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.