diaspora - Haiti Observer Blog

Haitian-Americans are gaining strength in local politics in the Long Island community. They have delayed running for local public offices due to the many obstacles they must overcome to become assimilated within the dominant Caucasian culture. But as the Haitian Diaspora has grown on Long Island, it has been reflected in the decision made by more Haitian-Americans to run for office.

During the recent November elections, five Haitian-Americans ran for seats on several different local boards and councils. Democrat Valerie Cartwright, daughter of Haitian immigrants, ran for the Brookhaven Town Board and won with 52% of the vote. It is a significant victory for her and the Haitian-American community because the community contains a very small population of Haitian-Americans. A civil rights attorney, she ran on a platform concerning quality-of-life challenges, encompassing low-income housing and more effective outreach services.

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Haitians can be found in many areas of history, contributing to posterity through great works of art, insightful literature, inspiring music, or, in the case of Charles Terres Weymann, a legacy in the creation of airplanes.

Born in Haiti's capital on August 2, 1889 to a Haitian mother and American father, Charles Terres Weymann flew as a test pilot for Nieuport during the First World War. The knowledge he accrued from his time as a pilot was put to use in developing fabric bodies for road vehicles. This became a lucrative business for him as he opened three factories in less than a decade, creating a global empire spanning the United States, England and France.

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The new Mayor elected in New York, Bill de Blasio, has assembled a total of 60 individuals to be part of his Transition group and one prominent Haitian-American is part of this team.

Haitian-American community leader Elsie Saint-Louis has been selected to be one of the advisors helping the incoming New York mayor craft his administration.

Elsie Saint Louis has been the Executive Director of Haitian-Americans United for Progress for many years. She has been very vocal in addressing the needs and concerns of the Haitian immigrant community in New York City over the years.

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After a historic win nearly seven years ago of the central Brooklyn district seat that was, for the first time, occupied by someone of Haitian-American descent, Dr. Mathieu Eugene runs the risk of being unseated by a new competitor. Though facing three candidates, including a MTA road car inspector, John Grant, and the ex-wife of a mayoral candidate, Sylvia Kinard, Eugene's main competition is the unassuming Saundra Thomas, who flew in under the radar to impress people who could push her campaign forward into a place of direct competition with Dr. Eugene.

The opposition is undoubtedly a bit of an upset to the Eugene camp, since, as an incumbent, they would have expected their councilman to run, largely, unopposed or without any serious threat, however, Dr. Eugene's ranking as 48th out of 51 council members meant there was a chance for competition.

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Haitian-American Patrick Gaspard has just been selected by U.S. President Barack Obama as Ambassador to South Africa. Originally from the Republic of Congo, his family immigrated to New York City when he was still a child. He has been involved in local and national politics almost three decades.

He began his career as a public servant working as a Deputy Assistant during New York Mayor David Dinkins term in office. That position led him to become head of the New York City Council. In 2003, he entered national politics and served as an advance man for Howard Dean's presidential campaign. Having acquired political chops, he got involved with union politics, holding the position of Executive Vice President and Political Director of Service Employees International Union.

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Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe arrived in Canaan on an exploratory mission on 6/17/13. Canaan is one of many towns near Port-au-Prince that received thousands of 2010 earthquake survivors. The survivors erected a tent city and received emergency supplies of food and water from the government of Haiti (GOH) and other non-government organizations (NGOs).

Lamothe talked about an urbanization program that will make Canaan a habitable place, supplying it with essential services such as electricity, water, and septic systems. But a conflict is brewing between GOH and the Diaspora, who have been building housing in the area. It focuses on the questionable necessity of the GOH to control the vicinity so the Unit for Housing Construction and Public Buildings (UHCPB) can perform its work. The GOH is discouraging the Diaspora from any further construction activity because it would interfere with the UHCPB's work. A collateral reason to prohibit more construction is the problem of squatters on the land.

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The latest scandal in the Haitian Parliament concerns the citizenship status of now-resigned Minister of the Diaspora (MOD), Bernice Fidélia. Ms. Fidélia recently submitted her resignation letter to Prime Minister Lamothe, and he has been reluctant to make public that document. His office gave a terse statement to the press that omitted the reasons she resigned.

Senate member John Joel Joseph claimed at a meeting of Parliament and the Prime Minister on June 4th that Ms. Fidélia is an American citizen. Within days of that meeting, she tendered her resignation in a letter to Lamothe. Since then, more senators believe Joseph's claims, or else why her sudden leave-taking?

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Miami is home to one of the biggest populations of the Haitian Diaspora, 30% of North Miami's residents. Créole is the primary and perhaps only language they speak. When candidates run for office in North Miami, they depend on Haitian radio to present themselves to listeners.

The Haitian community in North Miami does not have access to media, such as public access TV. If a community newspaper exists, illiteracy among them keeps information undigested. What is left for those voters is Haitian radio.

Haitian radio hosts exercise unbridled influence. What they say--whether true or not--is received by their Créole-speaking audience as God's truth. At its best, Haitian radio keeps listeners abreast of local council developments, at its worse, conversations devolve into race baiting and political name-calling.

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Kwame Raoul is Illinois Senate's Democratic member and an American politician. He was born on September 30, 1964 and he has been representing the 13th district ever since he was appointed to the seat in 2004 after Barack Obama, who resigned because of being elected to US Senate. Kwame Raoul is the chairman of Redistricting Committee and Pension & Investments Committee of Illinois Senate.

Kwame Raoul is a Haitian descendent and was born to Dr. Janin Therese Raoul and Marie Therese Raoul who immigrated to US. Kwame earned a bachelor degree from DePaul University in Political Science. Later he achieved a degree in law from Chicago-Kent College of Law.

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Haitian-American Linda Dorcéna Forry has been named the Senator for the 1st Suffolk District in the Massachusetts State Senate. On Tuesday the 28th of May 2013, Forry, a Democratic member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing her district since 2005, beat Republican Joseph Anthony Ureneck for the seat by a whopping 82% of over 9,600 votes. Her victory is a considerable one as it marks the first time a person of Haitian descent has been elected the U.S. Senate.

Linda Dorcéna Forry was born in Boston in 1973. She attended the ST. Kevin Grammar School and then the Monsignor Ryan Memorial High School. Her alma mater was Boston College, where she studied business management before working as a legislative assistant. In 1999 she left the State House to work for the City of Boston's Department of Neighborhood Development's executive staff and she rose to become the Acting Chief of Staff.

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