Plaque in homage to Delgrès, Ministère de l’Outre-mer

At the occasion of the inauguration of the Louis Delgrès lounge at the Ministry of the Oversea in Paris on the 10th of May 2005, a commemorative plaque paying tribute to Delgrès was unveiled in the lounge, after a speech by the Minister of the Oversea Brigitte Girardin. Gilles Gauvin and Françoise Vergès, members of CNMHE were present at the event, as well as La Réunion’s senator Anne-Marie Payet, the MP for Guyana, Christiane Taubira, and elected representatives from Guadeloupe. An excerpt from the proclamation that Delgrès had written on the 9th of May 1802 features on the plaque: “Resistance to oppression is a natural right. Divinity itself could not be offended that we defended our cause; as it is that of justice and of humanity. (...) And you, posterity! Shed a tear for our misfortune, and we shall die happy ". ("La résistance à l’oppression est un droit naturel. La divinité même ne peut être offensée que nous défendions notre cause ; elle est celle de la justice et de l’humanité. (...) Et toi, postérité ! Accorde une larme à nos malheurs, et nous mourrons satisfaits".)