26910: Vedrine (reply) RE: 26901: Nlbo: (comment) Haitians among poorest immigrants because of Education (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: E Vedrine <evedrine@hotmail.com>


> Education had become Nekita's personal anthem. I said that many times. I 
> started noticing the >decline in Haitian children's educational level in 
> l985, started to address it in l995. But so far, no >one including the 
> teachers, the radios that Haitians listen are forcefully meeting and talking 
> and >addressing the needs to help our own communities.” (Nekita Lamour)


Nekita,

Very few Haitians in the Greater Haitian Community of Massachusetts would 
understand your great work (for the past 30 years), trying to open their eyes 
through the media and though your educational writings published in different 
local newspapers.

The Community has been facing a lot of problems, and it’s tough when thinking 
about the Haitian youth 20 years from now when most of them don’t have role 
models, when most of them don’t see a real organized Haitian community. So, in 
all this, I believe EDUCATION plays a key role in order to solve many gaps.

Now, going back to the HAITIAN MEDIA, we can guess how mediocre it has been 
(radio, TV, “radyo dyòl”) where some key problems have never been addressed. 
Let’s take the HAITIAN BILINGUAL PROGRAM 
(http://www.palli.ch/~kapeskreyol/bibliographie/vedrine/tony.php) for instance; 
in the last elections (unfortunately where Mit Ronmey [R] got elected 
governor), a referendum was voted 70% to eliminate Bilingual Education in the 
sate of Massachusetts that finally killed it.

Besides you and the courageous Yolette IBOKETTE (a regular contributor to the 
prestigious monthly “Boston Haitian Reporter”), I pretty much doubt other 
Haitian teachers would publish EVEN one article, focusing on THE PROBLEMS THAT 
HAITIAN STUDENTS HAVE BEEN FACING IN THE BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS AFTER THE 
BILINGUAL PROGRAMS have been eliminated.

I don’t expect people in the Haitian Media to have the same qualifications that 
teachers have, but I wonder: How much is being done to really help the 
community, to let the community know what’s going on concerning the education 
of their kids? As we know, most Haitian parents rely 100% on teachers, a 
cultural inheritance from Haiti. Not only most Haitian parents don’t  try hard 
to attend open-house (where their kids attend school), but I wonder if these 
folks in the media try to reach out the teachers to come to Haitian radio 
programs to talk to the community often about what’s going on and what can be 
done to help these kids with their future endeavors.

It was outrageous when I attended a Haitian Teacher’s Association, meeting (in 
the 90’s). Only four of us showed up, and the Boston Public Schools system has 
over 200 Haitians as part of their staff. “Everyone is busy with family issue”, 
a statement one would hear quote often from them as an excuse for not attending 
these crucial meetings or do something to help the community? Absolutely, 
Haitian across the board need what I call “YON PRIZ TABAK KONSYANS” (a little 
bit of consciousness) if they really want to see change for Haiti and for their 
community. Let’s keep on waiting for the BLAN for another 200 years to come and 
help us. Hey, I wish everyone a healthy 2006! God Bless!


E.W.VEDRINE - Haitian Creole Editor/Translator
http://www.palli.ch/~kapeskreyol/bibliographie/vedrine.html
P.O.Box 255110 - Boston, MA. 02125-5110(USA)