haitian diaspora

Here is Mr. Jean Monestimewho was elected chairman of Miami-Dade County Commission.

He was unanimously elected as the first Haitian-American chairman of the County commission. Known as a progressive Democrat and champion of the poor, Commissioner Jean Monestime was elected on Monday, November 24, 2014, after Commissioner Audrey Edmonson withdrew her candidacy to become chair of the county commission. She thew her support to Monestime, siting that she wanted to unify the commission and the community

On Monday 24 November, 2014, a history was made when Jean Monestime, after being reelected on 26 August, 2014, as Miami-Dade County Commissioner came to swear in for the second term (he was first elected on November 2, 2010), he was unanimously elected by his peers to serve as the first Haitian-American Chairman of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners. His two-year term as the Chairman will begin on 1 January, 2015. Jean Monestime is a former North Miami Councilman. He is the President of a full fledged real estate and insurance company named "Jacob Monestime & Associates, LLC" in North Miami. He works as a part-time adjunct professor of management at the University of Phoenix, a former Miami-Dade public school teacher and a small business consultant. He obtained his MBA degree from the H. Wayne Huizenga School of Business and Entrepreneurship and was graduated in Finance from Florida International University. He has been a long time resident of District 2 where he lives with his wife Kettia and two sons.

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Here is a picture of Ralph Gilles. He is Senior Vice President of Design at Chrysler, credited for 2005 Chrysler 300

Ralph Victor Gilles is an American-Canadian automobile designer and the present President of the SRT Brand and Senior Vice President of Design at Chrysler Group LLC for Jeep/Truck Color & Trim and Specialty Vehicles. He was born on 14 January 1970 to Haitian immigrant parents. As an automotive enthusiast, he earned a Bachelor's degree in Transportation Design at the College for Creative Studies (CCS) in Detroit. Thereafter, he pursued a Master's degree in Business Administration at Michigan State. He used to teach at The School of Industrial Design at CCS between 2003 to 2005, and now serves as a member on its Advisory Board. Gilles became experienced in Chrysler by serving various designing roles since he joined the company in 1992. After the retirement of experienced Chrysler designer Trevor Creed, he became the Vice President of Design on 1 September 2014. He is now responsible for all the designing activities of Chrysler. Under his leadership, the company is pursuing for a more sensual look for its forthcoming products.

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The current political situation may be cause for panic as the problem for election in Haiti can not be resolved between the Government of Michel Martelly and the opposition. However, the Haitian Diaspora is getting closer and closer to become a determining factor in the next election in Haiti.

Haiti is moving forward with the plan to have all its citizens counted and to give them the right to vote, no matter where they are. It is in the same concept that the actual government has decided to create this new ID office in the Diaspora for Haitians.

As was promised early last month, an ID office has been set up were Haitians living in the U.S. can go to receive their national identification cards. Located in the consolute for Haiti in Miami, the office will begin operations in December and will issue cards that will serve for 10 years. These cards will have a specific number assigned, just as in the case of the Social Security number, and will afford diaspora members a chance to stay active in the future of their homeland.

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Here is a picture of Mr. Reginald Fils-Aimé, AKA Reggie. He is the current President and COO of Nintendo of America

An accomplished business executive with a Haitian root, Reggie Fils-Aime was born to Haitian immigrants, who moved to the United States due to the political view of his grandparents. He was hired by Nintendo of America in December 2003 as the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

Fils-Aime became President and Chief Operating Officer of the video game company on May 25, 2006. Nintendo is one of the most influential in the industry and Japan's third most valuable listed company. It has a market value of over US$85 billion,

The President and Chief Operating Officer of the North American division of the hugely successful Nintendo franchise, Reginald Fils-Aim, was born in the Bronx, New York after his Haitian parents were forced to emigrate because of the political atmosphere in Haiti at that time. Before his current post, Fils-Aimé worked with VH1, where he met his current wife, and then began working at Nintendo where he would become the Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing before taking on his current role. In 2004 at an E3 press conference, he became a popular figure among gamers around the world following his appearance.

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Here is a picture of Mr. Meta Golding, a Haitian American rising actress. She became a major movie star after playing in films such as the Hunger Games and Catching Fire.

Always a dreamer, Haitian born beauty queen turned Italian figure skater turned actress Meta Golding is making a name for herself in some of the most popular movies and TV shows today. With credits including "Kiss the Girls", "On Edge", "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire", and "Criminal Minds" to name a few, this highly ambitious beauty seems on the direct path to stardom. Fluent in Italian as well as English and French, she holds degrees in International Relations and Theatre Arts from Cornell University. She also spends her spare time at a Mexican orphanage.

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Here is a picture of Numa Perrier. She is an actress, filmmaker, visual artist and founder for tv network, Black&SexyTV. She is a Haitian American artist and producer with a very busy life. Perrier is the co-creator of web series roomierloverfriends and The Couple.

Using her life experiences and her own body to draw from, Haitian-American artist Numa Perrier creates pieces that are as unique and flavored as they are provoking and compelling. Adopted by a mixed-race couple at a young age, Perrier grew up in a small town in America where her innate, cultural love of art was nurtured into her current expression through photography, film, installation work on a large-scale, textiles and collage that offer of her own identity while covering themes of power, sensuality and relationships, such as in her latest photography piece "Florida Water."

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Here is a picture of Commissioner Jean Monestime and Dorrin D. Rolle

Monestime's War Chest Well-Preserved

Miami-Dade Commissioner Jean Monestime raised $77,000 for March at the beginning of his campaign run for commissioner. He ended up with the biggest war chest, $300,000. Monestime's opponent Dorrin Rolle only managed to raise $17,000 in the same month.

Rolle spent $14,232 of his, Monestime only $42,000 of $300,000. Four years prior Monestime and Rolle ran for a county seat. Rolle raised $400,000, Monestime raised less than $110,000. Monestime won. What is Monestime's secret to winning? Money is not necessarily a factor.

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Here is a picture of an immigration officer in the Bahamas humiliating two young Haitian immigrants during an operation in the Bahamas in October, 2014. The Immigration department of the Bahamas is assisted by the police to conduct Immigration Operation against Haitian in the Bahamas. Children, included those who were born in the Bahamas are rounded up and put in a bus to a detention center.

Are the Bahamas targeting Haitians for Deportation?

The Bahamas are becoming paranoid about a huge influx of illegal migrants from Haiti and have stiffened its immigration regulations.

Frederick Mitchell, Bahamian Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister, says the overwhelming number of illegal aliens from Haiti threatens ". . . Bahamas national security . . . national identity . . . and . . . social stability."

Haitian-American anthropologist Bertin Louis says the Bahamas "has historically promoted a xenophobic policy toward Haitians in particular."

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Here is a picture of the Haitian President, Michel Martelly, as he was greeting the Haitian Community in France In October, 2014. He also took the opportunity to visit the place where Toussaint Louverture died at Fort de Joux

Haiti's President, Michel Martelly, was greeted with much warmth when he stopped on the final leg of his tour of Europe in the northern suburbs of Aubervilliers, France, where he met with hundreds of members of the Haitian diaspora living near Paris. They thanked the President for his support of the Universal Schooling Program Free and compulsory (PSUGO). The group also heralded the President as being progressive in the initiatives put forward by his administration to bolster the economy and provide the poor with viable means of being economically solvent.

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There you have it folks. History has been made. The Haitian American candidate just won a seat in US Congress

She beat Democrat Doug Owens by taking 50 percent of the vote, with Mr. Owens's 47 percent.

Mia Love who is 38 years old is the first Haitian-American to win congressional office. She is the baughter of Haitian immigrants. She was the mayor of Saratoga Springs

Recently, Haiti has celebrated a lot of firsts in American politics throughout many states including Florida, New York and D.C., but one woman would have not one, but two firsts. Mia Love, not only the first Haitian-American to win the House seat in Utah, is also the first Black Republican woman to do so. She won over her Democratic rival, Dough Owens, to take the congressional seat with 50% of the precincts. Her victory was welcomed after the loss in 2012 for the same seat.

Kreyol Pale, Kreyol Kompran!

Mezanmi, moun lakay ape pote fyerte nou ho Ozetazini. Eske nou tande ke ginyin yon ti Ayisyenn-Amerikain ki prale nan kongres Amerikin. Sa se yon gro koze. Li demontre ke nou se yon group moun ki ape pren pouvwa nan gro payi sa yo bay pou Etazini-an.

Mape pran tout plezi mwin pou mwin felicite Mia Love pou gro bagay sa li realize jodia. Se pa pou rou selman ou fè sa se pou tout Kominote Ayisyen-an

Gro Mesi Mia Love

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