Tallahassee - State Senator Gary Siplin (D-Orlando) announced today that Raymond Alcide Joseph, Haiti Ambassador to the United States, will deliver a lecture on the history of Haiti at the Florida Legislative Black Caucus’s Distinguished Lecture Series held during Black History Month.

The program, to be held on Wednesday, February 17^th at 5pm in the Chamber of the Florida House of Representatives, is part of the Caucus’s Black History Month activities, which the Caucus has dedicated to Haiti.

“We are cognizant of the significance of Haiti’s history as the world’s oldest black republic and the second oldest republic in the Western Hemisphere,” said Siplin, who currently serves as chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus.  “Our goal this month is to capitalize on the considerable attention that this devastated country has been receiving as an opportunity to educate and remind people that it was not always this way. Haiti is a nation with a rich history and vibrant heritage.”

Ambassador Joseph has been Haiti’s Ambassador to the United States in Washington, D.C. since March 2004 after having served as the country’s Charge d’Affaires and its representative before the Organization of American States.  Most prominently known for his work as a journalist, Ambassador Joseph holds a Bachelor’s degree in Anthropology from Wheaton College and a Master’s degree in Social Anthropology and Linguistics from the University of Chicago.

The event is free and open to the public.