As clouds cleared out and sunshine filled the city Sunday afternoon, crowds of people waved flags and cheered in Mattapan to celebrate Haitian-American and the Caribbean country’s culture.
“At the beginning we thought the rain was going to change everything, but in the end we didn’t have any rain and we could really enjoy it,” said Wilner Auguste, one of the founders of Haitian-Americans United Inc., which organizes the annual celebration. The event included a parade Sunday afternoon and a flag raising at City Hall on Saturday.
The organization promotes Haitian culture and supports the thousands of Haitians in Massachusetts, said Dieufort Fleurissaint, the chairman of the organization. The weekend celebrations came in the middle of Haitian Heritage Month.
“It represents the hope that Haitians and Haitian-Americans have for a better Haiti,” he said of the parade, adding that the country recently has gone through turbulent times since the 2010 earthquake.