H 8081

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 HR 8081  2026
1House Resolution
2A resolution designating May 18, 2026, as "Haitian
3Flag Day" in the State of Florida.
4
5WHEREAS, the Republic of Haiti, an island nation located in
6 the West Indies on the western third of the Island of
7 Hispaniola, declared its independence from French colonial rule
8 on January 1, 1804, following a slave revolt under the
9 leadership of Generals Toussaint L'Ouverture, Jean-Jacques
10    Dessalines, and Alexandre Pétion, becoming the first and only
11    state created from a successful slave rebellion, and
12WHEREAS, Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin
13    America and the first postcolonial independent nation led by
14    blacks in the world, and
15WHEREAS, observed every year on May 18, Haitian Flag Day
16    was celebrated secretly in Haiti during United States occupation
17    from 1915 to 1934 and was first celebrated in communities around
18    the world in the late 1990s, and
19WHEREAS, the Haitian flag known today, which was officially
20    adopted in 1806 by President Alexandre Pétion, is emblazoned
21    with the country's coat of arms and the colors red and blue,
22    adopted from the flag of France, the country from which Haiti
23    gained its independence, and
24WHEREAS, General Jean-Jacques Dessalines is regarded as the
25    designer of the Haitian flag and, according to Haitian
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 HR 8081  2026
26    historical tradition, was known to have dramatically cut the
27    French tricolor with his saber at the May 1803 Arcahaie
28    conference, ripping away the white of the French flag to
29    symbolize an end to European influence and leaving two strips
30    that Catherine Flon then sewed back together: the blue, which
31    represented the former African slaves brought to Haiti by
32    colonial powers, and the red, which symbolized people of mixed
33    European and African descent, and
34WHEREAS, the Haitian flag is a definitive symbol of pride
35    for the Caribbean nation, having become the second republic,
36    after the United States, to defeat a European colonial power in
37    the Americas, and
38WHEREAS, Haitian Flag Day events are annually observed and
39    celebrated with pride and enthusiasm throughout Florida and the
40    United States, and
41WHEREAS, as educators, authors, community leaders,
42    activists, athletes, artists, musicians, and politicians,
43    Haitians and Haitian Americans have left an indelible mark on
44    every facet of this nation's society and the world, evidenced by
45    the accomplishments of such icons as Jean Baptiste Point du
46    Sable, founder of the City of Chicago; civil rights activist
47    W.E.B. Du Bois; National Football League player Pierre Garҫon;
48    author and candidate for the Nobel Prize for Literature in 2009,
49    Frankétienne; and Tony Award-winning actress and singer Nikki M.
50    James, and
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 HR 8081  2026
51WHEREAS, an estimated 1.2 million persons of Haitian
52    descent now reside in the United States, and more than 231,000
53    Haitian Americans live in southern Florida alone, and
54WHEREAS, Haitian Flag Day recognizes the Haitian and
55    Haitian-American communities and acknowledges their culture and
56    heritage, which have enriched the lives of the people of this
57    state and nation, NOW, THEREFORE,
58
59    Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of
60    Florida:
61
62That May 18, 2026, is designated as "Haitian Flag Day" in
63    the State of Florida.
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