PORT-AU-PRINCE— President Michel Martelly is defending much-criticized elections in divided Haiti and asserts that the opposition has spread unsubstantiated allegations about widespread electoral fraud purely to strengthen its position.
During an interview with The Associated Press, Martelly said he believed that disputed official results showing the government-backed candidate topped October's first round presidential vote was a genuine reflection of voters' will. Read more
News
Dec 28, 2015
Haitian authorities on Monday postponed presidential and legislative runoffs set for this weekend, saying they needed to wait for recommendations from a special commission tasked with evaluating the country's widely criticized electoral process.
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Dec 21, 2015
The Boston Redevelopment Authority’s 2015 report on Boston by the Numbers paints a picture of a rapidly growing city, diverse in age, race, and orig Read more
Dec 9, 2015
Advocates raise alarm over higher income thresholds in Dot, Mattapan
Mayor Martin Walsh will sign an executive order today that will create a new tri-tiered system to build and fund new units of affordable housing in the city of Boston.
The mayor and his policy advisors briefed reporters Tuesday on the revision of the city’s Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP), which has helped to create thousands of affordable units of housing since 2000.
The new iteration of the IDP – which will go into effect on New Year’s Day – mandates that developers of housing with 10 or more units set aside a percentage of those units for low or moderate-income residents – or “cash-out” by paying into a citywide fund that subsidizes low- and moderate-income housing projects.
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Nov 17, 2015
The Mattahunt Wheelock Partnership is expanding its cross-sector collaborative partnership for Haitian parent engagement to provide Haitian parents with the tools and the resources needed to become effective, vocal advocates for their children in Mattapan. This initiative is built on the success of the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC)'s English for New Bostonians program and uses a comprehensive family-centered approach to replicate that successful effort to the Haitian immigrant population in the Mattapan area. Read more
Oct 28, 2015
PORT-AU-PRINCE— A young man stands on a busy street corner in the Haitian capital wearing the campaign logo of one presidential candidate on his sweat-soaked T-shirt, the name of another emblazoned on his sunglasses while he passes out flyers on behalf of a Read more
Oct 28, 2015
PORT-AU-PRINCE— Haiti's voters have spoken. But nobody's quite sure what they've said.
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Oct 20, 2015
JetBlue Airways is doubling down on its US-Haiti routes, adding bigger planes to its New York and Florida gateways and planning three-day-a-week summer season flights direct from Boston beginning next June. Read more
Oct 9, 2015
UNITED NATIONS — The U.N. secretary-general is recommending that the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti stay for another year — which might be its final one.
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Oct 9, 2015
PORT-AU-PRINCE— U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry stopped in Haiti's capital on Oct. 6 to discuss preparations for the country's upcoming elections and encourage people to refrain from disrupting balloting after a messy parliamentary first round in August.
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Oct 9, 2015
"There are so many candidates it's impossible to focus on it all and see if a few might actually have good ideas. Right now, this whole thing really gives me a headache,'' secretary Germithe Merzilus said with an exasperated sigh as a group of partisans walked by in matching T-shirts touting a campaign. Read more
Sep 23, 2015
Bostonians who hope to become US citizens will get an assist this month from city officials who are teaming up with a non-profit organization to help streamline the naturalization process.
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Aug 27, 2015
Yves Dambreville was a kaleidoscope of identities -- Boston police officer, community liaison, Haitian, American, veteran, family man. The 66-year-old former officer was shot and killed in Port-au-Prince Wednesday, according to the U.S. Department of State.
Dambreville, a 33-year veteran of the police force and a committed advocate for the Haitian and larger Caribbean communities, has left behind a legacy of cultural outreach, friends and coworkers said.
“We extend our sincere condolences to his friends and family,” the State Department wrote in a statement. The department said it was “providing all appropriate consular services,” but declined to provide further information, citing privacy concerns.
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Aug 10, 2015
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic— The main truckers union in the Dominican Republic on Monday blocked transport of all freight through border crossings into neighboring Haiti, citing concerns about their safety.
The Dominican truckers said they were protesting recent violence against them while in Haiti. They asserted that some 60 trucks were pelted with rocks in recent days and some were looted. Read more
Aug 10, 2015
PORT-AU-PRINCE— A hostile comment made by Haitian President Michel Martelly at a campaign rally has set off an uproar in his coalition government, leading a politically allied party to announce the resignation of three officials from his administration last week.
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Aug 5, 2015
The United States has updated its travel warning to its citizens, advising US citizens to "exercise caution" when visiting Haiti and "strongly" encouraging visitors to "obtain evacuation insurance." The advisory was issued by the US Embassy in Port-au-Princ Read more
Jul 28, 2015
It is important to recall that American special interest is always at the forefront of its foreign policies to justify interferences in other nations through war and occupation.
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Jul 28, 2015
July 28, 2015 will evoke for many the centennial of the US occupation of Haiti that lasted from July 28 1915 to August 1934. The timelines below provide some of the context that led to this sad chapter in Haiti’s history and capture key events help to illustrate how history tends to repeat itself. We have also solicited comments from opinion leaders, academics and activists active in the Haiti reconstruction project. Some share with us their perspectives, lessons learned— or just not learned, to quote Dr. Margareth Armand from Florida.
Late 1890s
Application of the Monroe Doctrine of 1823 which opposed European interference in Latin America with WWI looming. It found its application in the Big Brother policy (late 1880s) and the Roosevelt Corollary Doctrine (late 1890s-early 1900s). It applied specifically to Haiti given strong German and French economics influences in the banking system and customs of Haiti and persistent rumors of Germany’s interest in Haiti’s Mole St Nicolas as a possible naval base - an idea previously entertained by US President Harrison. At the end of the 19th century with its variation, the Roosevelt Corollary, the Monroe Doctrine was in full motion with Marines invasion in Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic and the construction of the Panama Canal.
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Jul 17, 2015
OUANAMINTHE, Haiti — Thousands of people from Haiti or merely of Haitian descent aren't waiting to see if they'll be forcibly removed from the Dominican Republic now that the deadline has passed to apply for legal residency.
The end of a yearlong application period has sparked an exodus to Haiti of people who failed to qualify. Some plan to wait out what they fear could be a wave of mass deportations, while others will start uncertain new lives on the poorer side of Hispaniola.
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Jul 14, 2015
Finding a reliable source of high-quality, affordable and sustainable Haitian artwork can be a challenge— even for those who travel to Haiti often. Haggling for art or souvenirs from roadside vendors can get old real fast— and who knows how— or whether— the actual craftspeople who made the items are compensated fairly for their artistry.
The Artisan Business Network is designed to help casual collectors, tourists— and especially diaspora Haitians hoping to support homegrown artists without anxiety about who’s profiting. The network, developed jointly by Fairwinds Trading and HAND/EYE Fund, empowers Haitians with entrepreneurial tools, design input, and market access. They operate three depots— or retail shops— in Jacmel, Port-au-Prince and Croix-des-Bouquets, where many of the Haiti’s distinctive and beautiful metal pieces are created.
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