Act now to help secure temporary status for Haitians

Last December, in the waning days of the Bush administration, the United States government once again began deporting Haitians who had been living in the US. The US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) had suspended so-called “removals” in September due to the wave of deadly hurricanes that struck the island nation last summer. Some 30,000 Haitians have been ordered to leave the US as a result of the decision. Of that number, about 1,400 are considered “criminal aliens”, according to ICE.

Students plan ecological mission of 500 trees in Haiti

James Eliscar and Daniel Jean-Philip are among the many college students nationwide who’ll soon be in sunny destinations for their spring break – but life won’t be a beach for these two. Instead, they will be planting 500 trees in Haiti, in the city of Hinche, during the week of March 14-22. The mayor of Hinche will be on hand to welcome them, and the town’s high school students will help them plant the trees.

Delta to begin direct flights from New York to Haiti

A new US air carrier will open up a direct gateway from New York to Port-au-Prince this summer, a move directly aimed at the burgeoning Haitian-American middle class. Delta Airlines will launch daily flights between John F. Kennedy airport and Port-au-Prince on June 20, ending a long monopoly on the Haiti travel market dominated by American Airlines.

Desire hailed as ‘unsung hero’ for work with AFAB

On a cold snowy night in Boston’s South End, The Philanthropic Initiative (TPI) hosted the 19th Annual Neighborhood Fellows Banquet to honor Boston’s unsung heroes on March 3 (2009). The Neighborhood Fellows grants unrestricted $30,000 personal cash awards to “social entrepreneurs who often go unrecognized, but who make a vital contribution to our quality of life.” This year Haitian-American activist Carline Desire was one of six honored with the award. She join 112 other Fellows who in total have been awarded over $2.5 million since 1991.

Letter to the Editor: Hope must be backed up with honesty

To the Editor: I write in response to the commentary published in your February (2009) edition entitled “Change Haiti Can Believe In”. I am relieved knowing that there are people who are still deeply concerned about Haiti’s past and current conditions. Haiti is a nation which has been punished for years by debilitating economic sanctions instituted in retaliation after its revolutionary fight against slavery which ended in the country gaining independence in 1804. Only in the Haitian community was the declaration of independence upheld at all costs.

Forry snares committee chair in State House shuffle

State Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry, a backer of as newly-crowned House Speaker Robert DeLeo, has been named the House chairmanship of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business. Like other lawmakers with chairmanships, she will earn annually an extra $7,500 on top of a base pay of $61,440. In the last legislative session, she had been the vice chair of the Public Service Committee. And as with any lawmaker who receives a chairmanship, she gains a bigger megaphone, a bigger office, a bigger staff and opportunities for increased fundraising.

Jean-Jacques helps young people plug into government

Anny Jean-Jacques isn’t leaving Boston anytime soon. And that’s a good thing. “Five years ago I thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be better to start fresh, go somewhere new?’” she remembered. “And then I thought to myself, ‘why?’ Why should I leave? This is where I was educated. This is where I was raised. I want to be able to give back to my community.” Jean-Jacques is the Assistant Director of Governor Deval Patrick’s Office of Community Affairs. Her boss, Ron Bell, has been involved in community outreach for more than twenty years and knows a good leader when he sees one.

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