Celebrating Haitian Independence Day

County Legislator Carrié Solages and Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages the 220th anniversary of Haitian independence on Jan. 1.

Haitian Independence Day commemorates Haiti’s Jan. 1, 1804 decleration of independence form French colonial authorities after the 13-year struggle amidst the Haitian Revolution, which was led by revolutionaries like Toussaint L’Ouverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines and Henri Cristophe. Victory on the battlefield was achieved on Nov. 18, 1803 Battle of Vertières, and Haiti thereafter became the world’s first independent Black-led republic.

Legislator Solages and Assemblywoman Solages are pictured holding bowls of soup joumou, which during slavery only French colonial masters and plantation owners allowed to eat. After the revolution, free Haitians were finally able to eat the soup, and the dish became an integral part of this annual celebration of freedom, emancipation and independence.