First Haitian-American Female Comes to Congress, Ludmya Bourdeau

The Caribbean bloodline has been tested by a history of enslavement, proven to be resilient and spirited, never giving into defeat and always hoping for a better tomorrow. Here are examples of Caribbean-Americans, who have made their imprint on the American consciousness.

ADVERTISEMENT


Haitian-American Ludmya Bourdeau recreated herself by adopting a Utah town as her legal residence, joining the Mormon Church, and running for mayor under the name Mia Love as a Republican, and winning. This month she became the first black and Haitian-American woman to win a Republican Congress seat in the general elections. She stands on the shoulders of Toussaint Louverture, who became leader of the first black-led nation in the world in 1804.

woman and Caribbean-American Shirley Chisholm broke historic ground in 1968 when she won her seat. She ran for president in 1972, the first woman and woman of color to do so ". . . to demonstrate the sheer will and refusal to accept the status quo."

Bahamian-born Sidney Poitier made his mark as the first black actor to win in the best actor category for Lilies of the Field in 1963. His on-screen fierceness, intensity, and dignity made him a harbinger for the civil rights era to follow.

Poitier joined with Jamaican-Martiniquan/Singer-Actor Harry Belafonte to provide financial support to Martin Luther King's crusade for civil rights.

African- and Caribbean-American Malcolm X was an exponent of black power, more inclined to use violence for black empowerment than King's peace tactics.

Reply to this article

Read more: Haitian-American, Mia Love, Newsletter Articles

« Mia Love prides herself as Mormon, not as Haitian-American | Main | Will Mia Love make history by becoming First Haitian-American in US Congress? »

Return to Articles List

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

E-mail (required, will not be published)

Subject: First Haitian-American Female Comes to Congress, Ludmya Bourdeau edit

» »

Our objective is to share with you news and information about Haiti and the people of Haiti. Traditions, habits and the way we were  or  grew are alive in this site. We highly recommend that you Subscribe to our Newsletter and also share with us some of the things that are memorable and made us unique people.