12333: Statues to honor Haitian soldiers (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Thu, Jun. 13, 2002

NORTH MIAMI
Statues to honor Haitian soldiers
Men fought against British
BY CINDY WONG
cwong@herald.com

North Miami officials recently met with their Savannah, Ga., counterparts to
begin a groundbreaking effort to commemorate Haitians involvement in the
Revolutionary War.

About 750 Haitian freemen fought alongside colonial troops against the
British in the Siege of Savannah on Oct. 9, 1779. The role of Haitian
soldiers in the battle had long been ignored, North Miami Mayor Josaphat
Celestin said.

The delegations met Friday to establish a monument to be installed in the
Battlefield Park Heritage Center, under construction near the Savannah
battlesite.

Officials from both cities cemented the relationship that grew over the
creation of the monument during a reception in December 2001 at the Museum
of Contemporary Art in North Miami. No date has been set for completion of
the monument.

Savannah Mayor Floyd Adams Jr. pledged a plot of park land to the South
Florida Haitian American Historical Society, which is funding the monument.

''It's one of the most exciting things, to be involved in from the creation
to the reality,'' said businessman Richard Shinhoster, who helped push for
the monument in Savannah.

``To see a monument in downtown Savannah and the commemoration of the
involvement of the Haitian Americans, it's a dream come true. This will help
educate Americans but also Haitian youth about the significant contribution
their ancestors made.''

The monument's focal point will be an eight-foot-tall bronze statue of Henry
Christophe, the first king of Haiti, who participated in the battle as a
14-year-old drummer boy. Behind the statue will be statues of other soldiers
who followed him into battle. Six panels inscribed with the soldiers' names
will surround the memorial. Haitian-Canadian sculptor Gregroire Anocles will
design the statues.

The Haitian-American Historical Society will submit an application for
approval to the Historic Site and Monument Commission in Savannah as the
final step.

The city is making an effort to include all nations who had a part in the
war, Adams said.

Savannah officials invited North Miami officials to tour the city, where
they were greeted with a 21-gun salute and visited the graves of the Haitian
soldiers, Celestin said.

The movement to recognize the Haitian soldiers has also spilled into
Savannah's public school curriculum. Textbooks will be rewritten to include
the contributions of Haitian troops, Celestin said.

''It means recognition for our efforts, that we were here all along, that
Haiti was a part of the effort to liberate America and that they came here
as free men, not as slaves,'' Celestin said. ``We hope this country will
recognize this.''



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