Samuel Alfred Haynes

Samuel Haynes (1899 - 1971) was a Belizean soldier, activist and poet best known for writing the national anthem of Belize, Land of the Free.

Life and career
He was a leader of the 1919 riot by Belizean soldiers who had fought in the First World War and refused to accept racial discrimination back home.

In 1929, he composed the words of a poem named "Land of the Gods". In 1930 with the assistance of Selvyn Young, “Land of the Gods,” was composed into a musical arrangement, first used in 10th of September celebrations before becoming Belize's national anthem, "Land of the Free".

Also, prominent in the Marcus Garvey's Universal Negro Improvement Association, Haynes was once the President of the Pittsburgh Division, editor/writer for the Negro World and for a brief period the Official American Representative for the UNIA-ACL 1929 under the Honorable Marcus Garvey.