Haitian Heritage Month is a celebration in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 of Haiti

Haiti

Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...

an heritage and culture. It was first celebrated in Boston, Massachusetts, in 1998. Tele Kreyol, one of the Boston Haitian Access Television programs, celebrated the whole month of May with a series of programs on Haitian history, culture, and contributions to the world. The month-long celebration has continued with such activities as parades, flag raisings, and exhibits organized by Haitian-Americans United, Inc. (H.A.U.) in collaboration with several Haitian organizations in the New England

New England

New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...

 area.

The Haitian community of Palm Beach, Florida

Palm Beach, Florida

The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...

, which started the Heritage celebration in 2001, contributed greatly to make the Heritage Month first a statewide celebration, and then, a national one in the United States. Their congressman, Kendrick B. Meek, introduced unsuccessfully a bill in the House in 2004 and 2006 to recognize the month of May as Haitian-American Heritage Month in the United States. President George W. Bush

George W. Bush

George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....

 and his wife Laura Bush

Laura Bush

Laura Lane Welch Bush is the wife of the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush. She was the First Lady of the United States from January 20, 2001, to January 20, 2009. She has held a love of books and reading since childhood and her life and education have reflected that interest...

 sent a letter in May 2005 to congratulate the Haitian-American community for the heritage month and organized a celebration at the White House

White House

The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...

 the same year.

Since 1998, several governors, members of state senates and houses of representatives, mayors and city councilors have issued annual citations and proclamations, recognizing the Haitian Heritage Month celebration in their states or cities.

In 2008, the Haitian Heritage Month/Flag Day was celebrated with parades, festivals, schools activities, and flag raising ceremonies in the following cities and counties in the U.S.:
Connecticut

• Norwich
  Norwich, Connecticut
  Regular steamship service between New York and Boston helped Norwich to prosper as a shipping center through the early part of the 20th century. During the Civil War, Norwich once again rallied and saw the growth of its textile, armaments, and specialty item manufacturing...
  
  

Florida

• Broward County
  Broward County, Florida
  -2000 Census:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,623,018 people, 654,445 households, and 411,645 families residing in the county. The population density was 1,346 people per square mile . There were 741,043 housing units at an average density of 615 per square mile...
  
  
• Delray Beach
  Delray Beach, Florida
  Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
  
  
• Palm Beach
  Palm Beach, Florida
  The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
  
  
• Miami Beach
  Miami Beach, Florida
  Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
  
  
• Miramar
  Miramar, Florida
  Miramar is a city in Broward County, Florida, United States. The city was named after the Miramar district of Havana, Cuba. As of the 2010 census, the population was 122,041...
  
  
• Orlando
  Orlando, Florida
  Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
  
  
• Tampa
  Tampa, Florida
  Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
  
  
• Ft. Lauderdale
• Boca Raton
  Boca Raton, Florida
  Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
  
  
• Collier County
  Collier County, Florida
  Collier County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 251,377. The U.S. Census Bureau 2007 estimate for the county is 315,839...
  
  
• Palm Bay
  Palm Bay, Florida
  Palm Bay is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. The U.S. Census Bureau estimated the city's population as 100,786 on 1 July 2008; it is the most populous city in the county...
  
  

Georgia

• Atlanta
  Atlanta, Georgia
  Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
  
  

Illinois

• Chicago

Massachusetts

• Boston
• Brockton
  Brockton, Massachusetts
  Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population was 93,810 in the 2010 Census. Brockton, along with Plymouth, are the county seats of Plymouth County...
  
  
• Cambridge
  Cambridge, Massachusetts
  Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
  
  
• Lawrence
  Lawrence, Massachusetts
  Lawrence is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States on the Merrimack River. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a total population of 76,377. Surrounding communities include Methuen to the north, Andover to the southwest, and North Andover to the southeast. It and Salem are...
  
  
• Malden
  Malden, Massachusetts
  Malden is a suburban city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 59,450 at the 2010 census. In 2009 Malden was ranked as the "Best Place to Raise Your Kids" in Massachusetts by Bloomberg Businessweek Magazine.-History:...
  
  
• Waltham
  Waltham, Massachusetts
  Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, was an early center for the labor movement, and major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning,...
  
  

New Jersey

• Irvington
  Irvington, New Jersey
  Irvington is a township in Essex County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the township had a total population of 53,926, a decline of 11.2% from the 60,695 residents enumerated in the 2000 Census.-Geography:...
  
  
• Trenton
  Trenton, New Jersey
  Trenton is the capital of the U.S. state of New Jersey and the county seat of Mercer County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Trenton had a population of 84,913...
  
  

New Hampshire

• Manchester
  Manchester, New Hampshire
  Manchester is the largest city in the U.S. state of New Hampshire, the tenth largest city in New England, and the largest city in northern New England, an area comprising the states of Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. It is in Hillsborough County along the banks of the Merrimack River, which...
  
  

New York

• Brooklyn
• Spring Valley
  Spring Valley, New York
  Spring Valley, incorporated on July 9, 1902 is a village spanning the Town of Ramapo and Town of Clarkstown in Rockland County, New York, United States located north of Nanuet; east of Airmont and Monsey; south of Hillcrest and west of West Nyack...
  
  

Pennsylvania

• Philadelphia
  Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
  
  

Rhode Island

• Providence
  Providence, Rhode Island
  Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
  
  

Virginia

• Roanoke
  Roanoke, Virginia
  Roanoke is an independent city in the Mid-Atlantic U.S. state of Virginia and is the tenth-largest city in the Commonwealth. It is located in the Roanoke Valley of the Roanoke Region of Virginia. The population within the city limits was 97,032 as of 2010...
  
  

The Haitian Heritage Month celebration is an expansion of the Haitian Flag Day, a major patriotic day celebration in Haiti and the Diaspora. Haitian President Dumarsais Estime

Dumarsais Estimé

Dumarsais Estimé served as the President of Haïti from 16 August 1946 until 10 May 1950. He was the first black head of state since the US occupation of Haiti ended in 1934.-Early life:...

 started the Flag Day celebration with parades, cultural and athletic events in many cities in Haiti in the 1930s, when he was minister of education under President Stenio Vincent

Sténio Vincent

Sténio Joseph Vincent was President of Haiti from November 18, 1930 to May 15, 1941.In October 1930 Haitians chose a national assembly for the first time since 1918, which elected Vincent as President of Haiti...

. Estime wanted to commemorate annually the creation of the Haitian flag

Flag of Haiti

The flag of Haiti consists of two horizontal bars, blue over red, defaced by a white panel bearing the Haitian coat of arms.The coat of arms depicts a trophy of weapons ready to defend freedom and a royal palm for independence...

 on May 18 to encourage the development of patriotic sentiments among Haitian youth.

Beside the Flag Day celebration, the month of May carries a number of significant historical and cultural traditions that Haitians are proud to make aware of and to pass on to future generations. In Haiti, May 1 is celebrated as Labor and Agriculture Day. May 2 used to be Flower Day. The Congress of Arcahaie that united black and mulatto officers to fight together for Haiti's independence is remembered from May 15 through 18. The Haitian slave and revolutionary general, Toussaint Louverture, was born on May 20, 1743. Teacher's Day is May 17, University Day May 18, and Mother's Day is celebrated on the last Sunday of May. For Haitian Catholics

Roman Catholic Church

The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...

, May is the month of Mary

Mary (mother of Jesus)

Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...

, the mother of Jesus

Jesus

Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...

.

External links

• http://www.haitianheritagemonth.net
• http://www.haitiantreasures.com
• http://www.palmbeach.k12.fl.us/PublicAffairs/Creole/HaitianHeritageMonth.htm
• http://www.haitianparade.com/home.php
• http://kendrickmeek.house.gov/press/2006.05.04.shtml
• http://www.hauinc.org
• http://www.haitianheritagemonth.net/CitationsAndProclamations/CitationsAndProclamations.html