On January 9, DEIJ hosted the annual Haitian Independence Day and New Year Celebration, with 64 K-12 students, families, faculty, and Haitian members of the Aramark team attending. They filled round tables covered with bright orange tablecloths, Haitian flags, and other vibrant decorations in the Farokhzad Mathematics Center. This year marks the fifth annual gathering for the celebration of the new year, which begins on January 1.
January 1, 2026 marks the 222nd anniversary of Haiti’s independence, declared by Jean-Jacques Dessalines after a twelve-year war against French rule. In addition to celebrating the new year, Haitians celebrate Independence Day—the moment in 1804 when Haiti gained freedom, becoming the first nation to successfully revolt against slavery, the first Black republic, and the first independent nation in Latin America. A central tradition of the celebration is eating Soup Joumou, a dish that represents equality and freedom as enslaved people were forbidden from eating it under French rule.
The celebration is always meaningful, according to Nehemiah Sanon ‘26, a member of the planning committee that organized the event this year. He had always celebrated the Haitian New Year growing up with his family. “We always had Soup Joumou, parties, and a bunch of music.” Because the day marks both the New Year and Independence Day, the celebration carries traditions for both occasions.
This event at Milton Academy is “a major event that was started by students, supported by [the DEIJ] office, and continues to be a huge hit,” said Upper School Director of Equity and Inclusion Melissa Lawlor.
Another committee member, Ahnylah Cadet ‘29 expressed similar excitement for the event: “there’s not that many Haitian students at Milton Academy, so for me to be able to do my part and… set up this event was important to me.” Cadet noted that the event was a unified effort, as committee members each “took [their] time to help with the slideshow, [her] two friends made the playlist, and [the committee] had a bunch of volunteers to help out with the food.”
The Haitian New Year Celebration is an event that is meant to “amplify, celebrate, and educate the community,” according to Lawlor. She added, “We can bring the whole community together, not just students and families, but our staff who we love in the dining hall; we get a chance to bring them into our celebration as well.” “Our whole dining staff is Haitian, so it means a lot to them,” Sanon agreed.
An attendee of the event, Rhys Adams ‘26, was “amazed at the incredible story of Haitian independence.” Adams attended last year’s celebration and decided to return after a wonderful experience. “On the student-parent panel, all speakers emphasized Haiti's resilience in the face of past and present crises,” Adams explained. “[The panel’s discussion] boded well for the future wellbeing of the Haitian nation.” Adams was especially intrigued by speaker and Milton parent Régine Jean-Charles ‘96, who discussed contemporary Haitian literature.
The planning committee held two meetings across the fall and winter to organize the event, and during the celebration, Sanon moderated the fireside chat and presented the attendees with his parents’ mac and cheese, while Cadet organized the decorations and cleaned after the event. Other members of the committee included Tiana Sandefur ‘26 and Hurielle Louis ‘26, who assisted in setting up the event.
When asked to reflect on her takeaways from the event, Cadet said that she hopes “everyone can take away one thing special that they found beautiful about the culture.” The celebration presented many options: endless food, history, and storytelling. Looking back, Adams expressed, “There are few stories from history more inspiring than that of the Haitian Revolution, and commemorating it moved me profoundly. We should all show more respect to the historic figures, as well as the rank-and-file revolutionaries, who broke the chains of slavery on Hispaniola and accelerated slavery's abolition worldwide.”