Drapo Nou se Fyète Nou / Our Flag Is Our Pride: A Haitian Flag Day Celebration
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Free Event | RSVP by May 8, 2026 — Seating is Limited
For many of us, the Haitian flag is more than a symbol. It is a declaration. It is the story of a people who refused to be defined by their chains, who tore the white from a foreign banner and stitched together something entirely their own — blue and red, unified and free.
On May 18, 1803, in the hills of what would become the world's first Black republic, military leaders of the Haitian Revolution came together under a single flag and a single purpose. That union, guided by the motto L'Union fait la Force— "Unity is Strength" — set in motion the only successful slave uprising in recorded history and gave birth to the nation we now know as the Republic of Haiti. The flag itself, stitched by Catherine Flon, was more than cloth and color. It was a covenant between Black and mulatto populations — a promise that freedom would be won together or not at all.
223 years later, that promise still calls us to gather.
Join the Haitian Network Group of Detroit (HNGD) and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History for Drapo Nou se Fyète Nou / Our Flag Is Our Pride — a joyful and meaningful commemoration of Haitian Flag Day. Through drum performance, folkloric dance, spoken word, documentary screening, and a celebration of Haiti's legendary sheroes, this program invites everyone — Haitian, diaspora, and allies alike — to honor the resilience, cultural pride, and enduring unity that the Haitian flag represents.
This is a space to learn, to celebrate, and to be moved. It is a space to affirm that Haiti's story is not only a story of struggle — it is a story of extraordinary triumph. And it is a story that belongs to all of us who believe that unity is, and has always been, our greatest strength.
Program highlights include: Live drum and folkloric dance performances · Documentary screening of Age of Revolutions: The Haitian Revolution · Spoken word · Musical tribute · History presentation · Reception featuring a taste of Haitian culture · Light refreshments
This is a free event. Seating is limited. RSVP by May 8, 2026, or call 313-268-9250 with any questions.
Come for the flag. Stay for the culture. Leave carrying the pride forward.