Catherine Flon

Catherine Flon was a Haitian seamstress and patriot who played a pivotal role in the Haitian Revolution and the creation of the Haitian flag. Here are the key details about her:

- She was born in 1772 in Arcahaie, Saint-Domingue (now Haiti). Her parents were textile traders from France.[2]

- On May 18, 1803, at the Congress of Arcahaie, revolutionary leader Jean-Jacques Dessalines (Flon's godfather) tore the white band from the French tricolor flag, rejecting French colonial rule.[1][2]

- Dessalines then gave the remaining blue and red bands to Flon, who stitched them together to create the first Haitian bicolor flag.[1][2][4] The colors symbolized the union of Haiti's black and mixed-race citizens in the struggle for independence.[2]

- Flon's act of sewing the flag is seen as a defining moment in Haiti's independence movement and break from French colonial power.[1][2][4][5]

- Beyond creating the flag, Flon contributed as a nurse, teacher, and trainer during the revolution. She ran workshops teaching sewing skills to other women.[1][5]

- Flon is celebrated as one of the most important heroines of the Haitian Revolution, along with figures like Cécile Fatiman and Dédée Bazile.[2][4] Her birthplace Arcahaie is nicknamed the "flag town."[2]

- Her image appeared on the 10 gourde Haitian banknote in 2000, and she is honored annually on Haitian Flag Day (May 18th).[2][4][5]

So in summary, Catherine Flon's pivotal act of sewing the first Haitian flag from the remnants of the French tricolor made her an enduring symbol of Haiti's independence struggle and women's role in the revolution.[1][2][4][5]

Citations:

[1] https://liberatedsouls.org/home-page/catherine-flon-and-the-flag-of-freedom/

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_Flon

[3] https://sites.bu.edu/impact/previous-issues/winter-2016/catherine-flons-thread-of-hair/

[4] https://enslaved.org/fullStory/16-23-126810/

[5] https://www.ontheshoulders1.com/the-giants/the-woman-who-created-the-haitian-flag-katherine-flon