a1939: Haitians seeking recognition of war effort in U.S. (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Haitians seeking recognition of war effort in U.S.

By Madeline Baró Diaz
Miami Bureau
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.”

Madeline Baró Diaz can be reached at mbaro@sun-sentinel.com or 305-810-5007.


_________________________________________________________________
Chat with friends online, try MSN Messenger: http://messenger.msn.com