The program, which is sponsored by the Haitian Heritage Museum, featured traditional lecture format, intermingled with question and answer sessions, and a line up of local artists - Caheej, Flo and Mecca aka "Grimo." Throughout the presentation, the performers and speakers itnteracted with the audience. The program was designed for that purpose, explained Evaline Pierre, CEO and founder of the Haitian Heritage Museum, to keep them paying attention. "I chose artists to teach the culture because art transcends all boundries. Anyone can identify a beautiful painting." Attention is important because one of the program goals is to teach Haitian culture, a culture that is not widely known about, and by extension increase tolerance for differences. "It's a starting point," said Serge Rodrique, cofounder of Haitian Heritage Museum, "[so] you can start to understand similarities."
The average cost of both public and private medical schools in the U.S. can exceed $50,000 annually. The cost of medical school in the United States can leave most graduates in a pool of debt soon after graduation. These exorbitant tuition fees alone can make the idea of going to medical school for members of poor communities seemingly unrealistic and even nonexistent in some cases.
The 28 year old [Bingham], who grew up in Alameda and attended Encinal High School, first became interested in speaking Spanish at the age of 10. After graduating from UC Berkeley with a degree in Spanish Language and Literature, a co-worker informed her about the Latin American Medical Program in Cuba after she found it advertised on the Internet. She applied and got accepted in 2001. Kenya realizes that a lot of young people from the Bay Area and elsewhere in the U.S. still are unaware of the free medical program in Cuba, which was originally offered to 500 students in the U.S.. Some 200 applied and almost 100 are still enrolled. Kenya would encourage young people of color to apply for this program. "This is not some get rich quick scheme to get a free education and go and make money as a doctor. I am doing this to go back and serve the community," she said.
