Representative Marie St. Fleur
5th Suffolk District

Haitian Parade Statement:

Congratulations on the celebration of the 6th Annual Haitian Parade in celebration of Haitian Heritage Month.  This 6th year is a hallmark because it represents the perseverance of the Haitian American United Organization (HAU).  For six years the members of HAU have struggled to bring forth a festive, well organized and inclusive parade.  The parade celebrates the best of Haitian history and culture and embraces the uniqueness of the Haitian-American experience here in Massachusetts.

Through the music of the marching bands, the design of the costumes and floats, Haitian- American youth are connected to a past, which their parents and grandparents revere, and are provided an indubitable attachment to their place of importance in the African experience.

I commend the members of HAU for their tenacity.  Because of their vision for unity and their sacrifice, over 15, 000 people in Greater Boston and across the Commonwealth will join in celebrating the lives of our African ancestors, who realized the first successful slave revolution in the Americas.  The inclusion and participation of all people of African descent in this parade demonstrates our historical connection and the necessity of our continued unity in order to realize our mutual desire for political, economic and social success.