Whereas Haiti’s revolution was the first successful slave revolt in the Americas and led to the establishment of Haiti as the first independent Black empire under the Emperor Jean-Jacques Dessalines in 1804, then, in 1806, the first independent Black republic in the Western Hemisphere in 1804; Whereas, prior to the Haitian Revolution, the United States was Haiti’s second-largest trade partner; Whereas Haiti has played a pivotal role in African struggles toward freedom in America, the Caribbean, and African countries; Whereas Haitian American leaders like W.E.B. Du Bois, cofounder of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, have contributed to the civil rights movement both in the United States and Africa; Whereas, in 1825, Haiti was forced to pay a ransom to France for its independence, amounting to at least $21,000,000,000 in current value; Whereas the United States only recognized the newly independent nation of Haiti until 1862, and then militarily occupied the country from 1915 to 1934; Whereas Haiti has endured a long and troubled history marred by political instability, economic underdevelopment, natural disasters, and external interference; Whereas, despite this proud heritage, Haiti has struggled to consolidate democratic governance, with multiple coups, foreign interventions, and lapses in the rule of law undermining the country’s development; Whereas, in 2010, a devastating earthquake killed hundreds of thousands and displaced more than a million Haitians, prompting countries from across the world to pledge more than $10,000,000,000 for relief and reconstruction efforts; Whereas the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse in July 2021 exacerbated the ongoing political crisis, leaving the country without an elected government to date