Suzanne Bélair, called ''Sanite Bélair'', (c. 1781 – 5 October 1802), was a

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

revolution In political science, a revolution (, 'a turn around') is a rapid, fundamental transformation of a society's class, state, ethnic or religious structures. According to sociologist Jack Goldstone, all revolutions contain "a common set of elements ...

ary and

lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

in the army of

Toussaint Louverture François-Dominique Toussaint Louverture (, ) also known as Toussaint L'Ouverture or Toussaint Bréda (20 May 1743 – 7 April 1803), was a Haitian general and the most prominent leader of the Haitian Revolution. During his life, Louvertu ...

. Born an

affranchi ''Affranchi'' (, ) is a former French legal term denoting a freedman or emancipated slave, but also a pejorative term for free people of color. It is used in the English language to describe the social class of freedmen in Saint-Domingue, and ...

in Verrettes, Haiti, she married

Brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

commander and later

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Charles Bélair in 1796. She was an active participant in the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

, became a sergeant and later a lieutenant during the conflict with French troops of the

Saint-Domingue expedition The Saint-Domingue expedition was a large French military invasion sent by Napoleon Bonaparte, then French Consulate, First Consul, under his brother-in-law Charles Leclerc (general, born 1772), Charles Victor Emmanuel Leclerc in an attempt to ...

Capture and execution

Chased by Faustin Répussard's column of the French army, the Belairs took refuge in the Artibonite department. Répussard launched a surprise attack on Corail-Mirrault, and captured Sanité Bélair. Her husband turned himself over as well to avoid being separated from her. Both were sentenced to death, her spouse was to be executed by firing squad and she by

decapitation Decapitation is the total separation of the head from the body. Such an injury is invariably fatal to humans and all vertebrate animals, since it deprives the brain of oxygenated blood by way of severing through the jugular vein and common c ...

because of her sex. As she watched Bélair's execution, she calmly asked him to die bravely, then went to her own execution, refusing to wear a blindfold. It is said that at her capture, when threatened with beheading, she successfully asserted the right to an honorable soldier's death by musketry, and standing before their muzzles cried "Viv libète! A ba esclavaj!" ("Long live freedom! Down with slavery!"). She refused to be blindfolded, and the executioner was unable to get her to bend her back and place her head on the block, the officer commanding the detachment was obliged to have her shot.

Legacy

Sanite Bélair is considered as one of the heroes of the Haitian Revolution. In 2004, she was featured on the ten-gourd banknote of the Haitian gourde for the "Bicentennial of Haiti" Commemorative series. In 2023, she was one of the figures featured at the

Panthéon The Panthéon (, ), is a monument in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It stands in the Latin Quarter, Paris, Latin Quarter (Quartier latin), atop the , in the centre of the , which was named after it. The edifice was built between 1758 ...

, in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, in a double art and history exhibition highlighting little-known personalities who contributed to the abolition of the slave system. She is featured in the book and

play Play most commonly refers to: * Play (activity), an activity done for enjoyment * Play (theatre), a work of drama Play may refer also to: Computers and technology * Google Play, a digital content service * Play Framework, a Java framework * P ...

''Opéra poussière'' by Jean d'Amérique. He brings Sanité Bélair back to life, and she launches the #HéroïneEnColère movement to demand a proper place in the country's history and connect the heroine with the struggles against all oppressions today.

References

External links

* Mémoire de Femmes
Sannite Belair
- (in French)

- Painting by British artist, Kimathi Donkor

(2002). {{DEFAULTSORT:Belair, Sanite 1780s births 1802 deaths Haitian people of French descent Executed Haitian people Women in the Haitian Revolution 19th-century Haitian women Haitian independence activists People from Artibonite (department) People executed by France by firing squad

Capture and execution

Legacy

References

Further reading

External links