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a1936: Haitians seeking recognition of war effort in U.S. (fwd)



From: RWilknr <rlcw@earthlink.net>

                                           Robt. Wilkner
<rlcw@earthlink.net>

                                           Haitians seeking recognition
of war effort in U.S.

                                           By Madeline Baró Diaz
                                           Miami Bureau  Sun Sentinel
                                           Posted May 3 2002

                                           MIAMI -- For years,
schoolchildren in Haiti have heard the
                                           story of how Haitian soldiers
fought and died on a Georgia
                                           battlefield to help the
United States gain its independence
                                           from England.

                                           About 1,500 volunteers from
their country, then a French
                                           colony, joined forces with
the Americans to fight the British in
                                           the 1779 Siege of Savannah. A
young drummer boy on the
                                           battlefield that day, Henri
Christophe, later became King of
                                           Haiti.


When Haitian

businessman

Daniel Fils-Aime Sr.

came to the

United States, he

was upset to see

that most

Americans were

ignorant of

Haitians’

contribution to the

American

Revolution. Worse,

he said, Haitians in

South Florida too

often were looked

down upon and

dismissed as “boat
                                           people.”

                                           A chance meeting with the
director of Savannah’s Ralph Mark
                                           Gilbert Civil Rights Museum
set Fils-Aime, owner of Miami
                                           Mini Bus Transportation
Service, on a mission to have Haitian
                                           soldiers commemorated in
Savannah. Fils-Aime sees it as
                                           the first of many projects to
mark the forgotten historical
                                           contributions of his
ancestors, with the ultimate goal of
                                           uplifting the image of
Haitian-Americans in the United States.

                                           “I think they should
recognize that we were here before
                                           anyone else,” Fils-Aime said.
“We want the world to know
                                           we didn’t come from the boat
only.”

                                           Purpose in mind

                                           Fils-Aime founded the Haitian
American Historical Society,
                                           enlisting Haitian-American
elected officials and community
                                           leaders from South Florida.
The fledgling organization is now
                                           working with Savannah
officials to include Haitians in plans for
                                           a battlefield commemoration.

                                           The goals of the Haitian
leaders have intersected with those
                                           of Savannah leaders, who are
negotiating with a railroad
                                           company for battle site land
on which to build the Battlefield
                                           Park Heritage Center. The
project would commemorate the
                                           battle as well as restore and
expand an existing complex
                                           celebrating the site’s
railroad history.

                                           While that plan is sorted
out, the historical society also has
                                           submitted an application
asking to erect a statue of Henri
                                           Christophe on horseback in a
Savannah square, but the
                                           group still needs to raise
money for the statue designed by
                                           North Miami Mayor Joe
Celestin, an architect who also
                                           belongs to the historical
society.

                                           Fils-Aime estimates the
statue will cost more than
                                           $300,000, but hopes it can be
completed by the 200th
                                           anniversary of Haitian
independence on Jan. 1, 2004.

                                           Historical link

                                           The significance of the
Savannah battle, according to
                                           historians, is that the
allied forces, led by the French, drove
                                           back the British, denying
them a total victory. Haitians were
                                           a crucial part of the reserve
forces who protected the
                                           retreating soldiers, said
historian Claude Charles, a cultural
                                           specialist at the Center for
Haitian Studies in Miami.

                                           Charles thinks the
participation of Haitians was erased over
                                           the centuries because of
racism in the deep South. When the
                                           Haitian soldiers were finally
acknowledged, it was in a
                                           condescending way and they
were erroneously referred to as
                                           slaves, Charles said.

                                           “They were not sent by the
French government. They were
                                           not sent by their masters.
They were free people who were
                                           chosen to come and fight for
some kind of freedom,” he
                                           said.

                                           Scott Smith, director of the
Coastal Heritage Society, a
                                           Savannah historical group
responsible for historical sites that
                                           include a railroad museum on
the Savannah battlefield, says
                                           recognizing the presence of
Haitian soldiers helps correct
                                           misconceptions about the
American Revolution, mainly that
                                           Americans won the war by
themselves.

                                           “If you were to remove the
support we received from
                                           overseas, we would not have
won,” he said. “The role of the
                                           Haitians is one of the single
most dramatic non sequiturs. It’s
                                           the thing you don’t expect,
but it’s true.”

                                           Savannah City Manager Michael
Brown said the collaboration
                                           with South Florida’s
Haitian-American community is enriching
                                           Savannah’s heritage.

                                           “Savannah’s claim to fame is
principally historic,” Brown said.
                                           “It really greatly deepens
Savannah’s assets in terms of
                                           history.”

                                           International ties

                                           The Haitian-American
community is among several interested
                                           in the battlefield project.

                                           Polish freedom fighter
Casimir Pulaski, “father of the
                                           American cavalry,” was
fatally wounded during the battle.
                                           Other historical figures on
the battlefield that day included
                                           Charles L’Enfant, future
architect of Washington, D.C.

                                           “This particular subject is
interesting to people in Poland,
                                           people in France, people in
Haiti, people in Great Britain,”
                                           Smith said.

                                           Savannah has relationships
with groups throughout the
                                           country that have a stake in
Savannah’s history, Brown said.
                                           They have likewise formed
ties with South Florida’s Haitian
                                           community.

                                           Ball gets rolling

                                           The historical society’s
members have made several trips to
                                           Savannah, including one last
October in which they
                                           participated in a council
meeting presentation. Savannah
                                           Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. and
other officials also visited South
                                           Florida, where they were
welcomed by Miami-Dade Mayor
                                           Alex Penelas.

                                           “This is special because this
is the first time we’ve had this
                                           kind of connection with the
Haitian community,” Brown said.

                                           Fils-Aime sees the Savannah
project as the first of many to
                                           mark the forgotten historical
contributions of Haitians such
                                           as Jean Baptiste Point du
Sable, who built the first permanent
                                           settlement at the mouth of
the Chicago River and is
                                           considered Chicago’s founder,
and Pierre Toussaint, the
                                           United States’ first black
saint.

                                           Lasting significance

                                           Members of the Haitian
American Historical Society say
                                           recognizing the role of
Haitians in American history will boost
                                           the self-esteem of the
Haitian-American community
                                           everywhere.

                                           Said Charles: “For the
Haitian community, which is very new
                                           here, it will be great for
them to learn that even though they
                                           come now and they settle in
South Florida as boat people,
                                           their forefathers have
already had some foot on the
                                           American soil.”