9280: Haitians in California

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: NLaleau@aol.com

There are actually two Haitians living in San Benito County--a rural
county 
of about 35,000 people... I had heard of their presence, and, just by 
coincidence, ran into them one evening at a convalescent home where I was 
visiting a friend... as soon as I saw the one woman, an aide there, I was 
pretty sure she was Haitian, and spoke to her in Creole... blew her mind,
I 
can tell you!!!  There is a small Haitian community in San 
Franicsco-Oakland-Berkley-San Rafael and environs. Small but noticeable
and 
active in Haiti solidarity work. They span the socio-economic spectrum,
from 
long-time European & US educated professionals, to fairly recently arrived 
illiterate refugees--"boat people." There is NO Haitian market that I know 
of, but at least one Haitian restaurant in Emeryville, maybe more in the 
vicinity by now? --Nancy Laleau