2005.

The Theme of this year’s celebration is: “Let’s Show our Patriotism for Unity, Respect and Development”

For more information, check the May section of the 2005 Chase’s Worldwide Calendar book or contact H.A.U.: Tel:( 617) 298-2976, E-mail: unity@hauinc.org, Web: www.hauinc.org