Little Haiti Cultural Center - Haiti Observer Blog

Miami Bayside Foundation presents Small business training at no charge. Sharpen your entrepreneurial skills while learning how to prepare to acess capitals. Attend a minimum of 8 out of 10 classes to receive a Certificate of Completion.

Session 1: Understanding your business

Session 2: Establishing your Business

Session 3: Developing your Business Plan

Session 4: Understanding Financial Statements

Read more →  

Little Haiti has never officially been designated a neighborhood in the City of Miami. However that could change this week. On Thursday, The Commissioners will consider a resolution to finally put Little Haiti on the map of Miami. Activists are strongly supporting this move to make Little Haiti an official neighborhood in the City of Miami, saying it will help fighting gentrification.

There is a strong opposition to this move as well, people motivated by both commercial interests and history of the area

Read more →  

We just learned that the recent firing of the manager of Little Haiti Cultural Center was not without any cause. The Miami Herald reports that there has been an ongoing investigation for at least two months regarding the management of funds received from renting the facility.

Since February, 2016, Miami police investigators have been quietly pulling records concerning who had rented the facility since June 2013. The State Attorney's Office Multi-Agency Public Corruption Task Force is also involved as they are conducting their own criminal investigation into the Little Haiti Cultural Center and Caribbean Market Place.

Read more →  

Miami's downtown boom and rising price for the space are pressing and threatening Little Haiti's longtime residents and business owners to move to some affordable places. Another big concern for the local Haitians is related to self owned properties.

About 85% of the Haitian owner rent their properties and sign their agreements without understanding what they are signing, and most of them sign without the presence of their lawyers. On December 3rd, they gathered in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood to deliver messages about the rapidly changing neighborhood and its preservation:

"Little Haiti is not for sale, Say no to gentrification, We want to stay." However, as per the statement of the Northeast Second Avenue Partnership (NE2P) authority, it is attempting to revitalize the area while preserving (?) authentic Haitian culture, art and history -- and the people who produce them.

Read more →  

In Haitian tradition, 'Rara' is a brilliant and colorful music festival that takes place throughout the Easter Week, following the Easter Sunday. The songs are always performed in Haitian Kreyòl that speaks about the African ancestry of the Afro-Haïtian masses and it blends the Voodoo and Christian influences with rhythms that vary across the Caribbean country. This tradition started when French colonization was still strong during the later part of the 17th century, and while the African-Haitian sugar plantation workers were riling up to gain independence. During the slave revolution, the Haitian slaves also fought culturally against their ruler with their new art, music, and dance forms. Today, Rara is a part of Haitian life; it is where you can hear all the latest gossips and happenings in Haitian life.

Read more →  

Over the weekend of September 13-14, 2014, Residents of South Florida were treated to a spectacular showcase of Haitian and Caribbean art, history and literature at the staging of two events. With the aim of coming to learn more about the pervasive Haitian culture, guests were invited to attend these free events and witness the displays of not just what Haiti has to offer culturally, but the Caribbean as well.

The back-to-back events were sponsored by Mapou Cultural Center, run by owner of the Haitian book store Libreri Mapou, Jan Mapou. They were, on Saturday, from 6:00 to 9:00 in the evening, a cocktail party held at the Little Haiti Cultural Center, and, on Sunday, from 10:00 in the morning until 6:00 in the evening, a book fair which was also sponsored by the Knight Foundation. The first event featured musical items from various singers as well as a Haitian folk choir, while the second event featured appearances by famous Haitian author Gary Victor and Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat.

Read more →  

Expect to see downtown Little Haiti in Miami packed this Saturday, September 27 with Haitian music bands and other local recording artists who will perform. This is to start something new in the area. It will be the First Community Fest, a day-long festival in Little Haiti

Experience Little Haiti in Miami: http://haitianbusiness.com/business-directory/wpbdm-tags/little-haiti/

We will have T-Vice, Zenglen, Gabel, B2s de Ti Harold, Rara Lakay, DJ Jis Music, DJ PAZ and Touche Dous.

The event producers are determined to bring awareness to the Little Haiti Cultural Center as well as the Caribbean Marketplace. The massive Caribbean Marketplace is a colorful gingerbread-style building modeled after the "mache fe" or the Iron Market in Port Au Prince, Haiti.

Read more →  

The National Basketball Association (NBA) and its affiliate, South Florida's Miami Heat, have launched a kids' recreation center, devoted to technology and academics. Called the NBA Cares Learn and Play Center (LPC), it is housed in Little Haiti Cultural Complex. The rec center project falls within the NBA Cares program, committed to offering youngsters a welcoming environment where they can play and learn what their interests in life are. NBA big-wigs, past and present players, cheerleaders, and students came out for the grand opening ceremonies.

The play center in Little Haiti is a state-of-the-art space, devoted to technology, academics, and entertainment. It will be equipped with the latest technology: big-screen TVs, laptops, printers, and tablets. A reading corner will be available, with an inventory of books and a slew of children's games. The NBA has partnered with State Farm and Samsung to remodel the play space. To the kids' amazement the space is done up in a Miami Heat theme.

Read more →  

Little Haiti Football Club was this weekend visited by David Beckham, who is a world renowned British soccer star. The little kids in Miami's Little Haiti neighborhood were not expecting this visit. However, it has been a great morale boost for these Haitian kids who play soccer and have big dreams of becoming professional players the US Major League Soccer (MLS).

Beckham was accompanied by various aides in his visit in Little Haiti where they practiced with the kids. The little kids were surprised and the play had to stop at once when the kids realised that a 'visitor' was on the pitch playing with them.One of the kids contended that it was a dream come true for him, after realising that Beckham was on the field playing with them.

Read more →  

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

Read more →