15639: (Hermantin)Miami Herald- Haitian Pride on Parade (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Mon, May. 19, 2003

Haitian pride on parade
BY DAPHNE DURET
dduret@herald.com


The object of Edner Germain's pride had its genesis 200 years ago.

One of thousands of Haitian Americans taking part in Haitian Flag Day
celebrations throughout South Florida on Sunday, Germain drove his maroon
Mitsubishi through Little Haiti. It was covered with Haitian flags --
marking the 200th anniversary of the flag's creation.

The Haitian flag is not only a symbol for a nation, but a reflection of the
Haitian struggle for independence from France, the colonial power. On Jan.
1, 1804, Haiti declared its independence -- but the flag dated from the year
before as the war for liberation approached a watershed.

''The French didn't just give us our independence, we had to fight for it,''
Germain said.

The parade set local streets awash in red, white and blue, but most of the
teenage participants in Little Haiti's march have never been to the
ancestral homeland. The groups were made up almost entirely of students from
the marching band, color guard and Air Force JROTC at Miami Edison Senior
High School.

''It's all about Haitian pride for me. It's about representing my culture,''
said Judith Joseph,16, a flute player in the marching band. Although her
parents are Haitian, Judith was born and raised in the United States.

Event organizer Camille Merilus said more children of Haitian descent should
have Judith's sense of pride, which is why he centered the focus of the
parade on the community's next generation.

''It's so good to see the young people proud for their country,'' he said.
``Today, we will all walk with a young spirit.''

After a prayer from local pastor Jean Servin Dieu Josue, the parade started
at the headquarters of Veye Yo, a grass-roots Haitian community political
organization, near North Miami Avenue and Northwest 54th Street.

For Michael Saintil, showing pride in his country meant driving down from
Orlando for the weekend to be in Miami for the festivities. Saintil, an
ex-Miami resident who left Haiti when he was 2 years old, now at 28
remembers a time when it wasn't so easy to openly express his patriotism.

''Back in the '80s, you didn't see stuff like this here,'' Saintil said of
the parade. ``Back then, they used to run Haitian kids out of Edison.''

At Topeekeegee Yugnee Park in Broward County, a Haitian Flag Day ceremony
organized by the Seventh Day Adventist Church attracted a crowd that
organizers said numbered 4,500, with people from as far away as Fort Pierce,
Jacksonville and the Florida Keys.

As Haitian families ate and danced through the afternoon, vendors sold
Haitian paintings, purses and coconut shells under a tent.

''Many people go to Haiti just to buy this type of culture,'' said Asser St.
Val of Miramar, who helped with the art sale.

The festivities across South Florida drew attention from even some
non-Haitians, like Miami Beach Cuban American Luis Leon, who decided to come
to the Little Haiti parade for a Sunday afternoon outing.

''I have a few friends who are Haitian,'' Leon said. ``I couldn't make it to
another event they invited me to yesterday, so I decided to come today.''


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Herald staff writer Natalie P. McNeal contributed to this report.

_________________________________________________________________
The new MSN 8: advanced junk mail protection and 2 months FREE*
http://join.msn.com/?page=features/junkmail