30659: Kriegsman (reply) Re: 30657: Fofoye (reply) Re: 30650: Morse (comment) Haitians on list (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Elliot Kriegsman <farpacific10282@yahoo.com>

So true, Florence. Attendance by the Haitian community at anything
controversial in NYC is sparse...at best. Last Fall, I covered the
sentencing trial of Toto Constant for the Haitian Times, the
English-speaking newspaper published in Brooklyn. The courtroom was
practically empty for what should have been an exhilirating experience for
Haitians around the world.

As U.S.-born Americans, we tend to filter the reality of foreign born
Americans through our sensibilities, not theirs. Being second generation
myself, I recall my parents being irrationally secretive about ancestral
homeland issues even though they'd never been there.

Fear and paranoia take several generations to overcome. We've gotta be
patient with our Haitian friends.

Kenbe la,

Elliot Kriegsman