Florida Senate - 2015 (NP) SR 1596
By Senator Thompson
12-01792-15 20151596__
1 Senate Resolution
2 A resolution recognizing the 11th anniversary of the
3 Haitian Heritage Museum.
4
5 WHEREAS, incorporated on March 3, 2004, as the only museum
6 of its kind in the United States, the Haitian Heritage Museum is
7 a nonprofit, educational institution dedicated to preserving,
8 interpreting, and celebrating the rich historic contributions of
9 Haiti, and
10 WHEREAS, the Haitian Heritage Museum was established to
11 showcase the key roles that Haitians and Haitian Americans have
12 played in the history of the Americas, including trapper Jean
13 Baptiste Point du Sable, who settled on the shore of Lake
14 Michigan and established a trading post along the river at a
15 point that would later become the City of Chicago; renowned poet
16 and playwright Félix Morisseau-Leroy, a father of the Creole
17 Renaissance; and the many nameless brave individuals who rose up
18 and fought in the Haitian Revolution, which has often been
19 described as the largest and most successful slave rebellion in
20 the Western Hemisphere, and
21 WHEREAS, located in Miami’s internationally known “Design
22 District,” the Haitian Heritage Museum houses a growing
23 collection of paintings and artifacts and has provided art
24 exhibitions, cultural arts events, and educational programming
25 as platforms to inspire and enrich South Florida’s cultural
26 diversity and community development within the arts, and
27 WHEREAS, in the past 11 years, numerous job opportunities
28 have been created through culturally relevant partnerships with
29 the local community, and a multitude of students from Miami-Dade
30 County have visited the museum, and
31 WHEREAS, inspired by the need to link the Haitian diaspora,
32 dedicated to serving as a cultural epicenter for not only
33 Haitian Americans of South Florida but Haitians and Haitian
34 Americans throughout the United States and abroad, and committed
35 to creating a legacy for future generations of young Haitian
36 Americans, the Haitian Heritage Museum continues to serve as a
37 catalyst for urban revitalization, NOW, THEREFORE,
38
39 Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
40
41 That the Haitian Heritage Museum is honored on the occasion
42 of its 11th anniversary, commended for its efforts in honoring
43 and celebrating the important contributions of Haitian
44 Americans, and wished future success in all of its endeavors.