The recent push to add a seat to the Miami-Dade County Commission for Haitian Americans should be lauded. However, the proposal made by a coalition of Haitian Americans should to be researched and analyzed more. The proposal just may tip the balance of power away from the Black community it intends to help. In December the Haitian American Grassroots Coalition proposed the charter amendment aimed at carving out two new districts -- one for Haitian Americans and the other for hispanics. The group's proposal would increase the number of commissioners from 13 to 15.
Goodbye Mister Fish 'n' CHIPS: TV chef [Ainsley Harriott] is bringing the. joys of Caribbean cuisine to the nation "I love Caribbean cookery and I think it's very important to get that message across because a lot of Afro-Caribbean people have been living here for almost a generation now," says Ainsley, who lives in south London with his Yorkshire wife Claire and their children Jimmy, 6, and Madeleine, 3. Ainsley is to some the saviour we have been waiting for. The Good Food Show special events steward, Tony Wright, called him "phenomenal" staing: "That's the only word I can use. As soon as Ainsley did ackee and saltfish, I said, `Yes!'. He didn't do the traditional stuff. He did something Caribbean."
"This is a historic day for the state of Florida," [Jeb Bush] said. "But this appointment goes beyond symbolism. It represents a coming of age of a population that has made significant contributions to the state of Florida. Dr. [M. Rony Francois] joins an incredible group of aspiring Haitian Americans who are making a difference in our state." Francois, who will make $155,000 a year in the state post, will succeed Dr. John Agwunobi as secretary of the Department of Health. Agwunobi is leaving Tallahassee to become an assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Francois will take over on Monday. A native of Port-au-Prince, Francois first came to the United States in 1979 and eventually earned a medical degree from USF in Tampa, as well as a master's degree in exercise physiology from the University of Central Florida and a doctoral degree in toxicology from USF.
Last Wednesday, the Haitian American Cultural Society and the Consul General of Haiti recognized non-Haitians of merit in a very special way: with honorary Haitian citizenship. Among the honorees, most notable were Miami-Dade Mayor Alex Penelas, Miami-Dade Commissioner Barbara Carey-Shuler, and Congresswoman Carrie Meek. For Meek, the recognition has added historical significance.
"FANM is a grassroots organization," Bastien said. "When people come here they come here with great hope that we will be able to attend to their needs, but oftentimes because of our financial situation we are unable to." In addition to the information that will be provided at the open house, FANM will present a sampling of Haitian cuisine, Haitian art and a musical presentation by children from the Haitian community. The event is free, but FANM will accept donations to further the work of the organization.
The French called the Island St. Domingue, and began importing thousands of African slaves to clear much of the land and build plantations. By the late 1700s, there were over half a million African slaves in St. Domingue, and dose to 40,000 whites, as well as almost as many "mulattos." (The word "mulatto" derives from the Spanish term meaning a young mule.) They were the "free people of color," the result of white men taking many slave women. [Adam Hochchild] goes on to tell us how very rich France became through its plantocracy on St. Domingue alone: "The colony's eight thousand plantations accounted for more than one third of France's foreign trade, and its own foreign trade equaled that of the newly born United States." White planters and merchants on the island lived a life of luxury unrivaled in "the New World." Hochchild tells us that on that fateful August night "a large group of slaves representing many plantations met under the night sky in a remote spot called Alligator Woods..." and these are the words reportedly shouted to the throng by a revolt leader: '"Throw away the image of the god of the whites who thirsts for our tears, and listen to the voice of liberty which speaks in the hearts of all of us."
"My first thought of Miami was `this is a big city,'" the 17-year-old told The Miami Times. "It was such a beautiful place, but I experienced culture shock once I was here." "Education is more advanced in Haiti and you have to be disciplined," he said. "That played a great part in my success in high school." "I am getting a great opportunity I wouldn't have in Haiti," he said. "I plan to make the best of it."
We must continue to support one another for the future of our community. We need to see more African American leaders coming into the Haitian community, not just during election time but throughout the year. We need to see more solid commitment on the part of the Haitian community also to join different causes in the African American community. These are the only ways we can overcome in this struggle for equality. If we continue to treat our political interests as separate entities, we will never get to partake of the ftuits of democracy. Concerned citizens and political officials in both communities need to let people know that we don't have a Haitian/African American problem. I would hope that the Haitian community can realize that just because Mr. Duke, an African American, was defeated by Mr. [Joe Celestin], a Haitian, that Haitians are not "better" or "tougher" or "stronger" than the African American community. Likewise, the African American community needs the growing Haitian vote in the future. Haitian and African American people are one race, living through different cultural lifestyles. It's okay to have different lifestyles, as long as we respect each others' differences, without animosity or violence. For instance, the Latin community is comprised of Spanish-speaking people from different countries: Cuba, Colombia, Puerto Rico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, etc. Does anyone think that these groups are in complete harmony with one another? The answer is no. The different Spanish-speaking groups do not like one another that much but, in reality, when it comes to standing up for a common cause you see them marching side by side, taking pictures with each other and voting for each other.
"It is a new day," [Phillip J. Brutus] told Caribbean Today. "No longer will Haitian Americans be taken for granted. We are demanding our place at the table." "We need to get Haitians involved in the process," Joseph "Billy" Louis, a spokesperson for the group, told Caribbean Today. "We need numbers in order to be taken seriously." Damian P. Gregory is a freelance writer for Caribbean Today. Caribbean Today's special focus on Haiti begins with Nick Carter's call for the nation to "re-invent" itself on page 9 and continues on page 29 with highlights of events there and in the U.S. marking Haiti's 200th Independence.
It ran for more than six years and playing one of [Desmond]'s barbershop cronies was a highlight of [Ram John Holder]'s long career. "It only had half of the audience of Desmond's, but it had much bigger audiences than the shows they replaced it with." In it, the colourful and exuberant traditions of Trinidad's Carnival provide the setting for a stage event which transforms Handel's Messiah into an musical combining song, dance and spectacle with the spirit of Caribbean storytelling.
