Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand AristidePORT-AU-PRINCE —Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is getting celebrity treatment following his arrival in Haiti after seven years in exile. A small crowd of journalists, dignitaries, airport workers and former members of his security team mobbed Aristide as soon as he descended the steps of the small plane that carried him from South Africa on Friday.
He waved and blew a kiss to the crowd, but made no statement before entering a VIP lounge inside the airport terminal. His wife, Mildred, wept. Hundreds of people gathered outside the airport waving flags and photos of Aristide.
Aristide arrived with a small entourage that included actor and activist Danny Glover. Democracy Now! reporter Amy Goodman was also aboard the small plane and has been covering Aristide's route from South Africa.
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Mar 18, 2011
Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand AristidePORT-AU-PRINCE —Former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide is getting celebrity treatment following his arrival in Haiti after seven years in exile. A small crowd of journalists, dignitaries, airport workers and former members of his security team mobbed Aristide as soon as he descended the steps of the small plane that carried him from South Africa on Friday.
He waved and blew a kiss to the crowd, but made no statement before entering a VIP lounge inside the airport terminal. His wife, Mildred, wept. Hundreds of people gathered outside the airport waving flags and photos of Aristide.
Aristide arrived with a small entourage that included actor and activist Danny Glover. Democracy Now! reporter Amy Goodman was also aboard the small plane and has been covering Aristide's route from South Africa.
Read more Mar 15, 2011
Carline DesireCarline Desire is the executive director of the Association of Haitian Women in Boston (AFAB), a non-profit organization based in Dorchester.
BHR: Tell me about the early years, what significant events in your life as a young woman inspired you to do this work?
Carline Desire: I attended Cathedral High School. My parents took second jobs to send me to a parochial school. With all the events with busing at the time, they wanted to ensure I went to a good school. That’s where I was first introduced to the Apartheid movement – through a feminist who spoke to my class. She shared about women’s rights and what’s going on around the world, specifically with Apartheid. I joined a local group that raised awareness for Africa and Apartheid.
Then I went to Boston University, where I studied international relations. I joined a group of students who were involved in Haiti called Massachusetts Haitian Student Associations (AUAM). We invited people like Mel King and Byron Rushing – [who] were always involved in raising awareness about Haiti. We organized conferences and rallies. Back in the 80’s we formed an inter-collegiate committee to raise awareness about Haiti, and we tutored high school students at English High School. It was [around] that time we had massive influx of the ‘boat people’. Read more Mar 15, 2011
Dr. Natasha ArcherDr. Natasha Archer is a resident in the Global Healthy Equity program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. She is also enrolled in the Harvard Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency training program. She works mostly in Haiti, as a volunteer with Partners In Health (PIH).
Archer first wanted to be a doctor at the tender age of 6. She remembers playing doctor in elementary school skits.
“Both my parents were laboratory technologists and it was easy for me to put on my mom or dad’s lab coat and pretend to be a doctor,” Archer explains. “I remember one skit in particular, I put skittles in a tic tac box and pretended it was medicine. Then I gave it to my friend who was pretending to be sick and she came back to life after I gave her the skittles.”
Read more Mar 15, 2011
Karen Keating AnsaraKaren Keating Ansara has become one of the leading philanthropists and activists in New England on behalf of the Haitian people. Ansara and her husband Jim created the Haiti Fund through the Boston Foundation last year and travel frequently to Haiti to assist in rebuilding efforts. She has also started an informative blog chronicling her interests in Haitian issues.
BHR: Walk us through the early part of your career.
Karen Keating Ansara: I went to Wellesley College. I was a Political Science major and essentially created an international development concentration. I went to work for Michael Ansara who was the founder of Mass Fair Share, which did political organizing to fight for economic reform on tax rates. I met my husband working there.
Read more Mar 15, 2011
Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry with daughter MadelineOn July 13, 2010, state Representative Linda Dorcena Forry started the day at her office in the Massachusetts State House and gave birth to Madeline Casey Forry - her third child and first daughter - that same afternoon.
Eight days later she was back on Beacon Hill for a House vote in formal session. The days and weeks leading up to the end of a legislative session on the last day of July are crucial, as hundreds of bills get funneled through the House and Senate and onto the governor’s desk.
In the two weeks after the baby’s birth, Forry was in and out of the State House five times. During the maternity leave that followed, she held regular meetings at home with Robert Cahill, her chief of staff, to review constituent requests and catch up on legislation and community meetings. She also remained actively involved in advocating for support of the survivors of the earthquake in Haiti and services for the local Haitian community.
Forry credits her work ethic and commitment to service to her parents Annie and Andre Dorcena of Dorchester, who are Haitian immigrants. Her mother is a retired health aide for seniors and her father worked in housekeeping for Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Children’s Hospital.
Read more Mar 14, 2011
Mirlande Manigat: Photo by Allyn Gaestel“Don’t let anyone tell you a diploma is not important,” Professor Mirlande Hyppolite Manigat told a crowd in Carrefour. “Politics is not a joke.”
Mirlande Manigat is a serious woman, highly educated and respected. She hopes to be the next president of Haiti. If she wins she will be the first woman ever elected to that position. That would be no minor accomplishment in this oft-termed chauvinist country.
But Sabine Manigat, Mirlande’s stepdaughter, thinks Mirlande has the personal strength to do so.
“She has evolved in milieu that are often male dominated,” and she commands respect, Manigat says. “She doesn’t get angry…but she can be sharp,” Sabine noted.
Powerful men, including senators Youri Latortue and Evaliere Beauplan are helping direct the campaign. But Manigat’s cousin, Nesmy Manigat says she holds her own. Read more Mar 3, 2011
Sen. John KerrySenator John Kerry (D-MA) introduced legislation today that— if enacted— will allow 35,000 Haitians who have been approved to join family members in the U.S. to come here and work legally until they become eligible for permanent residency. The HELP Act— short for "Haitian Emeregency Life Protection Act of 2011"— would temporarily expand the V nonimmigrant visa category to include Haitians whose petition for a family-sponsored immigrant visa was approved on or before Jan. 12, 2010— the date of last year's catastrophic earthquake.
In a statement issued this afternoon, Sen. Kerry said, “I’ve heard tragic stories from many Haitians in Massachusetts who haven’t seen or heard from their loved ones for months and if bureaucracy is the only thing standing in the way then we need to fix it, end of story. Our legislation creates a commonsense process to reunite families as quickly as possible.” Read more Feb 17, 2011
Dr. Paul Farmer, co-founder of Boston-based Partners in Health, talks about the long-awaited construction of a new teaching hospital in Mirebalais, Haiti in this video posted by PIH. The state-of-the-art, 320 bed facility has been planned in partnership with the Haitian Ministry of Health, according to Farmer, and will include a women’s outpatient facility that will be completed in the coming months. The hospital is scheduled to open in early 2012.
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Feb 15, 2011
Boston Public Schools didn’t get additional funds from the federal government to help handle an influx of Haitian students after last year’s earthquake, but they’ve been able to accommodate most of the students, school officials said. Read more
Feb 11, 2011
One our cover: Devalon Beatrice, 27, holds her daughter inside a tent in Champ de Mars, Port-au-Prince. Photo by Allyn GaestelTucked next to a gated office building off Delmas 60 in Port-au-Prince, staggered tents and makeshift shelters are packed in tiers cascading over twin hillsides. Along a path scattered with ti machans (small-scale vendors) and men playing cards beside hand-painted Michel Martelly campaign signs, live Natasha Seraphin and Cesar Emanuele Junior, a young married couple with their baby Charles.
Their shelter, like so many others filling formerly open terrain throughout the city, is meticulously designed as a tiny house. The entryway leads to a thin sitting area, with a television, powered by electricity pirated from lines along the two main thoroughfares nearby. In the corner, shelves hold dishes and utensils, and Natasha washes plates and clothes in a two-foot-wide hallway. Clothes hang along the walls, and in the back is a cramped cooking area. A bedroom packed with a makeshift bed and the rest of their belongings, closed off by tarpaulin walls and a curtained doorway, fills most of the space.
More than one year after last January’s deadly earthquake, Natasha and Junior are among the 800,000 displaced people still living in a tent camp.
But, this is not the couple’s first tent camp experience.
Read more Feb 8, 2011
The human rights group Amnesty International has posted the video above to mark the 25th anniversary of ex-dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier’s departure from Haiti in February 1986. Duvalier abruptly and unexpectedly returned to Haiti last month and remains there as authorities investigate charges and plan a possible prosecution of the ex-president.
The video includes archived testimonies from victims of human rights abuses committed during Duvalier’s rule. The interviews — conducted in 1985— include Evans Paul, detained and tortured in 1980, Mark Roumain, unfairly detained for three years and Sylvio Claude, arbitrarily arrested and ill treated in several occasions.
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Feb 7, 2011
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti -- Haitian President Rene Preval will stay in office for another three months as his country chooses a successor in a delayed election, his chief of staff said Monday.
Chief of Staff Fritz Longchamp confirmed Preval's exit date of May 14 in a phone interview with The Associated Press following uncertainty about the Haitian leader's plans.
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Feb 3, 2011
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haitian electoral officials dropped the government-backed candidate from the upcoming presidential runoff on Thursday, ending a standoff with the U.S. and other international powers over the results of a first-round of voting that was marred by fraud and disorganization.
The electoral commission said the March 20 runoff will match former first lady Mirlande Manigat against Michel Martelly, a carnival singer known as "Sweet Micky." The announcement, which came after dawn following more than 13 hours of deliberations, means government-backed candidate Jude Celestin is out of the race. Read more
Jan 31, 2011
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – The United States has no plans to halt aid to earthquake-ravaged Haiti in spite of a crisis over who will be the nation's next leader but does insist that the president's chosen successor be dropped from the race, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said Sunday.
Clinton arrived Sunday in the impoverished Caribbean nation for a brief visit. She met with President Rene Preval and earlier met with each of the three candidates jockeying to replace him.
Only two candidates can go on to the delayed second round, now scheduled for March 20. The U.S. is backing an Organization of American States recommendation that the candidate from Preval's party, government construction official Jude Celestin, should be left out in favor of populist rival Michel Martelly.
The top U.S. official at the United Nations, Susan Rice, said recently that "sustained support" from the United States required the OAS recommendations be implemented. Many Haitian officials, including leaders of Preval's Unity party and Martelly, interpreted that to mean the U.S. was threatening an embargo and cutting off aid. Read more
Jan 31, 2011
Gov. Patrick to deploy National Guard unit to Haiti: The governor, left, made the announcement at a Jan. 30 ceremony. Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry is shown at right. Photo courtesy Governor's Office.
(Update 6:20 p.m.) — Governor Deval Patrick has ordered elements of the Massachusetts National Guard to prepare for an April deployment to Haiti. The 125th Quartermaster battalion out of Worcester, along with the 220th Quartermaster detachment from Bridgewater, will assist in humanitarian efforts, mainly water filtration. More than 100 service people from the Massachusetts National Guard will take part in the deployment. More details on the deployment are expected soon.
Patrick's surprise announcement came during a noontime event in the State House, where he issued a proclamation to establish a statewide Haiti remembrance month to commemorate the one year anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti. The governor was joined by State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry and other leaders from the Haitian community. Read more Jan 20, 2011
Former Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide: Hopes to return to Haiti in "coming days" (AP photo)A former lawyer for ex-Haitian President Jean-Bertrand Aristide says the ousted leader has applied for a Haitian passport but has never heard back from his homeland's government. The head of the Boston-based Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti says Aristide has repeatedly requested a Haitian passport. Brian Concannon said that President Rene Preval's government ``simply refuses to respond'' to Aristide's requests.
Aristide's current Miami attorney Ira Kurzban says Aristide wants to come back to Haiti. In a statement issued through Kurzban on Thursday, Aristide said, "As far as I am concerned, I am ready. Once again I express my readiness to leave today, tomorrow, at any time. The purpose is very clear: To contribute to serving my Haitian sisters and brothers as a simple citizen in the field of education."
Aristide added that he hoped to "make that happen in the next coming days."
Read more Jan 19, 2011
Jean-Claude Duvalier: Led away by Haitian police on Jan. 18. AP photo/Ramon EspinosaJean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier’s return to Haiti last Sunday — after 25 years in exile — has prompted strong reactions from Boston’s Haitian community and their elected leaders. Many have called for his arrest and prosecution for the numerous crimes committed and millions in public funds stolen under his regime from 1971-1986.
Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts), the chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, was not available to comment today personally, but offered comment through a spokesman.
“The Senator’s following the situation very closely and is deeply concerned that Duvalier’s return will aggravate the already-serious tensions, particularly at the moment that the electoral council reportedly has rejected the OAS’s proposed solution to the impasse over who will be in the runoff,” said Frederick Jones, a spokesman for Kerry’s office. “The situation is fluid and dangerous, and the Senator is working hard to support the Administration’s efforts to promote a fair political resolution and help Haiti get back to the task of national rebuilding.” Read more Jan 19, 2011
PORT-AU-PRINCE — A judge will decide whether former Haitian dictator Jean-Claude Duvalier will be tried on charges that include corruption and embezzlement for allegedly pilfering the treasury before his 1986 ouster, a lawyer for the ex-strongman said Tues Read more
Jan 16, 2011
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier, a once feared and reviled dictator who was ousted in a popular uprising nearly 25 years ago, has made a stunning return to Haiti, raising concerns he could complicate efforts to solve a political crisis and the stalled reconstruction from last year's devastating earthquake.
Duvalier's arrival at the airport Sunday was as mysterious as it was unexpected. He greeted a crowd of several hundred cheering supporters but did not say why he chose this tumultuous period to suddenly reappear from his exile in France — or what he intended to do while back in Haiti.
"I'm not here for politics," Duvalier told Radio Caraibes. "I'm here for the reconstruction of Haiti."
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