MIAMI – Haitian Americans are showing their red and blue pride on Thursday in South Florida.
Every year, for centuries, the celebration marks the anniversary of the date of the flag’s adoption in 1803 amid conflicts between slaves and British and French colonizers.
On Wednesday, about two dozen prepared to mark the historic day with poetry and music at Miami Dade College.
Many of their relatives in Port-au-Prince have been under the threat of gang-fueled violence that the National Police has been unable to control since the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in 2021.
It’s hard to celebrate these days. Experts estimate there are seven large gangs controlling some 200 criminal groups in Haiti, the poorest country in Latin America and the Caribbean region.
Watch video of the Miami-Dade event
Recent images from Haiti