29735: Nlbo -- Sad news from Cambridge, Massachusetts (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Nlbo@aol.com

This sad news is not explicitly related to Haiti, but Iâll share the news of
a promising Haitian -American star who was extinguished on the 19th.

This Christmas season had been very hard on a Cambridge Haitian mother,  my
son, his high school sweetheart,  and myself. It's very difficult for a Haitian
mother or any parent to bury a promising young daughter between Christmas and
New Year.

My son's 28 year old girlfriend's sister collapsed while rehearsing her dance
group and passed away Tuesday night the 12-19. Her name is Alex Ferdinand and
she has been running a dance group called ENMotion for the past five years.
That dance troupe had performed for the Boston Celtics and was featured in
several television programs. They perform in parks during the summer and many
colleges in the New England area. As people are probably tired of me saying that
the Haitian community doesn't have a place for the second generations and
Haitian professionals who were  educated in the United States. Alex, like many
young Haitian  professionals raised in the Boston area are not in the circle of
the more visible Haitian community. Sometimes I feel those are more visible in
the Haitian community don't know how to relate to that US educated population.

As I have seen so many deaths in the community, I truly believe a long term
support group for first, second,and third generations of Haitians,
Haitians-Americans who have lost loved ones is needed in the Haitian community. I already
wrote about young mothers who have died. Widows, mothers who have lost
children also need support. Not to go into well known 18 th Haitians who had
contributed to the U.S fabric like Pierre Toussaint, Mother Lange, Jean Baptiste
Pointe DuSable in the 1700âs, our contemporary migration started since  Papa
Doc(Francois Duvalier) took office in l957. After 50 years, we can no longer afford
to focus only on the recent immigrants.

I hope 28 year old talented dance director Alex  who was not known in the
Haitian community can be an impetus for us the first generation to really reach
out and connect with the second and third generations.

I hope the Haitian American community would make intergenerational
connections our 2007 community goal.

Have a Happy New Year



Nekita