27367: Hermantin(News)In search of a common agenda (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: leonie hermantin <lhermantin@hotmail.com>

Posted on Sat, Jan. 28, 2006


HAITIAN COMMUNITY
In search of a common agenda

BY JACQUELINE CHARLES
jcharles@MiamiHerald.com

They sipped rum cocktails, nibbled on conch fritters and swayed to the 
synthesizing sounds of one of their own. The gathering inside a downtown Miami 
ballroom seemed like any weekly event in network savvy Miami -- except for one 
difference.

For this group of professionals, the reception inside the James L. Knight 
Convention Center Friday night was a signal that South Florida's striving 
Haitian-American community, 245,000-plus strong, has arrived.

And now after years of not being at the forefront of issues affecting the 
struggling majority, a growing share of Haitian-American professionals are 
about to lead the charge.

They have put their own money -- raising more than $60,000 so far -- to 
bankroll a conference that as many as 3,000 Haitian-American professionals are 
expected to attend over the weekend.

ELECTIONS IN HAITI

It comes as a politically chaotic Haiti prepares to hold elections in less than 
two weeks. This new generation of South Florida's Haitian-American 
professionals -- comfortable in both worlds -- hopes to make a difference there 
and here, but with a twist. They are challenging the notion that the only way 
to help Haiti is by immersing oneself in bruising Haiti politics.

''We are in a critical situation in our country and in our community. It's not 
a game anymore,'' said Angelo Gousse, a Haitian-born Yale-educated urologist 
who has brought together a diverse group of professionals under the banner of 
the Haitian-American Leadership Organization.

``Once we gain political power in the United States, it will translate into 
political power in Haiti.''

That's a tall order for a community whose previous attempts to unite around a 
common agenda haven't always succeeded.

''How can it be, all of us accomplished all of these great things in a foreign 
country in a different language and we can't get our act together?'' said 
Gousse, 42, who lives in Miramar and works at Jackson Memorial Hospital. ``We 
could be so powerful as a community if we get organized and contribute more.''

For Michel Martelly, the charismatic Haitian singer known as Sweet Micky, it's 
the potential the group holds for a newly rebuilt Haiti that led him to donate 
his talent to Friday night's reception.

''It's as if our society is built on sand. Any rain, it washes it away,'' said 
Martelly. ``If you can put these [Haitian professionals] who have the right 
vision of life on a stage for the rest to see, I think it will be something 
good.''

A 2004 study released by the Brookings Institution, a public policy think tank, 
found that while Broward County cities like Miramar boast the wealthiest 
Haitian communities, the community overall still remains relatively poor, 
especially in Miami-Dade County, where Haitians are the second-largest 
immigrant group after Cubans.

The study, based on the 2000 Census, was done at the request of the Sant La 
Haitian Neighborhood Center, one of several local groups working to address the 
community's needs, which are many.

They include understanding individuals' rights as immigrants, no matter their 
legal status; accessing healthcare; how to get into postgraduate programs like 
law or medical school; how to start a business or invest in real estate.

BRIDGE-BUILDING

By addressing these issues over the next few days, and through yearlong 
seminars and mentoring programs, the professionals' group hopes to not only 
educate the community but to build bridges.

''We need to forge a community agenda that all Haitians can agree upon,'' said 
Gérard Philippeaux, a Miami-Dade County Commission aide. ``It is the only way 
to create sustainable progress and maintain a common identity.''

Herold Merisier, a North Miami Beach family doctor, agrees. Merisier and his 
wife, also a physician, moved to South Florida 10 years ago after living in 
France and Canada. His motivation, he said, for joining the group is not just 
the goal of linking up the different Haitian organizations that already exist, 
but the opportunity to serve as a role model for Haitian-Americans youths.

Karen André understands the importance of role models. As the daughter of a 
Haitian cultural icon, André never had to look very far when she was a child to 
find professional artists, doctors, teachers -- all Haitian -- routinely 
visiting her Miami home.

''We are out there,'' said André, an attorney who worked for former U.S. Rep. 
Peter Deutsch, D-Fla. ``I know there is this oasis of Haitian professionals, 
but I might meet one or two at a time.''

Census figures show that at least 10 percent of Haitians in Miami-Dade and 
Broward counties are college-educated.

``After being here for 10 years, the message I see being projected of Haitians 
is still the same as 10 years ago. Most are boat people, not educated, although 
they are hardworking.''

This is not the first time groups of Haitian-American professionals have come 
together in hopes of devising a community blueprint. One of the most recent 
efforts involved the Society of Haitian-American Professionals and 
Entrepreneurs. It had about 100 active members before it dissolved in 2004.

Learning from that group's past experience will be important for the venture's 
success. Also key will be its image as a nonpartisan group where Haitians of 
various political persuasions can hammer out a plan.

Such a test will occur Sunday afternoon, when several Haitian community 
activists with very different views about Haiti and the upcoming election will 
meet in a roundtable discussion on how best to empower the community here 
politically.

Some of those involved have in the past been criticized for dividing, instead 
of uniting the community. It will be one of many tests of the community's 
maturation, and of the group's sustainability.

''We are trying our best not to endorse political agendas,'' Merisier said. 
``We want to remain open to everybody.''

Miami Herald staff writer Tim Henderson contributed to this report.