NEW YORK, CMC – The New York State Assembly has passed a resolution formally designating May as Haitian Heritage Month.
“As the first Haitian-American woman from New York City to serve in Albany as a state legislator… I thank you all for supporting this recognition of our culture,” Haitian-American Democratic legislator Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said as she underscored the importance of the occasion.
“New York is a symbol of freedom to people worldwide, and Haiti was the first free Black nation in the western hemisphere,” said Bichotte Hermelyn, chair of the Brooklyn Democratic Party, representing the 42nd Assembly District in Brooklyn, New York.
She said Haitian Creole is one of the top 10 languages spoken in New York City and that the city has the largest concentration of Haitians in the United States and the oldest established Haitian communities in the country.
“The designation of Haitian Heritage Month also commemorates Haitian heritage and culture, including the nation’s notable leaders like Jean Jacques Dessalines, who defeated Napoleon and the French colonists at the Battle of Vertières in 1803; General Toussaint L’Ouverture, who commanded his revolutionary army to victory; and female revolutionaries like Marie-Jeanne Lamartinière – who fought as a soldier in the Indigenous army”.
Bichotte Hermelyn said other notables include Jean-Michael Basquiat, a defining artist of the 20th century, and Jackson Georges, a painter, and modern-day leaders like Naomi Ōsaka, a top-ranked tennis player.
“Although this has not been an easy time for Haitians, we remain resilient,” said Bichotte Hermelyn, noting Haiti’s recent earthquakes, pandemic, and political turmoil.
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