The 2011 Haitian American Forum

There is a long time rumor that exists in the hearts and minds of both Haitians and non-Haitians alike: When it comes to planning events, the Haitian people tend to be very lax-a-daisy: the event will undoubtedly begin late, the food will be served even later, and in the end, though there may be nice presentations, no strategic goals are implemented or executed. The Color of Hope organization is one group that is bursting at the seams with strategic ways to dispel such a rumor. I had the privilege of being a part of this event and I’d like to share my opinion on how it all went down.

Months ago, I was sitting in my dorm tackling a fairly difficult mathematics assignment. It was the middle of the summer term and I was ready to be done with the semester, and fly to Haiti to begin the water project there with my school’s chapter of Engineers Without Borders. I received a phone call from a very good friend and mentor of mine, Mr. Ed Shakespierre. He was calling just to check up on me and applaud me for my blog! (Who would have known?) Ed told me that he noticed that I had a pretty strong desire to help out my Haitian community and that he would really appreciate it if I would make a pact to participate in a panel discussion on May 28^th, 2011. Now I have got to be pretty frank. I do not care for any organization that fiddles with people’s time and ultimately gets nothing done. But I was convinced that Ed (who is truly passionate at making a change in Haiti and has the track record to prove it) was planning something legit.

Sidebar: Since Ed called to inform me so early about an event that was taking place in May, it immediately gave him and Color of Hope credibility. It also gave me time to pencil it in and tell others about it. Great planning!

So let’s fast forward to early May. By this time, the event went up on Facebook, and had been advertised throughout the state. I was just so impressed by how many people knew about the event, expressed excitement, and planned to attend. Also, the advertisements were just so aesthetically pleasing. No offense, but when it comes to some Haitian parties, I am so used to seeing some well-endowed model on the front, the time, place and the name of the DJ. I loved how these small cards that were given out gave a brief but informative idea of the events that took place. Also, the design featured nice blues, oranges, and reds. Colors of Hope, get it?

May 28^th, 2011: Ed Shakespierre presents: The 2^nd Annual Haitian American Forum 

From L-R: Salusa Basquin (my dad), Ed Shakespierre, and Me

I arrived at the Haitian American forum just 3 minutes late…shame on me! Thankfully, Ed, his wife, and all of his loyal workers were just making sure that everyone felt at home. As all of the guests began to trickle in, I got to meet some phenomenal people. There was first Lawrence Gonzalez, a former Marine and motivational speaker with his Master’s Degree in Taxation from FSU as well as his lovey girlfriend Jessica Donette a social worker, and a dancer. The two danced to a Kompas song in the background and you could just tell it was going to be a good day. Nothing was kicking off just yet; it was just a very nice environment where people had the chance to enjoy a delicious complimentary Creole style lunch and network. Once the event commenced, we were directed to a back room decked out with yummy wraps fruit and beverages. The title of our session was Leaders of Tomorrow, but from the looks of it, all of the people that surrounded me were leaders of today.

 

Meet the Panel

The first was our host and facilitator Diana Bien-Aime, who immediately lights up the room with her unending grace. She iterated that her main concern was that we as a group work toward delivering honest and authentic responses to her questions. Then we had Francesca Menes, a Community Organizer for the Florida Immigrant Coalition (FLIC) who articulated her ideas so well and informed us that she works very closely with Latin Americans and jumped at the opportunity to serve her Haitian community. Next was Marc St. Clair, a Managing Partner at Haiti Ventures LLC who was discussing plight within Haiti’s government and business tactics with Mr. Gonzalez and Lucson Joseph, who is a community organizer, speaker, and the majority shareholder of Swann Holding, an import and export company located in the Turks and Caicos Islands. I got to sit down with my dear friend Mirta Desir, who began Link Haiti, a non-profit organization that has sent numerous medical teams to Haiti and also strongly supports the education and agricultural sector of the country.

From L-R: Lawrence Gonzalez, Myself, Marc St. Clair, Mirta Desir, Francesca Menes, Lucson Joseph, & Diana Bien-Aime

Leaders of Tomorrow

We all went outside and the Leaders of Tomorrow session began. We were asked a number of questions like “What does it mean to be a Haitian American?”, “Do you feel supported by the generation before you?”, “How can we strengthen our community?”, “What are some practices that we need to do away with?” and “What is your personal vision for Haiti’s future?”  The discussion was open to the very active audience, who commended us for the work that we have done, and the work that we plan to do. They introduced themselves and asked us questions like: “what can we do to reach the young Haitian Americans here in the U.S.?” and invited us to help them with their individual causes. We took a few things away from this panel discussion:

1.     Though we are all brought together by the same love for Haiti, we are all very different, and we have different views on how things came to be in Haiti and how they should be fixed. Nonetheless, the differences do not create bad blood between us, but rather an incentive to work through our differences to achieve something much greater, unity and a restored culture.

2.     One of the main obstacles that Haitian Americans face is that the torch is not being passed from the previous generation to the next. Francesca brought up the very valid point that some folks don’t want you to succeed unless their name is on it. They want the recognition because they have been through the flame. This mindset tends to ostracize the diaspora who want to make an impact, plus it is a bit immature considering the fact that the new generation will have obstacles of its own.

3.     This relates to a point that Lawrence brought up. “Have you ever been to a plaza where there are three different Haitian restaurants???” He explained that it is important for the Haitian to quit thinking about self-glory and to link up with others to reach the same goal more efficiently. He stressed that we won’t get anywhere unless we try to get there together.

4.     While plenty has been done here in the states, there is still a lot to be done. The work has only just begun.

After a wonderful panel discussion, we returned to the room, which was adorned with gifts for us. I was touched by how much appreciation was expressed to us, because in my opinion, all I did was talk! But then I realized that it is so much more than that. Color of Hope is glad that we are, speaking, typing, e-mailing, sending medical teams, picking up shovels, and just trying to get things done. We are no longer talking about Change but standing at its doorstep and demanding an appointment with him for the sake of Haiti!

Doing Business with the IHRC:

Marc St. Clair provided insight on how to do business with the Haitian Commission. He introduced businesses in Haiti that are trying to do everything imaginable to improve life in Haiti via harnessing technology to waste management and from tapping into solar power resources to greener living. He discourages anyone who thinks they have to start yet another organization and stresses that this creates yet another barrier on the road to unity.

Now this last part had to have been my absolute favorite: We watched a 50 minute documentary written by none other than Edwidge Danticat, called “Poto Mitan”. Oh… where do I even start? I honestly can’t give the makers of this short documentary all of the credit that they deserve, but it was just so cleverly engineered. It is narrated by six astounding women who each introduce their personal struggles and how they translate to the existing disasters in Haiti. It was raw, no big words or empty thoughts were necessary because the themes were just so loud. I encourage anybody to watch this brief documentary as it plainly wraps up most of the problems in Haiti and praises the women of Haiti for carrying the nation on their heads. For a better understanding of the film, check out: www.potomitan.net.

I had to leave early and so I didn’t get to watch the Q&A session titled “Our Women Our Strength ( Fanm Se Fos Nou)”  nor did I view the actual Haitian American Forum, but from what I am reading, it was controversial, poignant, and authentic. To check out how that went down or to find out more about Color of Hope, follow this link: www.colorofhope.org. 

All I can say is, congratulations Ed. This event was extremely successful and reflective, and I can’t wait to see what’s next!