The public is invited to join Maplewood Township in commemorating Haitian Flag Day on Wednesday, May 18 at 5 p.m. at the Municipal Building Flag Pole. 574 Valley St. is the address of the structure.
Township officials will make statements, the flag will be raised, and the Haitian national song will be played during the event.
What is the significance of the day? The day marks a significant milestone in Haiti’s independence from France, according to the Haitian Embassy.
Various parts of Haitian society banded together in May 1803, during the Congress of Arcahaie, to confront the French colonial force.
The embassy states that “this union, sealed by former slave Jean Jacques Dessalines and free colored man Alexandre Petion, set the stage for a triumphant revolution that would lead to the world’s only successful slave insurrection and finally the foundation of a nation.”
“Dessalines tore the white portion off of the Red, White, and Blue French flag at the Congress of Arcahaie. His goddaughter, Catherine Flon, then sewed the Red and Blue linens together to create the first Blue and Red flag of the Republic of Haiti.”
“The culture of these masses, developed in bondage – the Kreyol language, the Vodou religion, the concentration on community, dignity, and self-sufficiency – that finally enabled them to demolish slavery and establish something new in its place,” Professor Laurent Dubois is cited by the embassy as stating.
Flag Day allows them to express their patriotism and pay tribute to their forebears and ancestors.
Do you want a free daily 6 a.m. newsletter with just Maplewood news, or only breaking news alerts? Simply provide your email address and zip code. An email will be sent to you asking for your preferences.
