February edition features work of Haitian cartoonists

BHR 2-12BHR 2-12The February 2012 edition of the Boston Haitian Reporter is now available in print and online. In this month's edition, the Boston Haitian Reporter is pleased to introduce our readers to a new section of the newspaper that will feature the work of Haitian cartoonists and journalists. Their work has been brought to our attention through a groundbreaking project led by an international organization called the Cartoon Movement. We encourage our readers to learn more about the background of Cartoon Movement and their Haiti project by going to their website. You can also view more work from very talented Haitian artists, cartoonists and journalists who have teamed with Cartoon Movement in recent months. There is also a video that documents the month that the Cartoon Movement’s editorial team spent in Haiti last July. On January 12, 2012, the second anniversary of the earthquake, Cartoon Movement published the first chapter of the 75-page comics journalism project focused on life in Haiti— the first section of which is printed here in the Reporter. Written by Port-au-Prince reporter Pharés Jerome, and illustrated by Chevelin Pierre, Tents Beyond Tents takes us down to the Champ de Mars in front of the crumbled presidential palace to the squalid conditions in tent camps on the outskirts of town. Jerome tells us of the forced evictions by state authorities and the modest progress that is finally allowing some families to relocate.

Duvalier ruling sends a chilling message

On Jan. 30, Investigative Magistrate Carves Jean handed down a ruling on the Jean-Claude Duvalier case, recommending that all human rights charges against Duvalier be dropped and that he be tried instead in a lesser court on charges of financial malfeasance, but not on the accusations of misappropriation of public funds. The judge did not explain his reasoning. Human rights advocates responded with a forceful outcry against the ruling, claiming that human rights crimes during Duvalier’s regime are amply documented, and under international law, there is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity.

Boston Police seek help to find suspect in double murder

Jean Weevens JanvierJean Weevens JanvierBoston Police have issued an appeal for the public’s help in locating their chief suspect wanted in connection with the double homicide of two sisters, Stephanie and Judith Emile, who were found shot to death in their Harlem Street apartment on Nov. 14. Investigators say that 30 year-old Jean Weevens Janvier of Dorchester "has been identified as the person responsible for the homicides" of the sisters— who were 21 and 23 years old when killed. According to Boston Police, "This investigation has included numerous interviews, along with the recovery of forensic evidence, which ultimately led to the issuance of an arrest warrant for Janvier."

State officials keep focus on Haiti two years after earthquake

STATE HOUSE, BOSTON, JAN. 30, 2012. As Haiti continues to recover from the devastating earthquake of 2010, state leaders on Monday recommitted themselves to helping Haitians and their families living in Massachusetts to rebuild their lives. “This was not about some distant calamity, but our neighbors, friends, co-workers and their families,” Gov. Deval Patrick said during an event Monday morning commemorating the second anniversary of the earthquake. To mark the anniversary, state officials gathered at the State House with members of the Haitian community where Patrick presented a proclamation recognizing the earthquake and promising to continue the state’s efforts to help refugees and their families who have since arrived in Massachusetts. Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, a Dorchester Democrat and a Haitian American, led the event, which also attracted House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate Ways and Means Chairman Stephen Brewer, Rep. Russell Holmes of Dorchester, and Rep. Alice Wolf of Cambridge.

Why Haiti needs new narratives now more than ever

On Feb 3 at 6pm, BHR hosts a book launch at Harvard's Starr Auditorium - 79 JFK st in CambridgeOn Feb 3 at 6pm, BHR hosts a book launch at Harvard's Starr Auditorium - 79 JFK st in CambridgeAn 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.

Two Years Later, Where is the Outrage?

Kafou Ayopo camp: May 23 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.Kafou Ayopo camp: May 23 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.There is not enough anger for my anger, there is not enough grief  for my grief. At the two-year anniversary of the earthquake, 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.

Within Haiti’s long history lies promise for its future

Author Laurent DuboisAuthor Laurent DuboisHistorian Laurent Dubois’ latest novel Haiti: The Aftershocks of History provides a rich narrative of the island’s long history, with a particular focus on the 19th and early 20th century. Dubois, a professor of Romance Studies and History at Duke University, is the author of the critically acclaimed Avengers of the New World: The Story of the Haitian Revolution. What sets Aftershocks apart from many recent historical narratives is not only the periods covered, but the extensive use of materials from Haitian scholars including luminaries such as Thomas Madiou, Roger Gaillard, Anténor Firmin, Dantès Bellegarde and Georges Anglade (to whom the book was dedicated). The Boston Haitian Reporter recently connected with Dubois for an interview:

Two years later, many find comfort at Codman Square support group

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.

Gengel family among honorees at annual HAU gala

Karen Keating Ansara 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.

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