Miami - Haiti Observer Blog

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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Laurent Lamothe, Prime Minister of Haiti, attended the commencement ceremony at Azure College Nursing School in Fort Lauderdale in early August. As a keynote speaker, he stood before a gathering of graduate nursing students, their professors, and the Diaspora elite.

During Lamothe's talk, he encouraged graduates to apply their knowledge to be of service in their home towns. He congratulated them on earning their degrees and acknowledged the hard work and perseverance it took to finish their coursework.

He spoke of the establishment of Azure College by newly immigrated Haitians, who assimilated into American culture by gaining accreditation for Azure College. He added Azure College School of Nursing has distinguished itself, with a success rate of 100% job placements.

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The Haitian Radio landscape of North Miami during an election period is a veritable game of thrones. With a whole third of the North Miami population being of Haitian descent, hopefuls for the city council and the position of mayor take to the ever important airwaves to sway the votes of this influential number.

The importance of Creole radio in North Miami is unquestionable. Even non-Creole speaking candidates and other interested parties keep themselves abreast of what is being broadcast because, quite often, the elections all but play out over the radio waves. The relationship to the Haitian residents of North Miami and their radio stations is not always a healthy one. They hang so trustingly upon the words of the broadcasters that the truth and lies are often accepted unquestioningly. Therefore, any candidate serious for election must keep on top of what is being said about them on radio. They must not only police what others are saying, but be a source of information by having a decisive presence on the most popular stations and talk-shows.

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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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Saturday May 18, 2013, the streets of Downtown Miami came alive with the singular Haitian musical beats of compas. A musical style with its beginnings well over a century ago, compas (kompa, konpa) took over the Klipsch Amphitheater at Bayfront Park with its sonorous beat and piercing, often provocative lyrics. The celebration took place on the Haitian Flag Day in the middle of May, the month designated as the Haitian Heritage Cultural Month. The tickets went on sale for anywhere from $35 to $100, and the '21 and over' age restriction shows just how rowdy, or at the least, suggestive, a compas festival can get.

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The list of ordinary men, not kings or presidents or any other in an official capacity, who have influenced true and lasting forward movement in their home countries, is a short one. The list of Haitian writers who have created a legacy of literary, social and political worth is shorter still. The efforts of one such ordinary Haitian writer puts him at the pinnacle of both lists and elevates him from an ordinary Haitian writer to a legend of extraordinary significance to Haiti, it's Diaspora and many other countries in the world.

Morisseau-Leroy lived a long life from 1912 to 1998. At the beginning, his upbringing in a prosperous mulatto family saw him well-educated and fluent in French and English. His lucky, unchallenged existence was soon broadened by the addition of a wife, whom he credited as his muse, who famously admired his horsemanship, and would later give him three children.

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Haitian born Garcelle Beauvais is a veritable diamond 'from' the rough, her rise in the business of show a true testament that dreams born on Haitian soil can come true. The 46 year old actress, singer and model got her start at 16 when she was signed to the Ford modeling agency. It was her first big break, and it came about after the divorce of parents Axel Jean Pierre and Marie-Claire provided a move that would change her life.

Her mother, a nurse, left the island with Garcelle and her six older siblings and relocated to Massachusetts. After leaving her lawyer father and country of birth behind Garcelle, then seven, experienced severe culture shock. She learned to adjust and picked up English by watching popular American kids shows, perhaps fueling her inspiration for future on-screen success.

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A New York woman, believing she'd been hexed, sought services of a Voodoo practitioner, Pierre Jenty, in Miami Florida. Sixty-six year-old Jenty, a con artist, scammed upwards of $20,000 dollars out of her. It came to a violent end when she came up short of money on her last trip to him. She was drugged and raped.

The unidentified victim was a Haitian Voodoo believer. Voodoo, an integral part of Haitian culture, was brought to Haiti by Congolese slaves. When European colonists settled in Haiti, Catholicism became the dominant religion, forcing Voodoo underground. But Voodoo priests adopted Catholic practices, and the religions have co-existed peacefully since.

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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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Stephanie Villedrouin is the tourism minister of Haiti and has created a new logo and slogan for a promotional campaign just in time for the Haitian Compas Festival. She was really determined to change the reputation of Haiti's tourism industry. She felt people abroad do not know of Haiti's tourism. There was an international tour of promotion organized by 14th Haitian Compas Festival which was taking place in Miami. Stephanie thought of this tour as an opportunity to market tourism in Haiti.

She wanted to make people aware of the new slogan and new logo of the ministry of tourism. Minister Stephanie Villedrouin had T-shirts and caps written the new logo and slogan. She then looked for people to wear those T-shirts and caps in the festival. It was ironic that she showed out the logo and slogan before the official release on 1st June.

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