Monsieur Bonhomme, 105 years old, a small microphone clipped beneath the collar of his shirt, sits facing our cameras and lights.
He listens to me bombard him with questions about the United States Occupation of Haiti nearly a century ago; it is for our then untitled documentary. But old age has taken a toll on his hearing and his mind is not up the grueling task of plucking up days from long bygone decades.
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Constructive visit: Minister Stéphanie Villedrouin with State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry.Haiti's Minister of Tourism and Creative Industries Stéphanie Balmir Villedrouin visited Boston and Brockton on Wednesday, June 3 as part of a national tour aimed at boosting the tourism trade in Haiti from the United States.
Mrs. Villedrouin, accompanied by a team of tourism officials and hoteliers, made a presentation to a room of Haitian American activists at the Thorny Lea Country Club in Brockton on Wednesday evening. In her remarks, Villedrouin pointed to significant progress in the numbers of visitors to Haiti over the last two years, with an 11 percent increase posted between 2013-2014 seasons.
Her visit to Boston comes at an auspicious time, as JetBlue prepares to launch its first-ever direct flights between Boston and Port-au-Prince on June 17. The new gateway has been hailed as a milestone moment for travel and commerce between Boston and Haiti.
Earlier in the day, Minister Villedrouin was a guest of honor at the Massachusetts State House, where State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry met with her in the Senate Reading Room.
Read moreA judicial panel in Haiti has recommended that former Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe be barred from running for president.
Read moreFORT PIERCE, Fla. — A Haitian man is facing U.S. prison time after pleading guilty to illegally smuggling migrants aboard a boat from the Bahamas. Veronel Charles faces between three and 10 years in prison when he is sentenced in August in Fort Pierce federal court. Charles pleaded guilty to two alien smuggling counts last week.
Read morePORT-AU-PRINCE— Joseph-Marc Carel knows the danger of ferrying passengers on his small motorbike, sometimes two at a time, as tides of the buzzing vehicles cut through the chaotic Haitian capital. He has a prosthetic leg to prove it.
Read moreA 18-year-old Dorchester teenager was struck and killed while riding his bicycle along Talbot Avenue last Tuesday. The unlicensed driver whom authorities say caused the fatal collision— and then fled the scene on foot— was ordered held on high bail after his arraignment in Dorchester Court.
The victim was identified as Fritz Philogene, a Haitian-born student at West Roxbury Academy who was riding his bike near the intersection with Norwell Street just after 10 p.m. when the incident took place.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said that the responsible driver was Gregory McCoy, 27. McCoy was reportedly driving a friend’s white Cadillac on Norwell Street when he struck a silver BMW driven by a 33-year-old Dorchester man. Both cars then careened through the Talbot Street intersection, where Philogene was struck and suffered fatal injuries.
Read moreThe St. Mary of the Hills School community came together on May 18 for the fourth annual "Walk for Haiti." The event drew around 150 people, 20 of which were former SMH students and alumnae. The walk consisted of a new 5 mile route around the town of Milton. The money raised from the walk went directly to The Haiti-Micah Project. The Haiti-Micah Project is celebrating it's 10th anniversary since beginning the foundation. Haiti-Micah supports the poor children in Haiti whom are in severe need of clean water, medical attention, food, and shelter. This need increased immensely after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
Since the founders (Thalia Etienne, Jacob Martens, and Janelle Saint Eloi) of the Walk for Haiti have all now graduated from St. Mary's and moved on to private high schools, the walk is now run by SMH's National Junior Honor Society with faculty advisors Mrs. Alexia Etienne and Mrs. Pam Vasta. This year St. Mary's raised $3,000 to support children in Haiti.
Read morePop queen Beyonce has paid a visit to Haiti to look at the progress made since an earthquake devastated the country five years ago. Haiti U.N. mission spokeswoman Sophie Boutaud de la Combe said Saturday that Beyonce also was able to "meet some of the people who were affected by'' by the 2010 disaster in the impoverished Caribbean country.
Read moreHaitian justice authorities are making plans for a new criminal trial against a U.S.
Read moreFormer Prime Minister Laurent Lamothe has submitted papers to run for president shortly before the election office's deadline, after repeatedly saying he had no plans to seek Haiti's top political position.
Read moreAfter presiding over Sunday’s annual Haitian Unity Parade on Blue Hill Avenue, Mayor Martin Walsh made good on a campaign promise on Monday evening, appearing before a large gathering of Haitian community members for a wide-ranging discussion about community’s wants and needs.
More than 250 people— many of them elderly— greeted Mayor Walsh at Kay Pam Adult Day Health on Livingstone Street as he talked about City Hall’s approach to tackling affordable housing, improving education, and new immigrants’ integration into the community through the Office of New Bostonians.
Walsh listened to remarks from members of the community about issues facing the city’s burgeoning Haitian population and then took a handful of pre-submitted questions.
“We need to make sure young people have good, strong, quality education so these young people can have the same opportunities that Linda had, that I had,” Walsh said later, referring to State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry, who is married to the Reporter’s publisher and editor, Bill Forry. Sen. Forry introduced Walsh at the event, calling him “no stranger to our community.”
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Mayor Walsh at Sant BelviMayor Martin Walsh met with more than 250 Haitian community members last evening (May 18) at a large assembly at Sant Belvi, the Haitian Adult Day Care Center on Frontenac Street in Dorchester.
The mayor led yesterday's Haitian Unity Parade in Mattapan and Dorchester. Walsh is no stranger to Haitian American issues. He traveled to Haiti in 2009 as a state representative.
Read moreMayor Martin Walsh will meet with Haitian community members this evening at an assembly planned at Sant Belvi, the Haitian Adult Day Care Center on Frontenac Street in Dorchester. The gathering will take place from 6-9 p.m.
Read moreIle-a-Vâche, a tiny 20 square mile piece of paradise in the Southwest of Haiti has been captivating the imagination of curious or daring travelers for years.
For history buffs, it may evoke the infamous British pirate Henri Morgan (1635-1688) who lost some vessels near the island in the midst of his illegal ventures. Or the intricate dealings of US President Lincoln and Haitian president Geffrard with investor Bernard Koch who attempted in 1862 to relocate some 5,000 emancipated blacks from the US on the island in an ill-fated project to grow and export fine Haitian cotton to US markets.
Read moreHaiti’s newest hotel is a destination in its own right.
The Marriott Port-au-Prince Hotel— the result of a philanthropic collaboration between Marriott International, Digicel Group and The Clinton Foundation — opened its doors in March. The 175-room Marriott is the first of its brand in the country and aims to bring sustainability to the people of Haiti by employing primarily Haitians and enlisting local businesses for goods and services whenever possible.
Located just 7 miles from the Toussaint L’Ouverture International Airport, the Marriott Port-au-Prince offers guests easy access to the city’s commercial district as well as a wide variety of outdoor activities like hiking and swimming. It boasts the popular La Sirene Bar and Restaurant, with a variety of traditional Haitian items in addition to popular international dishes. It also features five elegant meeting rooms for corporate and social events of any size.
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May 2015 editionThe special May edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter is now available. This Haitian Heritage Month edition features special coverage of this weekend's celebrations— and expanded coverage of the growing travel trade between Boston and Haiti, including:
- New direct flights between Boston's Logan and Port-au-Prince, launching in June via JetBlue.
- Haiti's first-ever Marriott Hotel, now open in Port-au-Prince.
- A feature on the magical island of Ile-à-Vâche by Charlot Lucien.
Plus: A focus on the women of Boston's Haitian community who made news and history over the last year.
Pick up the BHR today at one of the dozens of stores, bakeries, and supermarkets all across Boston including: Tropical Foods in Roxbury, Mattapan Square's Le Foyer and Farmer's Market, Boston City Hall, and Codman Square Health Center. Or click on the image above to download a digital edition of the Reporter.
Read moreA Boston-based philanthropic effort that was launched in the immediate aftermath of the January 2010 earthquake that devastated Haiti will transition into a new institute over the next two years, according to leaders with the Boston Foundation, which hosts the initiative. The Haiti Fund, which has distributed more than $2.1 million in grants— most of them to existing, Haitian-led organizations in rural Haiti— will be phased out over the next two years as its board pivots into a new, permanent organization that will be called the Haiti Development Institute.
“We are looking to give Haiti an independent institute that will serve local communities throughout the country while also supporting in long run the public sector by pushing issues and hopefully changing public policies,” explained Pierre Noel, who is the executive director of the Haiti Fund at the Boston Foundation. Noel, who will serve as grand marshal of this weekend’s Haitian Unity Parade in Mattapan and Dorchester, will relocate to Haiti next year to finalize the establishment of the institute.
Read moreThe New England Revolution have signed midfielder Zachary Herivaux to their team this week. The 19 year-old Brookline resident has Haitian roots and played on the Haiti national U-20 team in the 2015 CONCACAF Championship. He appeared in all five of Haiti’s games at the competition, starting games against El Salvador, Cuba and Honduras.
Read moreThere has been a change in leadership at the Boston office of the Haitian government. Marjorie Alexandre Brunache, who served as consul since 2011, has been re-assigned. Marie Weslyne Nicolas is presently serving as the interim consul until a new permanent consul is assigned to the post.
Brunache ended her duties in the last week in February, according to Nicolas, who worked in the office under Brunache. A new appointment will come from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Haiti, said Nicolas.
“Everything is the same” at the Back Bay offices, where Haitian nationals often frequent to apply for visas, update passports and conduct other official business.
