29472: Nlbo (reply) about Haitians'participation (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Nlbo@aol.com

Dear Corbetteers,

I have wanted to write since Bob sent a post about this year being "the
slowest."

Somehow I have not managed to do so. As I am reading Emmanuelle's response, I
feel the need to write my comments.

I have addressed before the fact that Haitians don't contribute in this forum
as much as I think they should  and in mainline or local/community English
papers either. Once in a while I read  "Jeune Afrique", "Afrique Express," Le
Monde Diplomatique, I have not seen Haitians' writings in those press venues
either. Thus, the issue is not writing in English.

However,  another haitian listserv called haitianpolitics is very
interactive. Contributors can write in English, French, Haitian Creole, and even Spanish.

I have tried to write in this forum whenever I can.  My continuous concerns
are related  mostly to the youth, education, and civic engagement  of the
Haitian diasporic  community, and how the " established " first  generation could
do more to provide for the education of recent Haitian immigrants,  the second
and even third generation's well being.

I don't know if I should say that or if Bob will disseminate it. Over the
years, He had posted  a lot of my writings . However, there are times I get
discouraged when  Bob responds back to my post "This is not about Haiti."  Though I
have seen posts on art exhibits, or Haitian conferences, I have to think and
work harder when writing  to this forum to make certain what I am writing is
related to Haiti. It's a lot of work that goes into writing columns for any
newspaper. I have to be extremely meticulous in terms of what I write and the
number of words I formulate my piece. Though I don't have to think on the amount
of words, I do have to be careful when I am writing in the internet, but that
extra "mileage"  that I need to put to make sure what I am saying in corbett's
forum is related to Haiti is too much.

Another " whining"- Although I have written columns for two Boston community
papers, and had written several letter to the editors to the Boston Globe, and
other mainline papers, teach elementary school which is a 60 hour a week job
if you want to do an excellent job, I feel I have contributed a lot in this
forum and other Haitian on line venues. Being a life long professional student
who always had some papers to write for a class while raising two kids, I can't
conceive why Haitians who can write in their jobs, or as part of their jobs
don't. I can't understand why Haitians who are working in more influential
positions than I am don't write either.

I agree the academics need to write in their professional journals. My
teaching observations have been published in  professional journals also.

To my fellow Haitians, I would say we need to share our popular and unpopular
ideas which the internet allows. We need to write in books, in magazines, and
in newspapers as well. In other words, we need to make ourselves present and
visible in the printing world.  If we don't, others will continue to shape us,
shape the future of our children, make decision for us, interpret and create
an image of who we are.

Thanks,

Nekita