Community Activist - Haiti Observer Blog

On March 23, 2014, Dominican immigration officers barred Juliana Deguis Pierre through a Dominican constitutional court ruling of last year to fly to U.S from Santo Domingo's airport with her lawyers to meet the officials of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington. Pierre is a woman of Haitian origin who is fighting for Dominican citizenship. As per her statement, she was carrying necessary travel documents provided by the U.S. State Department for her visit. But the Dominican immigration officers decided they were not sufficient to allow her to travel to the scheduled meeting with the human rights body on Monday in Washington and she needs a passport.

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Haitian activist Myrtha Desulme condemned the decision of Dominican Republic Constitutional Court ruling that stripped Dominican citizenship of Haitians who were born on Dominican soil after 1929. Dominican Republic and Haiti share the island of Hispaniola, in the Caribbean. Since the beginning of the twentieth century many Haitians crossed the border of Haiti to escape miserable poverty in homeland and work in the sugar cane plantation in Dominican Republic.

Myrtha said the decision of the Dominican court is racist and abominable, a crime against humanity. It will leave about 210,000 people stateless. Dominicans are now refusing to recognize their own citizens. As South Africa was boycotted during the apartheid era, Dominican Republic must be boycotted with same hatred. The whole global community should protest against the 23rd September ruling given in Santo Domingo, the capital city of Dominican Republic. We have to use the same blue print as was followed against South Africa until the Dominicans accept to come back to the norms of a civilized society.

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Jean-Claude Sanon, Haitian-American activist, is making his second run for elective office this November. His first run was in 2009 for a council seat. This time Sanon will run for District Five seat in Boston. The opportunity to run occurred in early 2013 when Rob Consalvo vacated the seat to make a Mayoral run. Sanon's opponent for District Five seat is Tim McCarthy. McCarthy's run for the seat will be his first try at elective office.

Although Jean-Claude Sanon trailed McCarthy in the number of votes he received in the preliminary election, he will get some wind beneath his wings, through the City Council re-districting of District Five. It includes Mattapan, largely Haitian-American, which has been enlarged. Sanon could outpace McCarthy, even though McCarthy's war chest is seven times the size of Sanon's according to figures released in the last half of October.

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Haitian Flag Day was looming and, even in the Bahamas, the fervor among Haitians living in the country was high, inciting the fear and furor of many Bahamians who instinctively began to fear what they were ignorant about.

Speaking to a news agency in his country, The Tribune, Bahamian activist Rodney Moncur tried to assuage the population by saying Haitian Flag Day and those who would be hoisting the flag of the fellow Caribbean country on Bahamian shores, were not a threat to the people of the Bahamas.

He noted that his country was a democratic one and that people there were allowed to exercise their freedoms He also noted that Haitian flags were certainly not so strange as there is also a concentration of American and Canadian flags present there.

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The World Day of Social Justice began in 2009 at the behest of the United Nations. The General Assembly believed the ideals of social justice, in theory and practice, needed to be accorded global recognition to further progress in developing democracies around the globe.

The World Summit has created a corpus of ideas that encompass principles of social justice defined by social-policy advocates. These principles are based on a society's progress in the areas of human rights, solidarity, accords, and parity within and among government institutions locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally.

In pursuit of a just and equitable "society for all", governments have pledged to create a structure of actionable guidelines. If transgressed, it will lead to legal sanctions against the renegade state. For developing economies, it is incumbent on emerging-nation governments they foster principles of equality and social justice, honoring basic human rights and freedoms.

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Considered the father of Miami Little Haiti area, Viter Juste, AKA Pere Juste is widely known for establish the name "Little Haiti. Viter Juste was a visionary and a pioneer. Many people would tell you that this man deserves much of the credit for helping South Florida's Haitian community become the thriving group it is today.

Viter Juste wanted Haitians in South Florida to build a vibrant community. According to family, Juste wrote an article to The Miami Herald and named it 'Little Port-au-Prince.' However, the Miami Herald edited the title, calling it instead 'Little Haiti.

Over the past several decades, Viter Juste was very happy to see watch the positive transition of the Haitian community in Miami, moving from Haitian immigrant boat people to become a force politically and economically in South Florida

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On Sunday, 24 March, Miami's Cultural Section of the Consulate General of Haiti honored 12 women for their professionalism and creativity in community and humanitarian activities. This ceremony was held in Miami's Moca Café & Lounge. This ceremony was hosted by Émeline Michel, a famous singer from Haiti. The 12 women were awarded by "Beacon of Hope and Achievement Award". The ceremony was an outlet for thanking these women for their achievements and also to boost their morale for further contribution towards the development of the Haitian community.

The award was given out in turn by François Guillaume II (Miami's Consul General of the Republic of Haiti), Guy François Jr. (Vice-Consul), Mr. Isson Joseph (Consulate's Head for the Section of Community Services) and Cultural Section's Head. The 12 women who received the "Beacon of Hope and Achievement Award" were:
• Émeline Michel - A Haitian Artist
• Jenna Green - Project Medishare
• Dr. Marie Etienne - Haitian American Nurses Association
• Kimberly Green - Green Family Foundation
• Judith Joseph - Breakfast with Santa
• Marleine Bastien - Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami
• Rasha Cameau - Haitian Ista
• Nadie Mondestin - Haitian Youth Community Center
• Major Franzia Brea-Burden - North Miami Police Department
• Paola Pierre - HACCOF (Haitian American Chamber of Commerce of Florida)
• Nadine Patrice - Operation Green Leaves, Inc.
• Gepsie Metellus - Sant-La

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A defender of Human rights in Haiti lost his own battle. Professor Jean-Claude Bajeux, died on Friday, August 5, 2011. According to a family member, he died of lung cancer at home Port-au-Prince.

His political and social activist movement started in 1964 when Jean-Claude Bajeux was forced into exile under the Duvalier regime, after attempting to organize Haiti's Catholic clergy in protest of the expulsion of the Jesuit order.

He became leader of the political party Konakom and a supporter of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

Jean-Claude Bajeux and his family left Haiti in October 1993 due to threats made on his life. He was harassed by members of the Front for the Advancement and Progress of Haiti, known as FRAPH. He returned to Haiti in 1994 until his death. Professor Jean-Claude Bajeux died on Friday, August 5, 2011, at his house.

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