Haitian-American - Haiti Observer Blog

Bill de Blasio, New York City Mayor-elect, has appointed to his transition team community leader, Haitian-American Elsie Saint-Louis in the role of one of his advisors. Saint-Louis, the executive director of Haitian-Americans United for Progress, joins the team among 60 other experts, and leaders in their own right, who will shape de Blasio's new administration.

The names were announced in recent weeks and the news has been met with favorable responses for the diverse selection that also includes Jamaican native Una Clarke, who served as a city councilwoman, the first woman born in the Caribbean elected to the New York City Council, for a decade. Clarke, during her tenure as city councilwoman, served the 40th Council District in Brooklyn after being elected in 1991.

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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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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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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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Little Haiti in Miami has represented a point of reference for the Haitian community in Miami. I would say even the entire United States of America.

When there is trouble in Haiti, where do you think the media come to find more information? "Little Haiti"

When political candidates, elected officials, social activists want to show their support to the Haitian community, where do you think they come? "Little Haiti"

More importantly, when you want to have a good "Haitian Grio" with "Pikliz", where do you think you should go? "Little Haiti"

For all the above mentioned reasons and many more, we should not lose "Little Haiti" in Miami

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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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Civic leader and Haitian-American, Lucie Tondreau, has become North Miami's first female mayor. She beat incumbent Kevin Burns with nearly two-thirds of the vote, in an uncontested election.

Seven-year old Lucie and her family escaped Haiti in 1967 during the violent dictatorship of Jean-Claude Duvalier. They relocated to Montréal where Lucie grew up. After traveling in the Caribbean and Africa, Lucie returned to New York and worked as a journalist, becoming deeply involved in the Haitian Diaspora community. She hosted both her own television and radio programs, and wrote on Diaspora issues.

Lucie eventually realized she could be of more service to Haitians arriving in Miami, who needed help assimilating. She re-settled permanently in Miami, and became a champion for voting and human rights issues. She also participated in delivering aid support to survivors when natural disasters occurred in Miami (a hurricane) and Haiti (the earthquake), in 2005 and 2010.

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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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