On Thursday, May 5, 2022, the New York State Assembly passed a resolution that formally designated May as Haitian Heritage Month statewide.

“The designation of Haitian Heritage Month commemorates the heart and the souls of the people of Haiti here in New York, and our home country, the Island of Haiti, the first Black Republic,” says Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn who introduced the resolution cosponsored by 15 members of the Assembly.

Since May 1998, as an expansion of the Haitian flag day, Haitian Heritage Month has been celebrated throughout the United States to highlight the Haitian rich culture, art, cuisine, history, and the Haitian community contribution. 

This year marks the 219th anniversary of the creation of the Haitian flag on May 18, 1803. Haiti became the first Black Republic in the world after a slave rebellion led to its independence by defeating the French army. 

The United States is home to Haiti’s most important Haitian diaspora in numbers and remittances sent to Haiti. Florida and New York are the two states with the highest concentration of Haitians. According to the United States Census Bureau, before the deadly earthquake in 2010, an estimated 830,000 people of Haitian ancestry were living in the United States. 55,000 Haitian immigrants were granted Temporary Protected Status. In 2020, the Haitian diaspora sent 3.8 billion dollars in remittances to Haiti. 76% of these transfers came from the United States.

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