HR 8059 Summary

• Designates October 17, 2023, as "Jean-Jacques Dessalines Day" in Florida.

• Recognizes Jean-Jacques Dessalines (born 1758) as a founding father of Haiti who led the fight for independence from France after Toussaint L'Ouverture's deportation in 1802.

• Acknowledges Dessalines' role as the first ruler of independent Haiti under the 1805 Constitution and his declaration of Haiti's independence on January 1, 1804.

• Highlights that Haiti became the first country in the Americas to permanently abolish slavery under Dessalines' rule and notes his creation of the Haitian flag with seamstress Catherine Flon.

• Acknowledges the strong connection between Haiti and Florida, with hundreds of thousands of Haitian Americans residing in South Florida, as justification for the recognition.