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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.”