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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News
Jul 28, 2015
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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Jul 14, 2015
Duckens Nazon scored in the first half and Haiti earned a 1-0 win over Honduras in the last CONCACAF Gold Cup Group A game for each at Sporting Park on Monday night in Kansas City.
Haiti (1-1-1, 4 points) clinched a third-ever berth in the quarterfinals and first since 2009 after the US and Panama played to a 1-1 draw later on Monday night. Honduras (0-1-2, 1), which reached the semifinals the last three tournaments, failed to advance out of the group stage for the first time since 2003.
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Jul 12, 2015
Haiti must win against Honduras on Monday to stay alive in Gold Cup tourney
Clint Dempsey broke a scoreless stalemate early in the second half and the United States clinched a place in the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinals with a 1-0 win over Haiti (0-1-1, 1 point) on Friday night before 46,720 fans at Gillette Stadium.
The result guaranteed that the Americans (2-0-0, 6 points) will finish first in Group A after a 1-1 draw between Honduras (0-1-1, 1 point) and Panama (0-2-0, 2 points) earlier in the evening left the Central Americans sides too far adrift.
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Jul 10, 2015
As the preview above- produced by CONCACAF— suggests, Haiti is certainly considered the major underdog in tonight's Gold Cup match-up against the USA. But Haiti surprised many in their 1-1 draw of Panama on Tuesday night in Texas. See the highlights of that game below.
Tickets for tonight's 8:30 match at Gillette Stadium are still available for purchase at http://www.goldcup.org. If you're coming to the game, meet up with other Haitian fans at the "Base Camp Haiti" tailgate at the Rodman Ford parking lot, right across from the stadium at 53 Washington St., Foxborough. Join us for free give-aways, t-shirts, drinks, food and Haitian music. Sponsored by Digicel, Boston Haitian Reporter and I AM KRÉYOL with support from Caribbean Apparel. Look for the Haiti flags!
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Jul 10, 2015
On the march in Boston: More than 200 marched from City Hall to the Dominican consulate at Park Plaza.
More than 200 people marched from Boston City Hall to the Boston consulate of the Dominican Republic on Thursday afternoon in protest of the Dominican Republic's immigration policy that critics say is creating a humanitarian crisis for Haiti. Marchers waved Haitian national flags, held signs that read “Stand Up for Human Rights” or “Don’t Travel to Dominican Republic,” and chanted “no more deportations in DR” and “one island, one people.”
Read more Jul 8, 2015
Action in the Panama-Haiti Gold Cup match on July 7. Photo: Mexsport
FRISCO, Texas -- Duckens Nazon scored a dramatic late equalizer to give Haiti a 1-1 Group A draw in the opening match of the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup at Toyota Stadium on Tuesday.
Defending champion United States beat Honduras 1-0 in the second game of the doubleheader later in the evening.
The 21-year-old Nazon struck in the 86th minute, receiving the ball down the right flank, twice turning Panama’s Harold Cummings and putting a low shot inside the far post from eight-yards out.
Read more Jul 7, 2015
A preview of this evening's first-round Gold Cup match-up between Panama and Haiti. The Panamanians, as the video suggests, are the favorites in tonight's game, but Haiti— led by 27-year-old goalkeeper Johny Placide— are intent on proving the skeptics wrong.
While Placide directs the Haitian defense, 23-year-old forward Kervens Belfort will be counted on to score the goals. Belfort netted five times during the team’s Carribean Cup campaign and will again need to be at his dynamic best if Haiti is going to crack the Panamanian code.
Haiti comes to Boston next for a huge match-up against the USA at Gilette Stadium on Friday evening.
For more on tonight's game, see this website. The game will be shown live on FoxSports and Univision.
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Jul 1, 2015
Speaking out against deportations: Senator Forry, Congressman Capuano and former Rep. St. Fleur along with Rep. Dan Cullinane on the steps of the State House.Warning of a worsening humanitarian crisis, Haitian and Dominican community leaders in Boston joined forces with a multi-ethnic coalition of immigration advocates yesterday on the steps of the Massachusetts State House to denounce large-scale deportations of Dominicans of Haitian descent from the Dominican Republic. The denationalization situation has been escalating in the Dominican Republuc since 2013, when a constitutional court ruling retroactively eliminated birthright citizenship laws, leaving many Dominicans of Haitian descent, many of whom are second or third generation Dominican, stateless.
Surrounded by colleagues holding signs that read “Stop Humanitarian Crisis in Dominican Republic,” State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry began the press conference with a sharp rebuke of the the Dominican government’s policies and a statement of solidarity with both the Dominican and Haitian people.
“I stand here today with our allies, calling on the government of the Dominican Republic to end the humanitarian crisis which it has created. The prospect of large-volume deportations is troubling, especially given the historic mistreatment of fellow Dominicans of Haitian ancestry. In addition to disrupting the lives of hundreds of thousands of hardworking people in the Dominican Republic, it is also creating hardship for many more in Haiti, which is not well equipped to handle the influx of refugees along its borders,” said Forry.
Read more Jun 30, 2015
Haitian and Dominican community leaders came together at the State House on Tuesday to denounce what they described as the unhumanitarian deportation from the Dominican Republican of people of Haitian descent. Despite the unity on display, however, community and political leaders differed over whether to call for people in the United States to boycott travel to the Dominican Republican to exert economic pressure on the government to reconsider its policy.
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Jun 29, 2015
State Senator Linda Dorcena Forry (D-Boston) has announced a press conference will be held on Tuesday, June 30 at noon to address the humanitarian crisis developing in the Dominican Republic and Haiti as the government of the Dominican Republic implements a Read more
Jun 29, 2015
SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic (AP) — The Dominican Republic announced Friday that it has certified the nationality of about 55,000 people who had spent eight years in bureaucratic limbo because their citizenship was in doubt.
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Jun 29, 2015
PORT-AU-PRINCE— Haiti's prime minister warned Thursday that the Dominican Republic is creating a humanitarian crisis with its crackdown on migrants, noting that 14,000 people have crossed the border into Haiti in less than a week.
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Jun 26, 2015
Newly-renovated hotel is at the top of its class in Haiti’s capital
Haiti’s tourism boom is not just about gleaming new buildings with international brands that are new to the market. Those are critical new pieces to the puzzle for sure. But the story of Haiti’s resurgence as a premeire Caribbean travel destination is also found within the walls of longtime establishments that were already well-known and reliable options for traveler long before it was popular.
The Kinam Hotel— situated in the desirable center of Pétion-Ville across from the landmark Place Saint-Pierre— is one of the finest examples of how new construction and technology is blending with traditional Haitian culture and hospitality to appeal to a new generation of traveler. The Kinam recently underwent a multi-million dollar expansion project that added a new and improved wing to its property. The results — documented here on this page— put the new and improved Kinam at the top of its class in Haiti’s capital.
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Jun 25, 2015
Senator Linda Dorcena ForryState Senator Linda Dorcena Forry today issued a statement criticizing the government of the Dominican Republic for its plan to target undocumented Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent for possible deportation amid a building international outcry prompted by what many have termed a violation of international law and human rights.
Forry, a first generation Haitian-American and the only person of Haitian descent to hold state elected office in Massachusetts called for collective action among the Haitian diaspora living abroad to use their economic and political influence to halt the actions. Forry called on Haitian-Americans and their allies to suspend vacation plans in the Dominican Republic until the government there "changes course."
"It is time for us to send a collective and clear message that we expect the Dominican Republic to treat its citizens with respect," said Senator Forry, who represents Dorchester, Mattapan, Hyde Park and South Boston in the Senate's First Suffolk district. The potential for a humanitarian crisis is real and a responsible, compassionate government would pause and choose another course. That is precisely what I call on the leaders of the Dominican Republic to do."
Read more Jun 24, 2015
Boston Mayor Martin Walsh issued a statement to the Boston Haitian Reporter this morning in response to the Dominican Republic's plan to expel people of Haitian descent from their country:
"It is disheartening and troubling to see a neighboring country target a minority group for exclusion," Mayor Walsh said. "I urge Dominican leaders to reverse course and recognize the tremendous value of diversity and inclusion for any nation. We stand with the Haitian community in Boston and abroad."
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Jun 23, 2015
Denis O'Brien at the Marriott Port-au-Prince opening: Second from left, the Digicel founder owns the $48 million hotel property that is managed by Marriott.
The Marriott Port-au-Prince, which officially opened its doors last week after a “soft” opening period of three months, is far more than just a symbol of Haiti’s post-earthquake recovery. It’s a living, breathing, job-creating economic engine in a neighborhood of Port-au-Prince that sorely needs exactly that: jobs, vitality and the promise of further development to come.
Truth be told, were it not for the adjacent Digicel corporate headquarters, the 12-story Marriott might have found a home elsewhere in Haiti’s capital. Or it may not have happened at all.
Read more Jun 23, 2015
There’s a lot to love about the newest hotel to open in Haiti.
The Marriott Port-au-Prince is sophisticated and yet firmly connected to roots culture, with handcrafted Vévé flags and Croix-des-Bouquets crafted ironwork that adorn the public spaces and guest rooms. Even the drink menus at the swanky La Sirene Bar and Restaurant—now a choice meeting spot in the capital city— accentuate Ayiti.
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Jun 23, 2015
Sen. Forry with President Michel Martelly: The two leaders met at a Port-au-Prince reception on June 18.
State Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry returned to Haiti for the first time since she was a child last week. Forry and her husband, Reporter publisher and editor Bill Forry, traveled on JetBlue’s inaugural direct flight to Haiti from Boston last Wednesday after the senator participated in a ribbon cutting to mark the new service.
Following the four-hour and 15-minute flight, Haitian-American Dorcena Forry made a whirlwind series of appearances that included meetings with Haitian Tourism Minister Stephanie Villedrouin, whom Forry hosted in Boston two weeks ago, to discuss boosting tourism trade between the two countries.
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