January - Boston Haitian Reporter

Transcription

BOSTON HAITIAN REPORTER
Vol. 11, Issue 1
JANUARY 2012
FREE
Two years after, ‘progress’ slow
In this Jan. 1, 2012 photo, Mamoune Destin, 33, wife of Meristin Florival, stands in their tent at the Beaubin camp for people displaced by the powerful 2010
earthquake in Petionville, Haiti. Two years afterwards, more than half a million Haitians are still homeless, and many who have homes are worse off than
before the Jan. 12, 2010 quake. AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery
By TRENTON DANIEL
Associated Press
PORT-AU-PRINCE — Days after the earthquake
killed their little girl and destroyed much of their
house, Meristin Florival and his family pitched a
makeshift tent on a hill in the Haitian capital and
called it home. Two years later they’re still there,
living without drains, running water or electricity.
A few kilometers (miles) away, Jean Rony Alexis
has left the camp where he spent the months after
the quake and moved into a shed-like shelter built on
a concrete slab by the Red Cross. But he’s not much
better off. The annual rent charged by a landlord
who lives in a nearby camp jumped from $312 to
$375, and he too has no running water.
“This is misery,’’ said Florival, whose 4-month-old
daughter was crushed to death in the quake-stricken
family home. “I don’t see any benefits,’’ said Alexis,
whose shed is flooded with noise at night from a
saloon next door that’s appropriately named the
“Frustration Bar.’’
The two men are among hundreds of thousands
of Haitians whose lives have barely improved since
those first days of devastation, when the death toll
climbed toward 300,000 and the world opened its
wallets in response.
(Continued on page 8)
HAU gala honors allies
in quake response
The annual Independence Day gala dinner hosted by
Haitian-Americans United, Inc. was held in Randolph
on Jan. 7 and paid tribute to a number of individuals
and groups including Sen. John F. Kerry, the family
of Britney Gengel, the Haitian Coalition of Somerville
and others. At right, Sebastien and Malaika Lucien
with Rebecca Zama, who performed at the event.
Photo courtesy HAU.
More, page 4.
Codman Square still
supports survivors
Codman Square Health Center absorbed a large
wave of Haitian earthquake survivors in the months
after the Jan. 12, 2010 disaster. Since then, the
Dorchester facility has launched a support group to
assist those in our community still struggling with
the after-effects. Story, page 2.
How well has the Red Cross done in helping Haiti?
Page 6
Page 2 BOSTON HAITIAN REPORTER
January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
Two years later, Codman center still serves survivors
By Manolia Charlotin
Reporter Staff
Victims of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti continue
to find solace and medical treatment at Dorchester’s Codman Square Health Center, which has
created a special program to focus on the specific
needs of the Haitian clients still coping with the
after-effects of the disaster.
Olivia Appolon, a social worker at Codman who
has worked there since 2001, estimates that the
behavioral care staff saw an increase of 80 new
Haitian patients in the first few months after the
Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake.
“I’ve been here for a number of years and it had
been difficult to get Haitian patients to utilize
behavioral health services,” Appolon said. “People
have been more receptive of these services since
the quake.”
Many patients came in during the immediate
aftermath with symptoms and somatic complaints
like headaches, upset stomach, and feeling fatigued
Appolon said.
“They would say ‘Kò m pa bon’ I’m not feeling well
and when testing didn’t prove any organic causes,
we realized the only thing they all had in common
were that they were survivors of the quake.”
At the numerous Haiti Relief Clinics, staff provided physical check-ups and preliminary mental
evaluations, along with information about posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to help them manage the symptoms. Though most of the patient base
was in Boston (mainly Mattapan and Dorchester)
people came from Randolph, Brockton, Cambridge,
Malden and Everett. These clinics lasted through
July 2010.
Now, the health center is launching a new series
dubbed the Haitian Support Program, which will
gather survivors in a group setting every other
Saturday beginning Jan. 15.
“In the beginning, the focus was to help with
basic needs like immigration, housing and food,”
said France Belizaire, another social worker who
was part of Codman’s initial response team. “People
that would come from Haiti, would get all their
shots, a full check up, then see a clinician, get an
evaluation and join the group.”
“There wasn’t a lot of therapy,” adds Appolon.
“If [patients] needed therapy we would refer them
on an individual basis. We provided what can be
called psychological first-aid.”
Belizaire, then an intern, has since graduated
from Simmons College’s masters of social work
program and now works as one of the social workers
in the support group, which started in the summer
of 2010. The program is funded by a federal grant
from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health
Service Administration and is locally administered
by the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH).
DPH was the main provider of health insurance
for the first wave of survivors that came to Massachusetts. Patients received comprehensive care
A Mass in honor of Haitian Independence Day drew a large crowd to the Cathedral of the Holy Cross
in Boston’s South End on Jan. 1, 2012. Photo by Patrick O’Connor
free of charge, which included medical, dental, eye
health and behavioral services.
Staff track patient care and status in monthly
reports on various issues that they discuss in
sessions, including housing, immigration and
nutrition. [The program] currently has 10-12 (in
addition to 6-8 children) consistent clients every
other Saturday.
Two years after the quake, many survivors are
confronting challenges with getting jobs, access to
limited benefits and immigration.
“This year, some of the clients are taking ESL
courses and have jobs,” said Belizaire. “We call
clients to see if they will come to the group and
many cannot.”
For those who have yet to find work, learning
English is important for them says Belizaire.
“The process can be stressful. They say ‘alright,
I’ve been here for a year, and I applied for a job
but haven’t [gotten] a job.”
Outreach manager Beatrice Martin helps many
clients get access to resources. She refers clients
to training programs along with Codman Square’s
“Wòch nan dlo ka apran doulè wòch nan soley.”
We honor our
Haitian friends
and colleagues
for their courage,
generosity, hospitality
and faith. Thank you
for teaching us about
the suffering of the rocks
in the sun.
Karen & Jim Ansara
Health Leads program – which helps low-income
residents with food stamps and bill payment.
“While many are dealing with this tough economy, they are still coping with grief and loss,” said
Belizaire. “We’ve been working with the clients to
help them talk about their lost family members.
Many are still holding it in.”
According to the Codman staff, one of the main
barriers to providing services has been immigration.
Many patients have Temporary Protected Status
(TPS), and while all it does allow them to remain
in the US and grants legal status to work, it only
provides emergency health insurance.
“Many of our clients are on emergency cash
assistance. They apply to get some money, but
some still [aren’t eligible] to get food stamps,” said
Belizaire. “Some may get about $100 or so [every]
few months, and then they have to re-apply. Not
to mention, some clients have to wait for work
permits after they file for TPS.”
Codman Square’s patient-centered approach that
provides incoming clients with a team of providers
is making a difference, said Appolon.
“We have a diverse group of providers that can
relate to the population that they serve,” Appolon
said. “The fact that Codman welcomes everybody,
makes it a home for people in the community.
People can walk-in anytime for services and we
have same-day appointments… It’s a plus for the
community to have access to care right away.”
Most of the health care providers involved in
the Codman program are of Haitian descent.
Belizaire thinks the diversity of the staff enables
them to provide care in a way that makes patients
comfortable.
“I wanted to work here at Codman Square
because I wanted to work with Haitian clients,”
said Belizaire. “I was looking for a place where …I
can really help my community and to help work
[against] the stigma of mental health. I wanted
to educate my community and show that mental
health is not about ‘moun fou’ (crazy people) – it’s
about healthy living.”
Two years after the earthquake that led these
survivors to Boston, to Dorchester, the providers
say their patients have served as inspiration.
“Many Haitians pick up the pieces and keep
pressing forward.”
Panel OKs army plan
PORT-AU-PRINCE— A press liaison for Haitian
President Michel Martelly says a presidential commission is urging the leader to restore the nation’s
disbanded army. Vladimir Laguerre of the National
Palace says the recommendation for the force came
in a report. Martelly was expected to restore the
army through a decree in November but instead
said he would form a panel to study the issue. The
army was disbanded in 1995 because of its history
of abuse. Martelly made the announcement on Jan.
1 in the coastal city of Gonaives. He traveled there
to celebrate Haiti’s Independence Day.
Boston Haitian RepoRteR
BostonHaitian.com page 2
January 2012
Page 3
Within Haiti’s long history lies promise for its future
Ruth’s Green Peas Sauce
(Sos Pwa Frans)
By Manolia Charlotin
Editor
revolution was a participatory event over several
LD: That was really a crippling thing too because
years. There are lots of ways for the military to exist it never really allowed the Haitian government to
Historian Laurent Dubois’ latest novel Haiti: The within the Haitian society. However, there’s a big set its own economic policy. It’s also good to note
Aftershocks of History provides a rich narrative of difference between 19th century military and the 20th that a lot of the people of the government had comthe island’s long history, with a particular focus on century central army. And keep in mind, the other promising relationships and these allegiances the
the 19th and early 20th century. Dubois, a professor post-independence in the 1934, those movements elites had to foreign merchants, was not necessarily
Makes
four
toHistory
six servings
a good for the Haitian people.
of Romance
Studies
and
at Duke University, helped overthrow the prior regimes.
8
cups
water
BHR: Boyer did not fight with the
BHR: So much of your source mais the author of the critically acclaimed Avengers of
4 cups
sweet
revolutionary side. Did that play a role
the New World:
The Story
of peas
the Haitian Revolution. terial comes from Haitian scholars.
in the way he governed?
LD: Yes… I wanted to provide readWhat sets Aftershocks
apart from many recent
4 whole cloves
LD: Well, most of the revolutionaries
narratives
only the
periods
covered, ers with the insights from the great
1historical
small green
onionisornot
whole
fresh
scallion
fought on the side of the French. But
Haitian thinkers and scholars… It’s
but the extensive
use
of
materials
from
Haitian
2 fresh garlic cloves
Boyer was an extreme case. I think he
scholars including luminaries such as Thomas important to me because history is
sprig thyme
believed that Haiti’s prosperity was
Madiou, Roger 1Gaillard,
Anténor Firmin, Dantès meant to be an open process. History
sprig parsley
tied to France. What’s more fascinatBellegarde and1Georges
Anglade (to whom the book should be an open dialogue. I try to
1 whole green hot pepper
ing is that the differences between the
make an abstract point in a more
was dedicated).
founding leaders were quite small.
The Boston
Haitian
Reporter
recently connected approachable. If you give people
1 teaspoon
adobo
seasoning
They never made a radical change to
the notion that Haitians have been
with Dubois
for an interview:
1 chicken
bouillon cube
the plantation model. All the ruling
struggling with the perennial quesBHR: What
were
you
trying
to
accomplish
with
1 tablespoon butter
elites had a similar political vision. The
tions of how to make their country,
this new book?
2 table
spoon
kind of labor codes, approach to land
Laurent
Dubois:
The vegetable
goal of the oil
book is to share these narratives can give you a sense
pepper
and saltinvolvement
to taste
ownership was just about the same.
the longblack
history
of democratic
in Haiti of complexity, to try to confront the
BHR: Let’s fast forward to the epi– to document the political practices, to think of the narratives that are damaging to
logue, which documents post-Duvalier
Haiti.
There’s
social
history
of democracy.
When
comes to Haiti,
ot bring to
a boil
8 cups
of water and
additeverything
except
for the
salt, an absence of knowlabout
scholarship… Author Laurent Dubois era.
people
search forhigh
examples
of the foredge
er. Cookmany
covered
on medium
to highoutside
temperature
1 hour
andHaitian
45
LD: From ‘87-’94, so many military
The notion of the politics of knowledge
country
to
offer
solutions.
Its
long
history
provides
ring fire to low and stir, at this point you can crush some of the peas with
interventions, we still haven’t seen the
important insights to what can be done now, for the comes to mind.
as you stir.
Add
butter and simmer for 15 minutes.
Always
Also, for
example, African American historians realization of what could have occurred. Even people
country
tosalt,
movepepper,
forward.
th
m, goes well
with
white ricefocuses
and any
poultry
or19
fish.
Bon have
Appetit!
long known that if you let others tell your who are sympathetic to Haiti, have a simplistic view
BHR:
Aftershocks
mostly
on the
and
early 20th century. Why did you choose these periods history, they won’t do it as well. If you want to un- of this period. You have to understand the longer
derstand the history of the modern world, you have view, to really grapple with this recent history.
of history?
mash the removed peas, dilute the mashed peas
th having
retain the LD:
tradition
BHR: In the epilogue, you also draw the conclusion
The 19of
century has multiple narratives. Haiti to understand the Haitian history. I see this history
with some of the cooking broth and squeeze the
een peas sauces
only on
certain
was a better
place
in many aspects, for people of as fundamental. This book also includes the positive that the current aid scheme is not working.
mixture through a strainer back into the cooking
go to any
Haitian
restaurants
LD: You’re not going to see change in Haiti, until
African
descent
in the western hemisphere. There links within the US and Haiti relationship. Telling
pot for
further
cooking,
youstories
get to show
this step
randomwas
Tuesday
and
ask
for
those
that there is positive ways to we really take stock and think about the structural
a long history of debates
in the
public
sphere,when
you
also attempts
have to add
the other
ingredients,
theway you tell the past has an challenges. The earthquake provided an opportunity
n peas sauce,
you most
likely and
engage.
I do think the
of political
opposition,
many
to crespices
etc…
That’s
just
too
much
sometimes.
One
u will getate
thea typical
what are democracy. The ignorance impact on how you connect with the present, how to re-think the aid. And with all the NGOs, it’s not
better functioning
day Ithat
decided
that Ibasic
didn’t you
have
to follow
all the
ook withofthe
following:
“pwa
healthy to have so much fragmentation. But a larger
envision
what’s
possible.
Haitian
history
is so great,
providing
steps
have green peas
sauce,
wanted
rans, lé dimanche
sèlman,
BHR:
DidI the
first it
democratic movement of the scope of evaluation, there should be a space to have
information
– of wap
major above
cultural
andtointellectual
didn’t
the availability
to follow
the whole
anslation:
“Green peas– sauce?
a discussion parallel that explores the broader pic1830-40’s
fail?
contributions
is seen [atbut
times]
ashave
subversive.
shebang,
so
I
cooked
it
all
in
one
step.
The
saucebrought the changes to the ture. To really ingrain the idea, if things are going to
n peas sauce,
only
on
Sundays,
LD: The reformers
BHR: What lessons can be learned from this critidid look a little different from
the traditional
ver-that some of the reform gen- work it should line up with what Haitians want for
ns sauce.”
government.
It seems
cal historical period?
sion but
it wasmodel
as delicious
satisfying.
If itdrastic,
is a radical change because it their country. We can’t ignore what Haitians have
ooking beans
and
erations
held back
economic
ben- and
LD:
Forpeas
one,sauces
the 19thiscentury
weekday
and
your
taste
buds
are
craving
sos
pwa
es such aefited
cumbersome
process,
the majority
of the population, for the most would have had an effect on them. I think you do get learned historically through their own experiences.
can have
it. Simply
cook
it bythat
following
BHR: Do you have a favorite Haitian proverb or
these
cycles
Haitian leaders, feel that Haitian
ou cook part.
you just
to “set
Thewant
economy
was afrans,
draw you
to many
migrants.
this
easy
recipe,
if you
can’tpopulation
buy it, make
it! quite ready for true democracy. saying?
is not
e the famous
roasting
machine
There’s
a reason
why many
were
coming
to Haiti
and
LD: Chen gen kat pat men li pa kouri kat chemen.
ook Haitian
peas sauce,
verygreen
few leaving
Haiti. Yet,Enjoy!
one of the things I find This happens, not only in Haiti. Once people start
you have
a question
Ruith- ormobilized,
maybe an that
idea there is an acceleration of A dog has four legs but he can’t run in all four dirst have challenging
to cook the about
peas with
the earlyDo
history
is the
thinkingfor getting
for a recipe?
Send
anise-mail
Ruth atand
ruthsrecipes@
then certain groups tries to contain rections. It’s simple, but I think it’s applicable in
d ingredients
for a leaders
long time,
of founding
as mythical
figures.
That
you tohopes…
yahoo.com.
with (not
them as
deeply as they deserve the effect, the economic order. I don’t see Haitian terms of history.
to drain don’t
someengage
of the peas
sometimes.
Starting
king broth.
Next you
have towith Dessalines, there’s this history as an endless cycle. I wanted to emphasize
idolism. He’s talked about as a brilliant military that there were all these reformist movements. To
make an actual history,
leader, not an intellectual, a thinker.
BHR: As you say, the founding leaders, Dessalines, by which I mean is reChristophe, Pétion and Boyer were more complex ally complicated. Its
than they are usually portrayed when talking about not really about villains
and heroes. It’s about
Haitian history.
LD: What’s important [is] to realize is that they the way human society
ess day, sponsored by the Matandthat
games
for theare
kids
will struggled
be available.
to move forreally grappled with things
Haitians
still
Ed Partnership, will be held on
The thinkers.
public in invited to participate
ward. Thenin
youthis
can free
kind
dealing with today. They were
m 10 a.m.-1p.m.
at
the
Church
event,
part
of
the
citywide
adult
education
BHR: Did the first 40-year period of military- of relate to it today.and
arking political lot
(corner
literacy
week, set
which
begins May
15 with
a celebraBHR:
One of
the starstyle
of theoffounding
regimes,
a mold,
River St). set a foundation for Haitian
tionpolitics?
at Boston City Hall Plaza
at 11
a.m.
For
more
tling
facts
you
present
udents from
ESOL,
PreGED
information
or
to
volunteer,
contact
Brunir
O.
ShackLD: Yes. It did. However, we can’t downplay the is that the first national
bout theirimportance
experiencesofin
Matletonthreats
at the the
Mayor‚s
Office bank
of Jobs
Community
in&Haiti
Banque
the
imminent
founders
oy homemade
anditrefreshServices
at 617
Nationale was actually
faced.food
Also,
can be said
that they
had918-5244
a choice,or brunir.shackleton.jcs@
nformation
about how
to the
enroll
DorCheSter
cityofboston.gov.
a model,
from
Haitian
revolution itself. The a French institution.
h educational materials. Books
Uphams Corner
y day in Mattapan Sq. on May 19
er
ncy
ce
omobile
an a
able
ester
nts
Ave.
TA
es”
MARk the DAteS!
Boston Water and Sewer Is
Coming to Your Neighborhood
A Boston Water and Sewer Commission
Community Services Department
representative will be in your
neighborhood at the places, dates,
and times listed here.
Municipal Building
500 Columbia Road
Fridays, 10 AM–12 PM
January 13
February 10
FIelDS CorNer
Our representative will be available to:
Kit Clark Senior Center
Accept payments. (Check or money order
1500 Dorchester Avenue
Mondays, 10 AM–1 PM
only–no cash, please.)
January 23
Process discount forms for senior citizens
February 13
and disabled people.
Resolve billing or service complaints.
Review water consumption data for your property.
MattapaN
Arrange payment plans for delinquent accounts.
Mattapan Public Library
Need more information? Call the Community
1350 Blue Hill Avenue
Fridays, 10 AM–12 PM
Services Department at 617-989-7000.
January 6
February 3
980 Harrison Avenue • Boston, MA 02119 • www.bwsc.org
January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
Independence, allies focus of annual HAU gala
Karen Keating Ansara, below, co-founder of The Haitian
Fund at The Boston Foundation, was the keynote speaker at
the Jan. 7 gala dinner hosted by Haitian-Americans United,
Inc. The 11th annual gathering was held in Randolph and
paid tribute to a number of individuals and groups including
Sen. John F. Kerry, whose
award was accepted by Boston City Councillor Ayanna
Pressley. Also honored for
their continued dedication
to the people of Haiti was
the family of Britney Gengel,
who was killed in the Jan. 12,
2010 earthquake while on a
humanitarian trip with her
college. The Gengel family is
now building an orphanage
in Haiti to keep Britney’s
memory alive.
Photos courtesy HAU.
Leonard and Cherylann Gengel spoke to the audience as they accepted an award from HAU
for their dedication to the people of Haiti.
Lince Semerzier accepts an award from Dr. Eno Mondesir on
behalf of the Haitian Coalition of Somerville.
Councillor Pressley, left, with Marjorie Alexandre Brunache, right, who represented the
Haitian consul at the event.
State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry is escorted to the stage.
It’s time to register for
KINDERGARTEN
JANUARY 3 - FEBRUARY 3




Pre-register online
Get a list of required documents
View registration locations
Find the date/time best for you!
FOCUS
On Children
Boston Public Schools
I‘m going to
Kindergarten!
www.bostonpublicschools.org/register
BPS is also registering grades 6 & 9 during this time.
Note: current BPS students will receive their applications
through their schools and do not need to visit an FRC.
All other grades register: February 8 - March 23.
Start your countdown to kindergarten at: www.countdowntokindergarten.org
BostonHaitian.com
January 2012
Jan. 14 event in Boston to mark quake
remembrance and ways to move forward
By Rishi Rattan
Special to the Reporter
As we approach the second anniversary of the
earthquake, looking back on the international
response to Haiti in the aftermath has been like
watching a micro-history of how the world interacts
with Haiti and Haitians in general. While the global
community at first came together to support fellow
humans in need, two years later, the majority of
the aid pledged hasn’t been received on the ground.
Haitians continue to lack clean water as the
ebb and flow of cholera that coincides with rainy
seasons continues to take lives and settles itself
– uninvited - into Haiti’s lands and pathos like so
many uninvited colonizers before it. And though
the MINUSTAH base in Mirebalais has stopped
dumping feces into the Meille, the United Nations
has yet to fully admit responsibility for creating an
epidemic that has now become endemic and affects
nearly one in every twenty Haitians.
In November 2010, in the midst of cholera and mere
months after the earthquake destroyed the political systems necessary for a democratic transition,
there were so many concerns about the presidential
elections that frontrunners initially called for it to
be annulled due to fraud until they were informed
that they were, in fact, frontrunners. The new Haitian government now wants to rebuild a military
before creating armies of civil engineers, teachers,
entrepreneurs, or healthcare providers. Those who
know the history of standing armies in Haiti cannot
swallow this news without some uneasiness about
what the future may portend.
It is in this context that
we remember the natural
disaster that affected
all Haitians. Last year,
hundreds of members
of the Boston Haitian
community—churches,
local organizations, and
grieving citizens—came
together to memorialize
the event. At the time,
the cholera epidemic was
raging, and millions were
still displaced, without
any foreseeable security of
food or shelter. The event
was cathartic - both sad
and uplifting. It brought
together those who were
trying to make sense of
not only the earthquake,
but all the tragedies that
had transpired afterward.
While it was intended to
be a one-time event, attendees resoundingly reClerk Magistrate,
sponded that they wanted to reconnect the next year.
And so, on January 14 at 4pm, at Roxbury Community College, Asosiyasyon Fanm Ayisyen nan
Boston (AFAB) and their co-sponsors will host the
second annual Nou Pap Janm Bliye event.
Two years later, there still remain hundreds of new
cholera cases daily, thousands of schools destroyed,
hundreds of thousands displaced - who lack access to
clean water - and millions of cubic meters of rubble
that are obstructing the paths to homes, markets,
schools, and reconstruction. Yet Haitians, with their
collective knowledge of the history of international
promises that invariably fall short and in the face
of staggering adversity, have approached the job of
rebuilding with the steely-eyed determination that
marks Haitian character. It is with such conviction,
ingenuity, and compassion that brick by brick and
tent by tent, Haitians are overcoming international
obstacles like broken promises, predatory loans,
trade agreements, and national ones, like violent
forced evictions of displaced brethren.
While there will be certainly time for remembrance, we convene to also move forward. Indeed,
if Haitian history tells us anything, it is that in its
time of need, what helps Haiti the most is Haitians
themselves. We encourage you to come out and meet
fellow community members like yourself, not just
leaders. Gain strength and inspiration from each
other. To learn more about the 2nd annual Nou Pap
Janm Bliye, email Carline Desire at cdesire@afabkafanm.org or visit afab-kafanm.org.
Rishi Rattan MD is the Advocacy Sub-Committee
Chair of Physicians for Haiti.
Page 5
Cambridge Health Alliance
Your Families –
Our Community
We’re proud to continue
supporting your needs.
OVER THE PAST TWO YEARS, the staff at
Cambridge Health Alliance has worked to
support the Haitian community after the
earthquake. We are proud to be your friends
and your partners – and we will always be
here for your health needs.
CURRENT NEWS
In 2011, we were fortunate to get a 9-month
grant from the MA DPH Office of Refugee
and Immigrant Health to help us support
Haitians displaced by the earthquake.
Working with local partners, like the Somerville Haitian Coalition (SHC), this grant has
allowed us to:
• Connect people to English language
classes
• Help families find shelter or housing
• Connect people to doctors who understand the Haitian language and culture
• Hold support groups for Haitians every
other Monday
From the White House and the Court House
Happy New Year!
Maura A. Hennigan
Suffolk Superior Court, Criminal Division
FOCUS ON YOUNG ADULTS
We are now working with more than 50
Haitian teenagers at the Somerville,
Medford and Malden High Schools – helping
them keep their cultural identity while better
understanding American culture. We are
also helping them get their transcripts from
schools in Haiti so they get credit for completed coursework.
We respect the local Haitian community and
we hope that our work continues to have
meaning. If you have any questions about
this grant, please call Marques LaForest at
617-591-6780.
Wishing you a happy and healthy
Haitian Independence Day
and New Year
as the Haitian people continue to rebuild and grow
stronger two years after the earthquake
At Partners HealthCare, we want to be able to respond to everyone
who turns to us in their time of need.
STAYING HEALTHY
If you need help finding a doctor or a care
team that understands your culture, please
call the CHA Doctor Finder Service at
617-665-1305. We are taking new patients at
our sites in Cambridge, Somerville, Malden,
Everett and Revere, and we speak Haitian
Creole and French.
CAMBRIDGE HEALTH ALLIANCE is an award-winning
health system with three hospital campuses (Cambridge
Hospital, Somerville Hospital, and Whidden Hospital) and a
network of primary care and specialty sites. Thanks to our
interpreter services program, bilingual providers, and community programs, we have been named one of the top hospitals in the country for providing culturally appropriate
care by the American Hospital Association.
www.Partners.org
GR11_288
Editorial
Following the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake, the American Red Cross raised more money than any other
American relief organization working in Haiti – a
whopping $486 million from 60 percent of American
households. In its newly-released update on its response to Haiti’s earthquake, American Red Cross
President and CEO Gail McGovern writes, “…while
there is still much work to be done, I’m proud to say
that real progress has been made.”
Upon initial review of the data presented in the
report, it appears their work has indeed yielded significant progress – particularly in these three areas:
HOUSING: There are over 600,000 people counted
in official camps recognized by the United Nations.
The Red Cross (along with partners) has built, repaired or upgraded 7,387 transitional shelters and
permanent shelters – which according to their figures
means 36,270 people have received homes. Their five
partners Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED), Habitat for Humanity, Handicap International, Hope Haven International,and
United Nations Office for
Project Services (UNOPS),
were selected through a bidding process. They have plans
to build 6,500 more permanent
homes this year.
WATER and SANITATION:
The cholera epidemic has now
claimed over 7,000 lives and
has infected over 150,000 people. Red Cross’ main partner
for distribution of clean water
and waste management trainings is the Haitian Red Cross
– its largest partner on the ground in Haiti. They
say about 369,000 have benefited from activities
like building latrines and bathing facilities, trash
collection and drainage improvements across Portau-Prince. They also funded organizations like the
IRC, Catholic Relief Services, American Refugee
Committee, International Medical Corps to supply
cholera clinics along with distribution of soap and
hydration tablets.
HEALTH: The weak public health sector has long
been the main focus of the Haitian Red Cross, of which
the American Red Cross is the largest donor. In its
13 regional offices, the Haitian Red Cross conducts
health education campaigns for cholera prevention,
along with malaria and HIV/AIDS. The Red Cross
is also one of the leading funders for three hospitals
and a prosthetics and rehabilitation clinic for the
disabled. They claim their reach in general health
care services surpasses 3 million people.
However, two years later the Red Cross has spent
only $330 million of the $486 million raised in the
weeks after the earthquake. Why?
“We can’t spend $486 million all at once,” explained
Judith St. Fort, director of American Red Cross Haiti
programs, who joined the Red Cross in June 2010.
“We would still be providing tarps as opposed to
now building t-shelters. The Haitian government
wanted the NGOs to focus on recovery… The money
was raised for relief, but it was spent on the needs.”
Also, St. Fort explains, rights issues complicate the
housing situation: Landowners don’t want organizations to build temporary shelters on their property.
When pressed to clarify the difference between
pitching tents (as most of the survivors living in internally displaced camps had been doing for months)
and building sturdier, weather-resistant temporary
shelter, the Red Cross doesn’t have a clear answer.
“The immediate response for the Red Cross was to
distribute tarps,” said St. Fort. “The tarp distribution was done on camps that people were already
BOSTON HAITIAN
REPORTER
“An Exploration of the Haitian-American Experience”
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Patrick Sylvain, Contributing Editor
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January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
A closer look at the Red Cross response
settled in… It’s not as simple as it sounds, to just
build semi-permanent shelters on their land. Landowners don’t want semi-permanent structures on
their land. The immediate need was to get people
supplies to stay dry. How long will these people
stay in these structures, no organization can make
that decision.”
Yet, the Red Cross makes decisions about the allocation of its own resources for building housing,
among its other services. It has budgeted, to date,
$187 million to provide housing – of which only 48
percent has been spent.
“These funds were spent on tarps and temporary
shelters,” said St. Fort. “The land issue will continue
to be a problem. The government of Haiti has identified land outside of Port-au-Prince to build houses.
If you speak to the government now, they’ll say, ‘Yes,
we have land.’ But there are no economic activities,
no ways to get back and forth from [some of] the
remote areas where the government has designated
land. We can’t build housing for people in the middle
of nowhere, with no resources.”
The wariness to build outside of Port-au-Prince
may come from lessons learned after last year’s
dehumanizing failures at Camp Corail – which the
government of Haiti heralded as a model camp for
the displaced. Homeless survivors were lured there
with promises of better shelter, access to services
and jobs. They soon found themselves isolated from
services, vulnerable to the elements and completely
neglected. Corail symbolized the failed government
and humanitarian aid promises.
St. Fort says the focus of services is on Port-auPrince and the north, where the Red Cross partners
with Haitian organizations.
“Shortly after the earthquake, we gave funds to
FONKOZE to help them help their clients get back
on their feet,” said St. Fort. “We funded the ‘hostfamily program’ to meet the needs of some of those
host families, to purchase supplies and food.”
Given the broad range of services the Red Cross
offers in Haiti through numerous large NGOs, it
isn’t easy to pinpoint the impact of their work or
how they hold their partners accountable.
For instance, the Red Cross says it’s very proud of
its cholera response. They trained over 200 promoters around the country for a far-reaching cholera
education campaign, supplied medical warehouses
and provided 5,000 cots to patients in clinics. Yet,
of the $186 million the Red Cross has yet to spend,
it’s still sitting on relief funds that it has allocated
for cholera ($6.9 million), food and emergency
($7.3 million) and water and sanitation ($5.3 million). Why? What’s the decision-making process
to prioritize how funds that are already allocated
for a particular service are utilized? How can the
largest organization that provides health-related
relief services in Haiti, not be out of money after a
successful response to the cholera epidemic?
Once you go beyond the data and talking points,
to probe the impact of the American Red Cross –
and most of the large international organizations
– on the lives of the still-vulnerable and displaced
families in Haiti, you’re left with more questions
than answers.
One thing is evident: two years after the earthquake there is not significant progress in the lives
of the people for whom the largest sum of aid relief
money was raised in modern history. That is not
something to be proud of.
- Manolia Charlotin
Commentary
Two Years Later, Where is the Outrage?
Kafou Ayopò camp: Destruction of the Camp at the Airport Road Intersection. Mayor Wilson Jeudy of
Delmas was the first local official in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area to begin illegally dismantling
the camps of internally displaced people. On May 23, 2011, the camp at the Airport Road Intersection
(Kafou Ayopò) was violently destroyed at midday when most residents were not around to safeguard
what little personal possessions they had inside their makeshift shelters.
By Melinda Miles
There is not enough anger for my anger,
there is not enough grief for my grief.
As the two-year anniversary of the earthquake
approaches, I am finding myself with a case of insomnia. Here I am, enjoying the perfect Haitian winter,
lying awake with my head filled with thoughts I
can’t escape. Sure, it’s natural to reflect on what
has happened as another year ends, yet what I
can’t seem to get away from is all the things that
haven’t happened.
The hundreds of thousands who haven’t moved
out of the camps they set up after the earthquake,
two years ago. The permanent homes that haven’t
been constructed, hell even the temporary shelters
that haven’t been built. The tarps that only last a
couple of months yet haven’t been replaced after
two years. The jobs that haven’t been created, the
billions that haven’t been spent, the building back
better that apparently will never happen.
I am still moved to tears when I watch footage of
the camps, and I bite the insides of my cheeks when
I walk through those twisting paths of mud, those
tiny corridors that separate families sleeping in tents
two years after the earthquake. I am heartbroken by
the small children who have spent their entire lives
in the subhuman conditions of Haiti’s IDP camps.
This is a reflection, not a news article or an analysis.
It is simply my thoughts written down. When I lie
awake at night I feel shame and I feel the weight
of not doing more. I work with people who live in
camps, and my partners spend their days holding
trainings, mobilizing, encouraging those living in
the camps and working in factories. We do what we
can, but it is not enough.
I can’t help but dwell on a decision that was made
in the first days after the earthquake, a terrible,
criminal, perhaps even evil decision. Because the
catastrophe had struck an urban area, human
rights “experts” who had flown in to oversee the
emergency response declared that it would not be
possible to apply Sphere Standards in Haiti. Sphere
Standards are the minimum humanitarian response
that people can expect after a disaster:
The Sphere Handbook “puts the right of disasteraffected populations to life with dignity, and to
protection and assistance at the centre of humanitarian action. It promotes the active participation of
affected populations as well as of local and national
authorities, and is used to negotiate humanitarian
space and resources with authorities in disasterpreparedness work.”
The minimum standards laid out by the Handbook
covers these four essential facets of humanitarian
aid: water supply, sanitation and hygiene promotion;
food security and nutrition; shelter, settlement and
non-food items; and health action.
This was certainly not the first time that Haitians
were given a different standard, and I’m sure it
BostonHaitian.com
Commentary
Patrick Sylvain
Contributing Editor
January 2012
won’t be the last. But I can’t understand why, despite the billions in the
pipeline for Haiti’s recovery and the
existence of a set of humanitarian standards developed to be universal – created specifically to define the response
to any disaster in the world – why these
standards were simply tossed aside.
Are Haitian lives less valuable than
the lives of people from other nationalities? Of course not, that’s ridiculous.
To decide that they were less valuable
would be racist, at least. It would even
be evil, wouldn’t it?
Yet Haitians were declared to be
unworthy of applying the universal
minimum standards for relief after
a disaster. I’ve heard the arguments.
I was in the room at several meetings
of the United Nations’ Office for the
Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) clusters where wellmeaning humanitarians explained
why they couldn’t, or rather wouldn’t,
be applying Sphere Standards. It was
an urban disaster, there wasn’t enough
space, the NGOs and agencies didn’t
have the experience necessary… the
list went on. But the underlying theme
should have been clear to any observer:
the will, the effort required to give
Haitians minimum standards of relief
after the quake, simply didn’t exist.
Much has been said about this but
in my opinion not nearly enough.
Why aren’t we angrier, why aren’t
we outraged? I wonder why the Haitian American community isn’t more
pissed off that Haitians were given a
different standard than the international minimum. I wonder why all of
the NGOs that have a mission to serve
the most vulnerable haven’t gotten together and overthrown the system that
decided the most vulnerable Haitians
weren’t deserving of what the most
vulnerable people from other countries
would get in a similar situation.
Adhering to Sphere Standards in
Haiti would have required innovation and creativity, but the result
would have been the thing everyone claimed to be doing: building back
better. Port-au-Prince didn’t make
sense before the quake. Even if it
wasn’t built on a powerfully dangerous
fault line, Port-au-Prince was initially
Page 7
Our national identity in limbo
those who would be born this year without even a
birth certificate.
I remember as a child, bringing small bowls of soup
Two hundred and eight years ago, brave Haitians
declared an end to slavery, giving birth to a new to those who were less fortunate; my grandfather,
my mom and to some extent, my dad before
nation where each person was a human
he left for the States, always uttered the
being. Tout moun se moun. This move
word charit (charity) around the holidays.
advanced the notion of human rights for
For many poor families, it was the charit
the first time in modern history, and was
of others that gave them the chance to
a vast departure from the values that
taste soup joummou on Independence
were held in high regard during French
Day. In the days since, I’ve been puzzled
colonial rule.
by the absence of a national kombit (comWhile at its inception, the revolutionary
ing together) that was so prevalent within
ideals of the newly formed nation called
peasant circles and even among small
Haiti held great promise, the reality as unpockets of the middle and upper class in
derstood today detracts from this plesant
urban areas like in Port-au-Prince.
image. Still, our rituals and their symbolic
In those days, it was unlikely to encounassociations mirror these revolutionary
ter an individual – impoverished or not
ideals. For example, soup joummou,
the New Year’s and Independence Day
Voices of – without formal documentation. I grew
up with family and friends who had birth
celebratory pumpkin soup, signifies the
Boston
certificates, passports and licenses – those
communion of equals through the conwho knew their birthdays. In recent years,
sumption of the once forbidden delicacy
reserved for the colonial masters. Today, as family however, I have met countless Haitians who live
and friends gather around the dinner table, we are under the radar of the government, have never had
clearly proud of our freedom and accomplishments, their picture taken, and are simply ecstatic to see
yet know that there are countless Haitians who are themselves on a video camera’s viewfinder. How
hungry, sleeping under tents. Two hundred and absurd and even criminal it is for a nation not to be
eight years after independence, many Haitians live able to account for all of its citizens in the twentyfirst century! How can we secure our territory when
in abject poverty and have no rights as humans.
This January 1, I chose to contemplate the iro- some convicted criminals and known gang members
nies that plague my beloved Haiti. Here, the once do not have official IDs? The future of the nation
brave nation of the New World, the champion of the cannot rely on haphazard mechanisms or God’s will.
We will never be a collective force for national
downtrodden, finds itself languished and atrophied,
all but consumed by self-hatred and in-fighting that improvement until we recognize and document the
is a legacy of our colonial past. As I watched the existence of each of our members. A commune seeks
happy spoons around my dinner table, I imagined communion with his and her fellow human beings.
the millions of dry mouths that hum prayers for At my home, and perhaps in the home of many
their next meal. I contemplated the undocumented other Haitian families, we form these communes
Haitians, who remain uncounted solely because of around the table on Independence Day – a bond of
the ineptitude of the Haitian government. I lamented friendship where each is treated as an equal. The
the thousands of bodies washed away by floods, or soup and other dishes symbolically bond family and
buried in mass graves, or dead at sea. Their citi- friends who recognize each other’s dignity and worth
zenship can never be memorialized. I envisioned as fellow human beings. It is unfortunate that this
built for about 15% of the population
it had before the earthquake. There
wasn’t adequate sanitation, drainage, infrastructure.
The overpopulation was a result of
a ruinous trend of centralization that
had been put into motion during an early 20th Century occupation of Haiti by
the U.S. military. This centralization
of government, education, market and
investment over decades had left the
rural majority with barely the means
to survive. Despite some pockets of fertile land and abundance, most of rural
Haiti became overworked and the land
exhausted. Trees cut down for fuel and
income, children malnourished, public
services nearly non-existent.
The experts, both Haitian and foreign, had no difficulty in identifying
these problems after the earthquake.
The centralization, the struggle
for survival for the majority of Haitians
who were marginalized outside the
capital – these themes were repeated
throughout the post-disaster needs assessment and rebuilding plans.
Yet the humanitarian complex, the
same one that declared Haitians would
not be getting the minimum standards
of disaster relief, also decided to ignore
the obvious need to move people out
of Port-au-Prince and invest some of
the millions and billions they had in
changing the warped and unbalanced
ways of the last century. Indeed, had
the NGOs and agencies done what was
necessary to meet the Sphere Standards they would have been forced to
also do what Haiti has needed for the
longest time – decentralization.
Of course Sphere Standards couldn’t
be met in the parks and empty lots
where people fled in the hours after
the quake. Of course you would have
to move them into safer spaces, less
likely to flood, large enough for families
to have basic minimum space requirements met. And yes, these relocation
camps would have cost money – to set
up community spaces, recreation and
education and market spaces. But the
money was there, hundreds of millions of those dollars are still there,
two years later. And the Haitians who
were left homeless by the quake? They
are still there, too, in squalid, dangerous camps in the parks and once-empty
spirit fails to extend beyond our respective homes
and dinner tables. Dignity and basic human rights
have evaded the consciousness of the nation to the
point that Haitians are born without having access
to a birth certificate. Where did we lose the idea
that the common good of the nation was an obligation for our survival as a democratic nation? The
communal ethos that was briefly born of the revolution has become an elusive quest, empty rhetoric.
As a result, the security and future of the nation
is directly on the line because a fairly large portion
of the citizenry does not have an official identity.
They cannot be counted as humans, and, as rights
are only conferred to existing humans, they are
exempted from these as well. Human rights and
dignities have become the exclusive soup joummow
of the twenty-first century.
Without an official identity, many Haitians cross
borders unnoticed searching for a more prosperous
existence. Ultimately, they are condemned to a
similar fate as invisibles in foreign lands. They
are the stateless beings who labor the sugarcane
plantations of the Dominican Republic or are strewn
like discarded fish across the Bahamas.
Each member of the collective union of the republic
must be counted and certified from the moment of
birth as a citizen of the nation so that rights can be
conferred and records properly kept. Most importantly, each Haitian needs to be able to reference
his or her individual birth history as well as his or
her parents’.
Not wanting to dampen the happy mood around
the table, I kept my thoughts to myself. The realities
of Haiti are inescapable and they can beat you like a
wet towel, or lift you up like a summer breeze. Even
in front of a warm bowl of soup joummou however,
it is difficult to avoid intrusive thoughts about the
negative realities of Haiti. Unfortunately, it seems
that many of those with the power to change those
realities don’t have as difficult a time.
Patrick Sylvain is an Instructor of Haitian Language and Culture at Brown University.
Where is the Outrage?
lots of Port-au-Prince
and its suburbs.
I watched an interview
with a foreign aid worker
the other day that made
me cringe. He spoke
of the need foreign aid
workers have to eat at
nice restaurants and
have their other “basic”
needs met. I wondered if
this was the reason the
humanitarian aid complex came in and centralized the relief efforts.
Was it because you can’t
find a decent supermarket filled with imported
goods outside the capital
city? You can’t find a
high end Italian restaurant, or good Chinese
food if you leave Portau-Prince, can’t find
the nightlife of $80-aticket concerts headlined
by foreign acts or the
lovely swimming pools
with swim up bars at the
fancy hotels. Is this why
the aid community based
itself in the upscale suburbs of Port-au-Prince?
I have used the phrase
criminal negligence more
than once when describing the conditions in the
IDP camps. While NGO
workers claimed people
had other places to go and
chose to stay in camps for
services while simultaneously removing those
services, while they
And Still I Cry
I feel you in my flesh
Like the skin of my shadow
I waited, I still wait and
I put my dreams on hold
seemed to hardly skip
a beat while transitioning from a conversation
that justified two tarps
per family as adequate
emergency shelter to
ordering a $20 US lunch
at a sweet little café,
I had to wonder how
so many people could
so blindly repeat the
errors that history and
an earthquake had laid
bare for us all to learn
from. And I wonder, too,
why there isn’t more
anger to see these mistakes repeated. Where
is the outrage?
Melinda Miles is the
director of Let Haiti Live,
a project of TransAfrica.
A poem by Jean Dany Joachim
And I still cry
For the names I am already forgetting
And your future, which shifts towards
the drift
I want to relearn your festive voice
This nostalgia chokes me
My heart still trembles
At the memory of the disaster
Which buried alive your sons in your entrails All these real suns
And knocked down your cathedrals
All these new moons
That are slow to come
And this combite of souls I wished for you
I have lost the words
To rewrite your history
My prayers become useless gestures
And I still cry
And time goes by without looking at us
For the words which keep silent
Where have your hymns gone?
And your Sambas who no longer sing
May your trees take back their place
And your rivers return
May your flames ignite
I am afraid of my tears
And may they call you by your real name
That do not stop
I want to take you by the hand
To make way together
The sky seems indifferent
I carry your name on my pillow
And in my dreams jostle
I feel you in my flesh
All your wasted chances
And my whole being cries resurrection
Here is my soul as an offering
I cry for your incurable wound
So that the voices finally listen to one
You are trembling in your pain
another
Like a collapsed bull
Et je pleure encore…. / And I still cry….
We did not pull you through
January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
More than half-million still pack camps around capitol
Continued from page 1
While U.N. SecretaryGeneral Ban Ki-moon,
former U.S. President Bill Clinton and others vowed
that the world would help Haiti “build back better,’’
and $2.38 billion has been spent, Haitians have
hardly seen any building at all.
At the time, grand ambitions were voiced for a
Haiti rebuilt on modern lines. New housing would
replace shantytowns and job-generating industry
would be spread out to ease the human crush of
Port-au-Prince, the sprawling capital with its 3
million people.
But now the government seems to be going back
to basics, nurturing small, community-based projects designed to bring the homeless back to their
old neighborhoods to build, renovate and find jobs
through friends.
The reasons for the slow progress are many. Beyond being among the world’s poorest nations and
a frequent victim of destructive weather, Haiti’s
land registry is in chaos — a drag on reconstruction
because it’s not always clear who owns what land.
Then there’s a political standoff that went on for
more than a year and still hobbles decision-making.
After the quake, a disputed presidential election
triggered tire-burning riots that shut down Portau-Prince for three days. The international airport
was forced to close and foreign aid workers had to
hunker down in their compounds.
Even after the vote was resolved and Michel Martelly was installed as president in May 2011, there
were further snags. The former pop star, new to
politics, took six months to install a prime minister,
whose job is to oversee reconstruction projects. He
infuriated opposition politicians because his admin- A woman wears a T-shirt with the name of President Michel Martelly as she walks through the Beaubin
istration jailed a deputy without following the law camp for people displaced by the 2010 earthquake in Petionville on Jan. 5. (AP Photo/Dieu Nalio Chery)
and named a prime minister without consulting
them first. They retaliated by trying to thwart him mandate, complaining it contained too few Haitians, 60,000 children to return to school, more than half
though they may have been using it as a pretext to of the 10 million cubic meters of rubble cleared, and
at every turn.
For six months, Martelly was running a govern- punish Martelly. But it meant that for the next six roads newly paved in the capital and countryside.
New housing is still the most critical objective,
ment with ministers of the outgoing administration. months there was no agency in place to coordinate
yet
the biggest official housing effort targets just
home-building.
“It created a situation where it was difficult to take
5
percent
of those in need, and the encampments
Meanwhile
government
employees
could
be
found
off,’’ the new foreign affairs minister, Laurent Laof
cardboard,
tarps and bed sheets that went up to
napping
at
their
desks
while
awaiting
orders
from
mothe, told The Associated Press.
cope
with
1.5
million
homeless people have morphed
their
bosses
that
never
came.
Another victim of the impasse was a reconstrucThe government and international partners say into shantytowns that increasingly look permanent.
tion panel co-chaired by Clinton, the U.N. Special
Envoy to Haiti. Lawmakers refused to renew its there has been some progress — 600 classrooms for Continued on page 9
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Open House
Join us as we honor the legacy
of Martin Luther King Jr.
Free admission with music,
film, and art activities for all
Monday, January 16, 2012
10 am – 4:45 pm
Underwritten by the
Citizens Bank Foundation
Robert T. Freeman, Black Tie, 1981. Oil on canvas. Gift of
Kate and Newell Flather, Alice Flather, and Newell Flather II.
Reproduced with permission.
BostonHaitian.com
January 2012
Page 9
Slowly, some are resettled into old neighborhoods
Continued from page 8
More than 550,000 people are still living in the
grim and densely packed
camps that are squeezed
into the capital’s alleyways and pitched on the
side of rural roads. And
many of those who left
the camps, often being
evicted or paid to go, say
their new conditions are
little better, and sometimes much worse.
“I certainly wouldn’t
call (reconstruction) a
success,’’ said Alex Dupuy, who has written
books about Haiti and
teaches at Wesleyan University in Connecticut.
“Other than putting a
government in place ... I
haven’t seen any concrete
evidence of recovery under way.’’
In the first year after
the quake, the previous
government never set
up a housing agency or
a clear housing strategy, and meanwhile the
camps swelled because
foreign aid groups were
delivering what the government didn’t: water,
latrines and electricity. Former President
Rene Preval identified
five plots of land for
new housing but only
obtained one, through
eminent domain.
Of the 10 best-funded
projects approved by a
reconstruction panel, not
one focuses exclusively on
housing. A U.S.-financed
$225 million industrial
park includes housing
for 5,000 workers. But
it’s on the northern coast
of Haiti, 240 kilometers
(150 miles) outside the
quake zone.
The highest-profile effort to house the displaced
came three months after
the quake, on the eve of
the rainy season. The
U.S. military and actor
Sean Penn bused 5,000
people from a flood-prone
golf course to a cleared
field in Corail-Cesselesse, north of Port-auPrince. It was supposed
to be the country’s first
planned community,
with factories and houses
for 300,000 people.
That never happened.
Today, the people of
Corail-Cesselesse are
ravaged by floods or
bake in the heat in their
timber-frame shelters.
They are far from the
jobs that sustained them
before the quake. They
speak of abandonment
and lack of services.
“It looks like there’s no
government,’’ said Stanley Xavier, a 30-year-old
former cabbie, now unemployed. “Before they
moved us out of the golf
club, they made a lot of
promises like they’ll create cash-for-work.’’
“They said they’d give
us jobs,’’ said neighbor
Jocelin Belzince, 39. Instead he says he has had
to become an extortionist, charging newcomers
$250 for a scrap of land
he doesn’t own.
“It’s an opportunity for
us to survive; I have kids
to feed,’’ Belzince said
with a smile. ``It’s not
only us doing this. There
are a lot of people doing
the same thing.’’
Martelly’s new administration has begun
building two housing
projects: 400 homes by
the bay and another
3,000 at the foot of a deforested mountain. And
Lamothe, the foreign
affairs minister, says
$40 million in Venezuelan aid will be used to
develop the southern
coastal town of Jacmel
in hopes of decongesting
the capital.
But the government’s
overall strategy now is
to move quake survivors
back into their old neighborhoods even if many of
those were slums even
before the quake. That
skirts the land title issue,
makes infrastructure
cheaper and puts people
closer to old friends who
might help them find
work.
This comes in the form
of a housing project in
Martelly’s administration plans to use
$40 million in Venezuelan aid to develop the southern coastal town of Jacmel.
Port-au-Prince called
“6/16.’’ The government
and aid groups are moving residents of six camps
into 16 neighborhoods to
be redeveloped. Several
thousand people have
already left three settlements, one in a stadium
parking lot, the others
in two middle-class town
squares ringed by amenities such as restaurants,
a church and a hotel.
The program seeks to
house only 5 percent of
the displaced population,
but government officials
say it’s a pilot project that
they hope to replicate
elsewhere.
Residents can pay the
landlord a subsidized
annual rent of $500, or
accept money to build or
rebuild their own homes.
They also get $150 in
moving costs.
“Staying in a tent
is not an option any
more, two years after the
earthquake,’’ said Nicole
Widdersheim of the U.S.
Agency for International
Development.
Although it’s more
modest than the old
ambition of dispersing
population to new areas,
“6/16’’ is getting some
$125 million in aid,
mostly from the World
Bank and the World
Bank-run Haiti Reconstruction Fund.
Many former camp
dwellers have moved into
old, boxy apartments
in the vast mountainside shantytown called
Jalousie. Here young
people hum Rihanna
hits and fist-bump each
other, saying, “respect
— Jalousie,’’ a sign that
a sense of neighborhood
is taking hold.
Marise Nelson, a pregnant mother of one who
received $500 from aid
groups to pay a year’s
rent, doesn’t miss the
camp in the town square
which she left after two
years.
“You couldn’t find food.
You couldn’t find water.
You couldn’t find a community,’’ said Nelson, a
26-year-old homemaker.
She likes her new
one-bedroom house, the
neighbors, the water well
and the little boutiques.
“The big difference
here is that I can keep the
place clean,’’ she said as
she stirred a pot of white
rice and her daughter
peered behind her.
Meristin Florival wish-
es he could too. Instead,
he says, he must put up
with neighbors in a camp
who use plastic bags for
their bodily waste and
toss them onto shanty
roofs.
Jean Rony Alexis and
his wife, Darlene Claircin, are glad to have
shade from the sun and
room for a table and bed,
but say life is no better in
the crowded Delmas section of the capital than it
was in the camp.
“It’s the same thing,’’
Alexis said. “I was suffering there. I’m suffering
here.’’ (AP)
M ap okipe pwoblèm dyabèt
ak tansyon mwen...
pou m ka kontinye fè bagay men renmen fè yo.
Mwen konnen si m okipe pwoblèm dyabèt ak tansyon mwen, m ap gen plis chans pou m jwi
lavi lè mwen vin gen anpil laj. Kidonk, mwen manje sa ki bon pou sante m, mwen fè egzèsis avèk
moderasyon, epi mwen pran medikaman m. Li pi fasil pou m okipe tèt mwen, pase pou m kontre
ak tout konsekans ki ka rive si m pa fè sa: konplikayson tankou pwoblèm ren, kriz kè, ak konjesyon
serebral. Pale ak doktè w, pou w konnen kijan ou ka viv byen avèk dyabèt la.
Pou plis enfòmasyon, gade nan adrès www.nhp.org/diabetes
OIQPSH
ès nou.
Se pwom
Se sante w.
January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
Graduates celebrate progress toward financial security
By Joel Schwarz
Special to the Reporter
All eyes were on Myriam Charles as her name was
called to share “how moving from debt to assets has
made a difference in her life” – the theme graduates
from the financial literacy program shared with
those gathered in Mattapan’s Haitian Church of
Nazarene for the December ceremony.
As attendees expected her to rise and walk up
to the microphone, Myriam’s 9 year-old daughter,
Melissa, stood up and grasped the microphone. She
introduced herself then said, “And I‘m here today to
tell you how Moving from Debt to Assets has made
a difference in my life.”
She explained that because of this program, her
mother was, for the first time, saving for Melissa’s
college education. Then Melissa called her mother
up to the microphone. Myriam came forward and
said that, as a result of the program, she decided
to show her love for her daughter by saving for her
future. So, with the money she has managed to save
since she started the program two months before,
she was able to purchase a $250 savings bond for
her daughter’s education.
The majority of these graduates had come to the
US after the earthquake in Haiti two years ago.
22 Haitians from four local churches marked their
completion of the class phase of the financial education program run by the Greater Boston Interfaith
Organization (GBIO). This was also the program’s
37th graduating class.
Something is definitely going on in Boston’s Haitian community. 10 days later, Moving from Debts
to Assets graduated Class 38 – 26 members of the
class were of Haitian descent.
State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz joined the participants to offer her congratulations to the graduates.
With the 38th graduating class, the total number
of graduates in the program is now 770 – since its
start in 2005. Two hundred and eighty-seven of the
graduates have come from the Haitian community
alone. In fact, 13 groups out of 38 have been conducted in Haitian Creole. The Haitian participants
in this program have come from 11 churches, 1 union
local, and 1 Haitian-owned business including the
Church of God Christian Life Center, Evangelical
Haitian Church Mount of Olives, the Haitian Church
of the Nazarene, and Voice of the Gospel Tabernacle,
Boston Missionary Baptist Church, Church of God
Christian Life Center, Holy Bible Baptist Church,
North Shore Evangelical Missionary Church, and
Keke Financial Group.
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Classes 37 and 38 were made possible with support from the Citizens Bank Foundation and The
Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation.
Moving from Debt to Assets is operated in 6 different
languages, with a majority of its groups conducted
in a language other than English. In addition to its
work in the Haitian community, the program has
delivered financial education to the Muslim (including one class conducted in Somali), Cape Verdean,
Brazilian, Latino, Jewish, and African American
communities as well.
Joel Schwarz is the director of Moving from Debts
to Assets.
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BostonHaitian.com
January 2012
Page 11
Why representations of Haiti matter now more than ever
By Gina Athena
Ulysse
An excerpt from Tectonic Shifts: Haiti Since
the Earthquake, edited
by Mark Schuller and
Pablo Morales
I realize that in focusing on this issue of
representation, I am
in a sense actually doing Haiti a disservice.
After all, the emphasis
on deconstructing symbols only reinscribes
the dominant narrative,
which already gets lots of
airplay. So here my activist and academic goals
clash. A deconstructive
exercise alone cannot fill
the lacuna of stories from
Haitian perspectives
with counternarratives
about the earthquake
and its aftermath.
Those of us who study
Haiti know this conundrum only too well. As
scholars, advocates, or
just plain concerned witnesses, we know, to put it
crudely and in layman’s
terms, that historically
speaking, Haiti has an
image problem. That
remains Haiti’s burden.
Sometimes I joke that
when the first free black
republic made its debut
on the world stage, Haiti
lacked proper representation. A point of clarification: It’s not that Haiti
did not have a good agent,
but that its representation at the time—newly
freed blacks and people
of color—and even still
today was not considered
legitimate and powerful.
Jean-Claude
Sanon
Indeed, we know that few
colonists or metropolitans considered the idea
of a Haitian insurrection
even possible.
In a chapter titled “An
Unthinkable History,” in
his Silencing the Past,
Haitian anthropologist
Michel Rolph-Trouillot
writes,
In 1790, just a few
months before the beginning of the insurrection that shook the
French colony of SaintDomingue and brought
about the revolutionary
birth of independent
Haiti, colonist La Barre
reassured his metropolitan wife of the peaceful
state of life in the tropics.
“There is no movement
among our Negroes. . .
. They don’t even think
of it,” he wrote. “They
are very tranquil and
obedient. A revolt among
them is impossible.” And
again: “We have nothing
to fear on the part of the
Negroes, they are tranquil and obedient.” And
again: “The Negroes are
very obedient and always
will be. We sleep with
doors and windows wide
open. Freedom for them
is a chimera.”
Chimera: A figment
of the imagination, for
example, a wildly unrealistic idea or hope
or completely impractical plan or perhaps an
underestimation. Both
before and after the
publication of Trouillot’s
book, numerous scholars, including C.L.R.
James, Mimi Sheller,
Sibylle Fischer, and others, have addressed the
inconceivability of black
freedom in the white
imagination during the
nineteenth century. One
of the most notable examples was
On the Equality of the
Human Races (1885) by
Joseph-Anténor Firmin,
a Haitian anthropologist, journalist, and politician. Firmin wrote his
tome as a riposte to An
Essay on the Inequality of the Human Races
(1853–1855), a founding
text in scientific racism
by Count Arthur de
Gobineau. Firmin sought
to debunk the dominant
racist ideology of his
time using a positivist
approach, launching an
argument that would be
silenced for more than a
century in France and
the United States.
In the section of his
book titled “The Role of
the Black Race in the
History of Civilization,”
Firmin recounts the
role that newly independent Haiti, which he
called “the small nation
made up of descendants
of Africans,” played in
the liberation of Latin
America through its support of Simón Bolívar.
“Besides this example,”
he wrote, “which is one
of the most beautiful
actions for which the
Black republic deserves
the whole world’s esteem
and admiration, we can
say that the declaration
of independence of Haiti
has positively influenced
the entire Ethiopian race
living outside Africa.”
He went on and on. We
could read Firmin’s work
as exemplary of nationalist pride, or perhaps as a
call for recognition that,
indeed, Tous les hommes
sont l’homme—roughly,
All men are man, as Victor Hugo put it, quoted in
the epigraph of Firmin’s
final chapter. Or Tout
moun se moun, as we
would say in Kreyòl.
In considering the
issue of representation
and the meaning of
symbols, I believe it is
imperative that we begin
with a simple question:
How did the enfant terrible of the region become
its bête noire?
Enfant terrible. Yes.
Many of us we were
taught that Haiti was
an avant-garde in the
region, second only to
the United States, which
had ousted the British.
This small territory
Indeed, the “chimera” of
black freedom, and the
stereotypes of savagery
that go with it, to this day
remain central to how we
talk about Haiti, represent Haiti, understand
and explicate Haiti and
Haitians. This, of course,
begs us to ask a bigger
question concerning the
role that these narratives play in more practical matters, in policy
papers and so on. For
indeed, there are certain
narratives that allow
us to remain impervious to each other by the
way they reinforce the
mechanics of Othering.
Or as Trouillot puts it,
“The more Haiti appears
weird, the easier it is to
forget that it represents
the longest neocolonial
experiment in the history of the West.”
The book Tectonic
Shifts: Haiti Since the
Earthquake is the latest
release from renown anthropologist Mark Schuller, is a collection of onthe-ground accounts and
in-depth essays which
seeks to help readers
understand “not only
the tectonic fault lines
running beneath Haiti
but also the deep economic, political, social,
and historical cleavages
within and surrounding
the country.” The above
essay is an excerpt from
the concluding chapter:
Shifting the Terrain.
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where enslaved Africans
outnumbered their European masters dared to
successfully defend itself
against three European
armies to claim its independence at a time when
other nations in the
region still trafficked in
slaves. Freedom came at
a price, the hefty sum of
150 millions francs and
60 subsequent years of
international isolation.
The seclusion fermented
cultural practices in
ways that rendered aspects of life in Haiti the
most recognizably African in the hemisphere.
Haiti’s history would
be silenced, disavowed,
reconstrued, and rewritten as the “Haytian
fear”—code for an unruly
and barbaric blackness
that threatened to export black revolution to
neighboring islands and
disrupt colonial power.
Reading this moment,
literary critic J. Michael
Dash observes,
“It is not surprising
that Haiti’s symbolic
presence in the Caribbean imagination has
never been understood in
terms of radical universalism [which it actually
represented and sought
to embody]. Rather, the
‘island disappears’ under
images of racial revenge,
mysterious singularity,
and heroic uniqueness.”
The distortions that
emerged in the aftermath of the successful
revolution would have
impact for years to come.
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BostonHaitian.com
Foreclosures slowed in ‘11, but another wave feared
By Pat Tarantino
Reporter Staff
Despite a shaky national economy,
new statistics show Dorchester and
Mattapan homeowners saw a significant drop in foreclosures in the past
year, with more homeowners holding
on to their property across the state.
According to a report filed by the
Warren Group, a private financial
firm that studies Massachusetts housing data, lenders began half as many
eviction proceedings between January
2011 and November 2011 compared to
the same time period last year, while
the number of completed foreclosures
also saw a noticeable decline. Housing
activists welcome the slowdown in
foreclosures, but many fear the break
may only be temporary.
Based on the Warren Group’s report,
foreclosure petitions - which indicate
the beginning of an eviction - dropped
nearly 60 percent from 555 to 227
in Dorchester and dropped about 52
percent from 132 to 65 in Mattapan
between 2010 and 2011. Additionally, foreclose deeds - which
signify a completed eviction - fell
nearly 52 percent from 390 to 188 in
Dorchester and saw a smaller decline
of about 34 percent from 65 to 43 deeds
filed for Mattapan homes. Statewide,
11,625 petitions were filed in 2011,
down considerably from last year’s
23,200 petitions.
Greater Four Corners Action Coalition executive director Marvin Martin
said that because loans were issued
by banks to homeowners in a cyclical
pattern, the foreclosure rate could see
another increase as early as the spring.
“From what we’ve been able to
gather, there are a whole bunch of
other loans that are about to come due
Statewide, foreclosure petitions
were cut in half last year— a
trend seen in the city of Boston
as well.
and we’re not the only ones. The state
is expecting the same thing,” Marvin
said. “Another round is coming.”
In order to combat the projected rise
in foreclosures, the Four Corners organization has launched a small pilot
program with financial backing from
the city to help educate homeowners
at risk of losing their mortgages. The
initiative offers them legal and financial advice in hopes of staunching the
flow of vacant homes throughout the
Four Corners area.
Tom Callahan, executive director of
the Dorchester-based Massachusetts
Affordable Housing Association, sees
a “strong possibility” that a resurgence
of foreclosures will hit city neighborhoods this year. The past 11 months
have seen decreased numbers largely
because banks have slowed down their
internal foreclosure processes to avoid
flooding the housing market with inexpensive homes, Callahan says.
“To some extent, [banks have] listened to concerns from municipal officials and community groups that you
can’t just dump a ton of foreclosed property on one neighborhood at the same
time,” Callahan said. “It would have
a really negative effect on [property]
values across that neighborhood and
maybe even cause more foreclosures
as property values drop.”
While the situation is expected to
get worse before it gets better, this is
not the worst foreclosure crisis Boston
has faced in recent memory. According
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there were 1,672 foreclosure deeds were
filed in 1992 - slightly double than the
821 deeds filed in 2010. DND chief Evelyn Friedman said city
programs meant to track, maintain,
and —in about 54 cases— purchase
and resell foreclosed properties have
prevented Boston from losing more
homes to bank foreclosure. “I think locally we are doing a lot
to address [foreclosures] and we were
much more prepared to handle it now
compared to the nineties,” Friedman
said.
Currently, the city’s Inspectional
Service Department maintains a list
of vacant homes and charges the mortgage holding bank a filing fee meant
to cover basic maintenance costs to
ensure the empty properties do not
put neighboring homeowners property
values at risk. The city also charges
banks $200 a day for failing to report
a foreclosure.
Although Friedman said Boston’s
housing market has been able to
withstand the current mortgage crisis
relatively well compared to harder-hit
cities like Detroit and Cleveland, her
department will have its work cut out
for it for the duration of the ongoing
recession.
“The city is pushing really hard to
get these properties, on the tax rolls
and occupied again,” Friedman said.
“But we’re not out of the woods yet and
I don’t think we’ll be out until we see
the national economy turn around.”
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BostonHaitian.com
January 2012
Page 13
Shedley returns with sack full of potential hits
Support Haiti relief with KariJazz
By Steve Desrosiers
Contributing Editor
Shedley Abraham
7th Step (Djazz-La 7)
The industry’s most sought after drummer is back
with a latest addition to his, “Djazz-La” series. Shedly Abraham returns with a sack full of potential
hits – about 11 new compositions to be exact – poised
to place his critically acclaimed “Djazz-La” series
back on the map.
We can hardly overstate the importance of Shedly Abraham to the Haitian Music Industry. As a
drummer, writer, and producer he’s been a part of
the creation of more than half of the great albums
of the past 20 years. His American styled technique,
best featured on New York All Star’s “Pou la Vie”
album, was a wake up call to Konpa’s more complacent drummers at the turn of the millennium.
His “Djazz-La” series helped to catapult the solo
career of Nickenson Prud’homme with the release
of the song “Deception” and showcased many other
talents who would have otherwise gone unnoticed.
His constant experiments in placing popular American Rhythm and Blues hits to Konpa rhythms are
important first steps for those destined to produce
Haitian-American Konpa in the all too near future.
“7th Step” is a bouquet of fine musical roses. The
album starts off ambitiously, grasping a dangerous
stem – a potpourri of Tabou Combo’s most celebrated
hits. On this feature an A-list of today’s best singers, including Zenglen’s Kenny Desmangles, Disip’s
Gazzman, and CaRiMi’s Michael Guirand team up to
present Tabou’s “Bebe Paramount”, “Min Yo,” “Juicy
Lucy” and more to a new generation. The album
also features a fantastic remake of Frere Dejean’s
“Malere,” sung here by former Mizik Mizik front-man
Emmanuel Obas as he is backed by key members of
Dejean’s original line up (Isnard Douby, Reginald
Benjamin, Ernst Vincent and Ronald Smith). The
Zouk flavored “Tu Savais” introduces us to the distinct tonal qualities of singer/songwriter Steeve Ke,
who weaves a wonderfully original melody through
an otherwise overused set of chords. And speaking
of new talent, singer Martine Marseille’s rendition
of Celine Dion’s “Je veut de toi” is absolutely breathtaking. I’m still recovering!
“7th Step” is a great continuation of the DjazzLa series. This release has shameless commercial
ambitions but is quality through and through. The
instrumentalists on the release are nothing less
than the cream of the industry’s crop: Yves Abel
(Tabou Combo), Ralph Conde (Nu-Look), Gabriel
Laporte and many, many more. Shedley has a knack
for getting the finest musical heads into his studio
to work his usual magic. The album does have its
shortcomings in the form of too many references to
80’s pop or Konpa versions of American songs that
are truly dated and who’s come back time has not
yet arrived. Besides this, Djakout Mizik’s Shabba
is the only one who delivers something original in
terms of a Jamaican flavored Rap/Ragga section
on the tune “Number 7.” However, these are minor
issues because once you hear how well Shedley sits
Lionel Ritchie’s “Easy” on a Zouk/Konpa rhythm,
all will be forgiven!
If you’ve enjoyed Shedly’s previous Djazz-La
releases, this one will be a worthy addition to the
collection. Get yours today!
ist, Thurgot Theodat will astound you with the
beauty in his mind through the Racine inspired,
“Magnitude 7.” The unsung but astounding group,
“Kilti Chok” avail one of their best Vodou-Jazz
pieces in “San Pale” featuring the touch of celebrated
Japanese pianist Michiko Tasuno.
The list amazing performers on this release runs
like the Great Wall of China to include compositions
from talents like Jean Caze, Mozayik, Ralph Millet, Chardavoine, Bemol Telfort, Markus Schwartz,
Jowee Omicil, Riyel, Reginald Policard, Gifrants
and for the Konpa heads Nickenson Prud’homme
and Dadou Pasquet are featured showcasing their
Jazzier sides.
As an organization, KariJazz’s mission is to, “foster
positive and fertile interactions among musicians,
to promote the emergence of a Haitian musical
expression that draws its essence from Haitian
culture as a whole.” The organization’s website is
the only one of its kind featuring interviews with
top Kreyol Jazz practitioners, availing their CDs
for sale, documenting their live showcases (which
occur mainly in New York’s Long Island neighborhood at a locale named “Chez Mireille) and featuring
an internet radio station that runs 24/7. Be sure to
discover this fantastic resource to our community
today by accessing: www.karijazz.com.
The Yanvablue collection is an excellent compilation from the best minds in Kreyol-Jazz. They have
all donated songs for your pleasure and to aid the
ongoing struggle to liberate Haitians from the effects
of the earthquake. Kill three birds with one stone:
Discover these artists, support earthquake relief
and discover Karijazz.com today. Happy New Year!
The Reporter Thanks: Patrick St. Germain of Parfumerie International for availing Shedley Abraham
for review. The CD is available at 860 Morton Street,
Dorchester or by calling 617-825-6151.
KariJazz
Yanvablue
The memory Haiti’s January 2010 earthquake
will probably remain with us for many years to
come. Much good work is being done to bring the
capital back to life but this month in particular we
must remember that fundraising is still needed and
organizations supporting various reconstructive
efforts continue to need our support.
In this spirit, Karijazz.com the industry’s first
organization and website totally dedicated to promoting Kreyol Jazz released the double CD “Yanvablue” in 2010. The album is a collection of samples
from the albums of the major (though little known)
artists who are at the vanguard of the Kreyol Jazz
movement. Karl Joseph, the website’s founder
and a long-time enthusiast of Caribbean and Haitian Jazz, released the album as a response to the
earthquake in hopes of raising funds for musicians
affected by the quake.
“Yanvablue” is a music collection with serious
historical value. The artists featured are amazing
talents operating under the radar of the popular
music industry. Their works are produced in very
limited numbers which, once sold-out, are often
hard to find. Yanvablue
introduces us to the works
of over 10 Kreyol Jazz
masters and their latest
releases. The soulful winds
of Saxophonist Buyu Ambroise giving his best in a
rendition of the folklore
classic “Anonse” ushers in
this astounding adventure
in sound. You will meet
Berklee trained vocalist,
“Pauline Jean” whose mesmerizing rendition of “Dey/
Rasanbleman” juxtaposes
her Kreyol singing with
Public Health Clinic
the sounds of traditional
American Jazz. SaxophonSTD Testing & Treatment
Get regular updates, calendar info
and opinion online at our
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prekosyon!
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Exploring
the haitian american
experience since 2001
© copyright 2012
Boston Neighborhood News, Inc.
BOSTONHAITIAN.COM
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617-414-4290 Option #3
Page 14 By Yolette Ibokette
Contributing Editor
January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
Keeping tabs on the Kids-Firsters
This past November,
Boston Mayor Thomas
Menino unveiled a program to provide housing, counseling and
other critical support
for homeless and at-risk
pregnant women. In a
Nov. 4, Boston Globe
article Pilot program
aims to reduce infant
deaths, Barbara Ferrer,
executive director of the
Boston Public Health
Commission, lamented,
“For the past two decades, black women in
Boston have been two
to four times more likely
than white women to lose
their babies in the first
year of life.”
While there has been
some improvement in
narrowing this gap for
babies of color, the Menino administration
hopes this new initiative
will help continue to reduce this disparity. With
this program and others
that Mayor Menino has
created, I consider him a
“Kids-Firster.” This is an
individual who “believes
that putting kids and
their families first when
making all United States
policy decisions is the
right thing to do,” says
Robert Dugger. Dugger,
who coined the term, is
the co-founder of Partnership for America’s
Economic Success and
managing partner of
Hanover Investment
Group.
Kids-Firsters have
several reasons to hold
this belief. They’re convinced that in order for
the United States economy to thrive, it must
have a well-equipped
young adult population.
This means, our young
people must be healthy,
well-educated and have
strong family support.
With the unemployment
rate at 8.6 percent, our
most advanced and competitive companies are
still having difficulty
filling many jobs because
a considerable number of
young people don’t have
the necessary skills.
Dugger notes, “KidsFirsters believe that the
solution is to stop spending on low-return programs and start spending on youth human
capital, start investing
in high-return policies
that maximize the life
success of kids and their
families.” In addition,
the size of the youth
human capital sector
is substantial. Indeed,
the prenatal to age 18
segment exceeds 10%
of the Gross Domestic
Product (GDP).
More than 150 million
Americans are involved
in raising kids, including
parents, teachers, bus
drivers, doctors, clothing
and toy manufacturers
as well as many others.
Dugger adds, “Investing in the youth sector
would increase U.S.
growth prospects longterm and could strengthen the economy in the
short-term too.”
I asked Massachusetts Governor Deval
Patrick’s deputy press
secretary Bonnie McGilpin, if the Governor is a
Kids-Firster. If so, how
do his policies support
this belief?
“Governor Patrick believes that our children
are our most valuable
resource and investing
in their education, development and health
and well-being is his
top priority,” said McGilpin. “Kids deserve
access to a world-class
education, affordable,
quality health care and
programs that give
them a clear path to a
successful future. The
Patrick-Murray administration has developed
comprehensive policies
and devoted significant
resources to make sure
Massachusetts leads the
nation and the world in
student performance, in
health care coverage and
services that help our
children and families
build brighter futures.”
McGilpin also cites an
impressive list of efforts
that the administration
supports to prevent violence among our youth,
target kids’ physical and
emotional health and
close the achievement
gap.
Putting children and
their families first can
also unify us as a people,
say Kids-Firsters. Our
country is currently very
polarized along political,
religious, and socioeconomic lines. However, with 150 million
Americans depending
on kids for their livelihoods, Kids-Firsters
can easily unify behind
making kids and their
families the top priority. Furthermore, KidsFirsters can be a very
powerful voting bloc.
Just as teachers, bankers and other groups
organize themselves to
lobby for their interests,
Kids-Firsters should do
likewise.
“A political association
is needed to convene and
provide the 150 million
people in the youth human capital sector with
a way to express their
governmental priorities,” says Dugger.
With Massachusetts
voters considering which
of the two major Senate
candidates would best
represent them when
they go to the polls this
November, I reached out
Voices of
Boston
to both campaigns for
Senator Scott Brown and
Elizabeth Warren to find
out whether their candidates considered themselves Kids-Firsters.
“A former school teacher, a mother, and now a
grandmother, Elizabeth
always has believed kids
come first,” said Kyle
Sullivan, from Warren’s
campaign. “She wants
every child to have the
opportunity to succeed
that she and others in
her generation did. That
means instead of subsidizing the past—like
giving big breaks to big
oil and Wall Street—
America should invest
in public education from
pre-K to college and technical training so our kids
can get good jobs.”
Senator Scott Brown’s
office did not comment.
When choosing a candidate to support, Dugger suggests that KidsFirsters take time to
really look at the claims
made by Democratic and
Republican candidates
who are running for office and choose the most
Kids-First candidate.
“If for example, the
good legislators of
Massachusetts saw 25
thousand parents, physicians, teachers and
business people who sell
goods and services to
raise and educate kids,
on the steps of the capitol
building, their thinking
about what to spend, cut
or tax would be changed
permanently forever.”
Yolette Ibokette is a
longtime contributor to
the Reporter.
Judges: Restore health care
to legal immigrants ASAP
By Kyle Cheney
State House News Service
A move by the state Legislature to
strip tens of thousands of legal immigrants from a taxpayer-subsidized
state-run insurance program in 2009
violated their constitutional rights,
the Supreme Judicial Court ruled on
Jan. 5.
“The discrimination against legal
immigrants … violates their rights
to equal protection under the Massachusetts Constitution,” Justice
Robert Cordy wrote for the court in a
unanimous ruling. “We recognize that
our decision will impose a significant
financial burden on the Commonwealth … If the plaintiffs’ right to
equal protection of the laws has been
violated by the enactment of [the law],
then it is our duty to say so.”
An estimated 30,000 legal immigrants in Massachusetts were stripped
of their health care coverage in 2009, as
lawmakers sought to balance the state
budget during a sharp economic downturn. Those immigrants – designated
by the federal government as “aliens
with special status” because they’ve
been permanent
legal resiEarn Your Degree d e n t s f o r
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val Patrick
opposed removing immigrants from
coverage but eventually worked with
lawmakers to craft a whittled down
health care program at a budget of
$40 million, less than a third of what
full coverage was expected to cost.
That program, managed by CeltiCare
Health Plan, includes basic levels
of coverage but eliminated certain
services and charges sharply higher
co-pays for others. Currently about
14,000 immigrants are enrolled in the
program, down from a peak of just over
26,000 last year.
The program, known as the Commonwealth Care Bridge Program,
unfairly discriminates against legal
immigrants, the court ruled.
“Fiscal considerations alone cannot
justify a State’s invidious discrimination against aliens,” Cordy wrote, arguing that lawmakers had presented
limited other justification for their
action.
The SJC returned the case to a single
justice of the court with an order to
enter partial judgment in favor of
the plaintiff, Dorothy Ann Finch, who
brought the suit along with several
other residents and is backed by immigrant advocates, civil liberties groups
and health care consumer groups.
Although lawyers for the state argued that the policy was also meant to
further national immigration policies
that discourage illegal immigration
and promote “self-sufficiency among
aliens,” the court ruled that those
arguments are “at best, equivocal.”
“The appropriation arose directly
out of an unforeseen revenue shortfall
in the wake of the 2008 financial crisis. The proponents of [the program]
repeatedly invoked fiscal concerns,
while failing to articulate any interest
whatsoever in national immigration
policy,” Cordy wrote.
Proponents of restoring access to
Commonwealth Care for legal immigrants hailed the ruling.
“This is a major victory for legal
immigrants in the commonwealth,
no question about it. It vindicates
their constitutional right to equal
protection,” said Matt Selig, executive
director of Health Law Advocates. “
BostonHaitian.com
January 2012
SummerWorks
Youth Jobs Program
SummerWorks Youth Jobs Program
“WINTER EMERGENCY
CAMPAIGN”
The “Winter Campaign” of Action for Boston Community
Development needs your assistance to help families survive and
thrive during the winter season and beyond!
JOIN US. PLEASE GIVE TODAY!
WE ARE ACCEPTING DONATIONS FOR:
Cash • Fuel/Heating Assistance
Canned Food • Winter Clothing • Blankets
For more information or to volunteer, please visit:
www.bostonabcd.org or call 617-348-6559 to put a smile
on a child’s face this holiday season!
Page 15
January 2012
BostonHaitian.com
15 MILLION
AMERICAN CHILDREN
BELOW THE POVERTY LINE
AVERAGENCEONSALARIESNATNAN
ALL TIME HIGH
ANOTHER WORLD IS POSSIBLE!
JNNNNOCCUPY BOSTONNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
TEXT “@NbNpdNNNN" to 23559Nfor news and updates on the movement
.................................................................................................................................................................
visit
OCCUPYBOSTON.ORG
FOR A FULL CALENDAR OF EVENTS
.................................................................................................................................................................
PNNdNNNNNNNdNNNNNNNdNbyNNNppNNNNNNNNNNONNNpyNBNNNNNNN-NNTNNNNINNNNNNNNNNNNbyNSNNNNNENdNTNxNNNNN,NBNNNNN,NMA.N-NNNNNNNNdNNxNNNNN.NNm

January - Boston Haitian Reporter

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