New York J 204: Memorializing Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 18, 2025, as Haitian Unity Day in the State of New York

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J00204 Summary:

BILL NOJ00204 

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SAME ASNo Same As

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SPONSORPARKER

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COSPNSR

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MLTSPNSR

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Go to top J00204 Actions:

BILL NOJ00204 

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01/15/2025REFERRED TO FINANCE

01/22/2025REPORTED TO CALENDAR FOR CONSIDERATION

01/22/2025ADOPTED

Go to topJ00204 Committee&nbspVotes:

Go to topJ00204 Floor&nbspVotes:

There are no Assembly votes for this bill in this legislative session.

Go to topJ00204 Text:

Senate Resolution No. 204

BY: Senator PARKER

 MEMORIALIZING Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim
 May 18, 2025, as Haitian Unity Day in the State of
 New York, in conjunction with the observance of
 Haitian Heritage Month

 WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body, in keeping with
its time-honored traditions, to recognize and pay tribute to those
organizations which foster ethnic pride and enhance the profile of
cultural diversity which strengthens the fabric of the communities of
New York State; and

 WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
memorialize Governor Kathy Hochul to proclaim May 18, 2025, as Haitian
Unity Day in the State of New York, in conjunction with the observance
of Haitian Heritage Month; and

 WHEREAS, Haiti, located less than 700 miles from the United States
of America, is the second nation in the Western Hemisphere, after the
United States, to earn its independence, and has, since 1803, stood as a
beacon of freedom as the first black-governed republic in the world; and

 WHEREAS, Haiti is one of the original members of the United Nations
and several of its specialized and related agencies, as well as a member
of the Organization of American States (OAS); and

 WHEREAS, On August 22, 1791, Haiti was the island nation where
hundreds of thousands of enslaved persons initiated the most successful
slave rebellion in history; under the military leadership of Francois
Toussaint L'Ouverture, the grandson of an African chief, making the
Haitian revolution a major turning point in the history of the world
with repercussions extending far beyond the Caribbean nation; and

 WHEREAS, The contributions of Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a former
slave, led to Haiti's declaration of independence in 1804; Jean-Jacques
Dessalines became the first ruler over an independent Haiti;
Jean-Jacques Dessalines' actions left a legacy of Haitian nationalism;
The Haitian National anthem, La Dessalinienne, is named after him to
honor his fervent efforts to protect the independence of Haiti; and

 WHEREAS, Haiti's victory against France redefined Napoleon's goals
in the Western Hemisphere and so set the stage for the Louisiana
Purchase, a single acquisition doubling the United States' size, giving
the United States its heartland, control of the Mississippi River and
the important port city of New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico; the
Louisiana territory drew immigrants from all over Europe, transforming
and strengthening the United States and the American people; and

 WHEREAS, For many years preceding the American Civil War, the
Haitian Revolution had a substantial influence over many of the policies
and laws in the United States that related to slavery such as, in 1794
and 1800, the federal government passage of anti-slave trade laws to
prevent the possible spread of the Haitian slave revolt to the United

States: prohibiting citizens from equipping ships engaged in slave
trade commerce, barring Americans from serving aboard such ships, or
from having any interest in their voyages; and

 WHEREAS, In 1792, a number of measures taken to prevent a slave
rebellion in the United States were so brutal and inhumane that these
acts drove and strengthened the crusade of the abolitionists in the
United States, therefore having a profound influence on the movement
that led to the Civil War; and

 WHEREAS, The Haitian Revolution ignited a ground-breaking change in
the history of the modern world by enabling hundreds of thousands of
African slaves worldwide and tens of thousands of free persons of color
to find the wherewithal to unite in the quest for individual and
collective liberty; and

 WHEREAS, Haitian people have migrated to the United States since the
1700s, resulting in approximately 200,000 Haitians residing i