Overview:
Brooklyn elected officers and neighborhood members gathered at Borough Corridor on Jan. 8 to mark Haiti’s Independence Day, highlighting Haitian tradition, unity and neighborhood management and 4 individuals who embody that spirit.
NEW YORK – Brooklyn Borough Corridor hosted a Haitian Independence Day celebration final week that introduced collectively elected officers, neighborhood leaders and residents to honor Haiti’s historical past, tradition and enduring legacy — and 4 Haitian New Yorkers.
Metropolis Council members Rita Joseph, Farah Louis, Mercedes Narcisse and Chi Ossé deliberate the occasion hosted by the Workplace of Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso to commemorate Haiti’s 1804 independence whereas highlighting the power, resilience and unity of the Haitian Diaspora in New York Metropolis.
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Elected officers and neighborhood members collect at Brooklyn Borough Corridor throughout a Haitian Independence Day celebration on Jan. 8, 2026. Picture courtesy of the Workplace of Council Member Rita Joseph. -
Elected officers and neighborhood members collect at Brooklyn Borough Corridor throughout a Haitian Independence Day celebration on Jan. 8, 2026. Picture courtesy of the Workplace of Council Member Rita Joseph. -
Elected officers and neighborhood members collect at Brooklyn Borough Corridor throughout a Haitian Independence Day celebration on Jan. 8, 2026. Picture courtesy of the Workplace of Council Member Rita Joseph.
Nurse Nancy Hagans, president of the nurses’ union who led the strike this week, nonprofit chief Porez Luxama, actor Atibon Nazaire and Dr. Henry Paul obtained proclamations for his or her contributions to well being care, offering companies and the humanities throughout the town. Elected officers offered the honors in between remarks about Haitian independence, a recap of the historical past that impressed liberation actions worldwide, and a dance and drum efficiency.
Work, banners and different cultural parts introduced the historic theme to life, alongside a useful resource truthful that includes Haitian community-based organizations. Marie Lily Cerat, government director of the CUNY Haitian Research Institute at Brooklyn School additionally delivered a 10-minute presentation in regards to the revolution that introduced the world the First Black Republic.
“Historical past reminds us that freedom has by no means been granted quietly, it has at all times been secured by those that refuse silence, who identify injustice and demand of the world in any other case,” Cerat stated. “It reminds us that resistance just isn’t solely political but in addition cultural and religious, that our voices, our religion, and our traditions are instruments of liberation.”
The standing-room-only soirée drew a mixture of longtime neighborhood advocates, native leaders and residents, reflecting Brooklyn’s deep ties to Haiti and its diaspora. All through, audio system delivered a mix of remarks that alternated between reward for Haiti’s achievements and reminders to maintain preventing, this time in opposition to immigrants’ rights and advantages akin to Non permanent Protected Standing..
City Advocate Jumaane Williams, newly re-elected to the function, drew a number of the most cheers when he launched himself as ‘Avoka pèp la’ and urged individuals to face up in opposition to xenophobic insurance policies and ways that hurt Haitians.