HaitianDiaspora.com

Note to Mr. Peter Parkes of SKYPE

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 01:26:00 +0000

Dear Mr. Peter Parkes,

Yours and SKYPE's response to the disaster that is currently happening in Haiti is absolutely unacceptable. Giving a $2 credit to the users of Haiti, when you and SKYPE should know that there is absolutely NO INTERNET service in Haiti right now. Also, the little communication that is happening by cell phone service is mainly being initiated by the Haitian Diaspora.

As many in the diaspora have reported, that SKYPE is CHARGING even when NO CONNECTION is made to a human being.

I can only conclude that at a time when most companies with a sense of decency for human life are helping families get in touch with love ones, SKYPE is benefiting from the worst tragedy to hit the nation of Haiti in its more than 200 years of proud History.

May God be with you, always.

Strong aftershock hits Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 15:27:00 +0000

Port-au-Prince, Haiti (CNN) -- A strong aftershock rocked Haiti on Wednesday morning just as much-needed medical aid was set to reach the earthquake-ravaged nation.

The 6.1-magnitude aftershock was about 6.2 miles deep, with an epicenter about 35 miles (60 kilometers) west-southwest of the capital of Port-au-Prince, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

It rattled people struggling to recover from the devastating 7.0-magnitude earthquake that walloped the impoverished country January 12, killing at least 72,000 people.

Such a strong tremor can pose significant danger in a nation where damaged buildings are teetering precariously. The aftershock was the strongest to hit Haiti since last week's original quake, the USGS said.

Patients at a hospital near Haiti's airport in Port-au-Prince immediately started praying as the ground shook like a ship rocking back and forth. They asked for forgiveness and protection, a nurse said.

At least one injury was reported in the moments after the aftershock, which struck at 6:03 a.m. ET.

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U.S. will continue to deport Haitians

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Fri, 06 Mar 2009 13:25:00 +0000

sun-sentinel.com/services/newspaper/printedition/local/sfl-flbtps0305sbmar05,0,4381943.story
South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
U.S. will continue to deport Haitians
Obama administration doesn't push to alter the deportation policy

By Luis F. Perez

South Florida Sun-Sentinel

March 5, 2009

Old request. New administration. Same answer.

Days after President Barack Obama's inauguration, advocates wrote to him and the new head of the Department of Homeland Security, asking that they stop deporting undocumented Haitians and allow those already here to stay legally.

The answer arrived Tuesday: No, for now.

"At this time, DHS intends to continue to coordinate the removal of Haitian nationals to Haiti," wrote Susan Cullen, director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement's Office of Policy and Planning.

While the first official response from the new administration disappointed immigrant advocates, they still hope Obama will alter course. They pledge to keep pushing him and his appointees.

To that end, members of the South Florida Congressional delegation plan to meet with DHS officials Tuesday to continue an "education process," one aide said.

"We obviously have seen that this issue has not moved forward," said Lale Mamaux, a spokeswoman for U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings, D-Miramar.

Hastings and U.S. Rep. Kendrick Meek, D-Miami, have had recent talks with Obama and his top officials about the issue, aides said.

"They're bright people. They're fair people," said Randy McGrorty, chief executive officer of Catholic Charities Legal Services in Miami. "I remain optimistic the policy will change once they understand the need for change."

Said Cheryl Little, executive director of the Florida Immigration Advocacy Center: "We were advised that the intent was not to deny our request. It's still under consideration. But time is of the essence."

In her letter, Cullen said since 2004 the U.S. has given $400 million to Haiti in assistance, including disaster relief. But she didn't explain the decision to continue deportations.

Advocates and congressional leaders have been asking the government to grant Haitians protected status for years. Those calls increased after four tropical storms ravaged the island nation last summer.

In September, ICE halted deportations to Haiti, raising advocates' expectations. But the agency resumed them in early December. Since then, many in the Haitian community have turned their attention to swaying Obama.

Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, which advocates for tighter immigration controls, said advocates should set benchmarks for when Haitians granted protected status would go back. In other cases, the designation has been extended for years.

"I think the Haitians are victims of the people who have abused TPS," Beck said.

Staff Writer Georgia East contributed to this report.

Luis F. Perez can be reached at lfperez@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4553.

Copyright © 2009, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

Death toll climbs to 75 in Haiti school collapse

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 16:09:00 +0000

By JONATHAN M. KATZ, Associated Press Writer Jonathan M. Katz, Associated Press Writer 25 mins ago

School Student Tragedy in HaitiPETIONVILLE, Haiti – Rescuers digging through a collapsed school in Haiti pulled more bodies from sandwiched slabs of concrete, raising the death toll to 75 on Saturday as crews continued searching for survivors.

President Rene Preval said poor construction, including a lack of steel reinforcement, was to blame for Friday's collapse of the concrete College La Promesse in Petionville. Roughly 500 children and teenagers typically crowded into the three-story building.

Preval told The Associated Press that structures throughout Haiti are at similar risk because of poor construction and a lack of government oversight.

"It's not just schools, it's where people live, it's churches," he said at the site of the collapse as crews picked through the wreckage in search of more victims.

Doctors Without Borders was treating more than 80 people, many with serious injuries, said Francois Servranckx, a spokesman for the aid group.

photos Haiti Student School TragedyPetionville Mayor Claire Lydie Parent said at least 17 students were found crushed in a single classroom on Saturday but the report was denied by a doctor and firefighter at the scene.

"There are a lot of rumors, you know," said Cap Haitien Fire Chief Ardouin Zephirin, who was brought in from Haiti's second-largest city to help with the disaster on the outskirts of the capital.

Preval said a previous mayor of Petionville had tried to halt the expansion of La Promesse over safety concerns but the effort faltered when a new mayor came into power in the hillside Port-au-Prince suburb.

"We have got to have a consistent policy that when one administration leaves office the next continues its work," the president told AP. "The next time the mayor speaks and the authorities speak, people will listen."

International aid was trickling in.

Nearly 40 search-and-rescue officials from Fairfax, Virginia, were expected to arrive with dogs by Saturday afternoon, said Alexandre Deprez, acting director of the local U.S. Agency for International Development.

"I see a dramatic turnabout in the situation once they're here," he said. "We've done everything we've possibly can practically from the first hour."

The Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, was sending two helicopters to help, Dominican Health Minister Bautista Rojas said.

France also sent a team of 15 firefighters and doctors with two rescue dogs. A French civil protection official, Commandant Patrick Vailli, said Saturday that the workers spotted five people believed to be alive in the school's two basements and recovered two bodies.

Haitian Police commissioner Francene Moreau said the minister who runs the church-operated school could face criminal charges. Efforts to reach the preacher were not successful.

Thousands looked on from beside the school and across the valley, cheering each time a live student was extricated from the debris. One student who emerged and was lifted on a stretcher cried and made the sign of the cross over and over.

Thousands of Haitian menial laborers live in collapse-prone hillside slums around the capital to be near the mansions of the foreign diplomats, U.N. staff and wealthy elite for whom they work.

Parents said they toiled endlessly throughout the year to afford the school's $1,500 tuition in hopes of empowering their children to someday escape poverty.

Haiti, the poorest and most politically tumultuous country in the Western Hemisphere, has been struggling to recover this year from riots over rising food prices and a string of hurricanes and tropical storms that killed nearly 800 people.

U.N. peacekeepers were sent to Haiti following the bloody ouster of former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide in 2004 and have improved security by fighting gangs and training local police.

___

Associated Press writer Nicole Chavranski contributed to this report from Paris.

Matt Damon and Wyclef Jean Unite to Fight Poverty

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 16:13:00 +0000

The African Children's Choir.
Photo: Jeff Chiu/AP Photo
By Dorinda Elliott
Talk about the power of travel and celebrity. At the third fundraiser for OneXOne, in San Francisco last night, actor Matt Damon, hip-hop artist Wyclef Jean, rock star Carlos Santana, singer Josh Groban, director David Arquette and the African Children's Choir came together to raise money to fight poverty and improve the lives of children in the U.S. and around the world. The key beneficiaries: Damon's H2O Africa, which funds water projects in Africa; Water Partners, with water projects around the world; Yele Haiti, which supports development in Haiti; and Feeding America, which runs food programs across the U.S.
What's the travel connection? Damon's interest in water issues stems from a trip he took two years ago to southern Africa, where he saw the opportunities that water wells can offer people. He has also become involved in fighting poverty in Haiti. Damon traveled there with Wyclef Jean after Hurricane Ike hit, and helped distribute food. What Damon saw in Haiti--the city of Gonaive submerged in water, people desperate for food, "the smell of death," "was something I have never, ever seen before," Damon said. "Clef looked at me and said 'this is not human. No one should have to live like this.'"
After the trip, Damon traveled to the Clinton Global Initiative meetings in New York, where he joined a multi-faceted commitment to support projects in Haiti that will provide food for 20,000 families for a year, supply 36,000 farmers with seeds, provide five million liters of clean water, rebuild thousands of homes, support education for 600,000 students, rebuild two bridges that were destroyed, and rebuild 12 schools. "This is fantastic," Damon says, "but what we need down there is a Marshall Plan." Jean's Yele Haiti foundation is developing plans to support small businesses, and he wants to attract investment for tourism. "Thats what I'm talkin' about," says Jean, decked out in a black suit, crisp white shirt and purple tie. "We dont want charity--we want tourism."
The fundraiser auction got heated, with several guests bidding against themselves. "This must be a new San Francisco tradition, bidding against yourself," Damon quipped. "My compliments on the selection of the wine tonight." The auctioneers sold three trips to visit Damon on the set of his next movie, The Human Factor, about Nelson Mandela, which will directed by Clint Eastwood and filmed in South Africa, for $200,000 each. "If Eastwood doesn't like the idea of having a lot of people around the set," Damon said, "I guess my trailer's going to be pretty crowded with a lot of people playing video games."

Should Haitians, like Rwandans, Say Adieu to Français

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 16:11:00 +0000

Rwandans, Say Adieu to Français

Leaders Promote English as the Language of Learning, Governance and Trade

By Stephanie McCrummen
Washington Post Foreign Service
Tuesday, October 28, 2008; A10

KIGALI, Rwanda -- C'est la vie.

In another blow to the language of love, the Rwandan government has decided to change instruction in schools from French to English.

All government employees are now required to learn English, and everyone here from lawmakers to taxi drivers to students to businesspeople seems to believe that the usefulness of French, introduced by Belgian colonizers, is coming to an end.

"When you look at the French-speaking countries -- it's really just France, and a small part of Belgium and a small part of Switzerland," Theoneste Mutsindashyaka, Rwanda's state minister for education, said in English. "Most countries worldwide, they speak English. Even in China, they speak English. Even Belgium, if you go to the Flemish areas, they speak English, not French."

The decision, Rwandan officials say, was purely an economic one and had nothing to do with the country's souring relationship with France.

Rwanda has accused the French of arming the former Rwandan army and ethnic Hutu militias, even as they carried out the 1994 genocide. About 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered in 100 days of planned, systematic violence.

The Rwandan government recently accused 33 senior French military and political officials of direct involvement in the genocide, demanding that they stand trial. Among those implicated is François Mitterand, president of France at the time of the genocide and now deceased.

French officials have denied responsibility, conceding only that "political" errors were made. In 2006, a French judge accused Rwandan President Paul Kagame, who led the Tutsi rebel group that eventually stopped the genocide, of being involved in the downing of a plane carrying his predecessor, President Juvénal Habyarimana, whose death in April 1994 gave Hutu leaders the pretext to begin the genocide.

But Rwandan officials insist that their decision to promote English has nothing to do with knocking France.

"This is not about France," said Aloisea Inyumba, a senator and member of Kagame's ruling party. "This is about us. Introducing English is just being realistic. English is the language of business."

American and other English-speaking investors are pouring into Rwanda, whose East African trading partners are English and Swahili-speaking countries: Uganda, Kenya and Tanzania. Rwanda has applied for membership in the Commonwealth of Nations, the association of former British colonies.

As a minor bonus, Mutsindashyaka -- who is in charge of rolling out the English-language curriculum for 2.6 million students and 50,000 teachers -- said he was happily surprised to find that English textbooks are far cheaper than French ones. A fourth-grade English math book costs 70 cents, for instance, compared with $4 for the French version.

Most Rwandans speak the local Kinyarwanda language or French. Fewer than 5 percent speak English, although that is set to change. Local English-language schools are filling up with students. It's common to find taxi drivers with French-English dictionaries in their glove compartments. Elected officials are dutifully leading the way, sprinkling their speeches with English words, often blended with Kinyarwanda. The other day, a member of parliament spoke of "gupuromotinga," or promoting, English.

"For English classes, we might have 50 students," said Susan Muhude, a teacher at the Baptist English Teaching Center here. "For French, there are very few, perhaps five."

Down the street, past a new building for Blue Financial Services and the beaten-down Touba Bijouterie jewelers, the shelves of the A to Z Book Centre are jammed with English titles. They range from motivational tomes by Anthony Robinson to romances by Danielle Steele.

Besides instructional books, the French titles are few -- mostly cookbooks, such as "Les Vins de la Vigne á la Table," and esoterica, such as "Inventaire des Oiseaux de France," a catalogue of birds.

Shopkeeper Silas Rwagataraka said he is expecting more customers now that the government is promoting English.

"The benefits of learning English are immense," he said, adding diplomatically, "But French, it's not useless at all -- if you have both languages, you have a better chance of making it."

Haitian president makes surprise visit to Dade School Board

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 16:16:00 +0000

Posted on Thu, Oct. 16, 2008
Haitian president makes surprise visit to Dade School Board
BY JACQUELINE CHARLES AND KATHLEEN McGRORY
Haitian President René Préval -- on a brief layover in Miami while en route to a summit in Quebec City, Canada -- made a surprise visit to the Miami-Dade School Board on Wednesday.Préval thanked the district for its support of Haiti's hurricane-relief effort and also made a pitch on behalf of his efforts to rebuild classrooms in the storm-ravaged country, asking Miami-Dade for its surplus portable classrooms.

Préval's unexpected visit brought members of the board and others in the audience to their feet with a standing ovation when he entered the auditorium. His appearance came after a private meeting with Schools Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, who visited the devastated country last month.

''As you know, over the past two months, Haiti has suffered two hurricanes,'' Préval said, speaking in French with a translator at his side. ``It is like Katrina in Haiti. All of the schools have been damaged, all of the health centers are damaged and all of the homes have suffered damage.''

The portable classrooms, Préval said, would be used for schools, shelters and health centers. ''We still have people sleeping on the street, or on the roofs of their houses,'' Préval said. ``The children are exposed to the sun and the rain. It is unimaginable.''

The request for Miami-Dade's surplus portables comes after Broward School Board member Benjamin Williams offered to donate 600 of that district's portables.

APPEAL FOR DONATIONS

When Carvalho made an expected appearance at a spiritual revival at Notre Dame d'Haiti Catholic Church in Little Haiti Tuesday night, The Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary asked him about donating Miami-Dade's surplus portables to Haiti. Carvalho agreed.

Last month, both men visited two of the hardest-hit areas in Haiti -- the northwestern port city of Gonaives and Cabaret, just north of the capital of Port-au-Prince. Carvalho said he paid for his own ticket.

During a meeting with Haitian Prime Minister Michèle Pierre-Louis, Carvalho offered the school district's assistance. He told board members that the district was supplying 20,000 book bags and supplies to school children on the island, along with an out-of-service school bus.

''The fact that children in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere still have not begun school is something that we can help with,'' Carvalho said. ``Here, we have an opportunity to turn our surplus into a valuable commodity in Haiti.''

Préval told The Miami Herald that Carvalho told him there were between 6,000 and 7,000 surplus portables statewide and offered to help Haiti obtain them. Carvalho confirmed this, telling the board that he plans to contact Gov. Charlie Crist and the State Department of Education about the portables.

School Board members said they would look into donating the portable classrooms -- which could number in the hundreds -- and would otherwise be destroyed. Board Chairman Agustín Barrera asked that the district ensure the portables are usable -- even if it means tapping into dollars that would have been used to destroy the classrooms to repair them before sending them to Haiti.

''I am very happy,'' Préval told The Herald. The portables were ``something that could rescue Haiti from the situation in which we are living.''

SCHOOLS HELPING OUT

School leaders and students have also been collecting food and supplies at schools throughout the county. And Carvalho asked a number of community organizations and corporations to donate backpacks for kids.

Carvalho said 15 shipping containers worth of goods had already arrived in Haiti and he hoped to send an additional 15 containers in coming weeks. He said he thinks the portables could be sent to Haiti for free.

''In the name of the children of Haiti, I thank you,'' Préval said.

© 2008 Miami Herald Media Company. All Rights Reserved.
http://www.miamiherald.com

Haitian Diaspora Supports Barack Hussein Obama

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 16:14:00 +0000

Haitian Diaspora Barack Obama Support shirt

As America decides whether to elect its first Black president in its more than two hundred year history, we as Haitians, in our more than two hundred year history, are no strangers to Black presidents, Black Prime Ministers or Black Emperors for that matter. Our history of democracy is much shorter, but the decisions have not been made based on race.

EchodHaiti.com and HaitianDiaspora.com endorse Barack Hussein Obama for President of the United States of America in the 2008 elections. For, as Haitian-Americans, we believe he is the better man to lead the U.S. in its Time for Change.

Wyclef Jean Announces Storm Relief Fund for Haiti

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 16:19:00 +0000

Last update: 3:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 9, 2008
Haiti hurricane storm fundNEW YORK, Sept 09, 2008 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- The storms that have battered Haiti in the past few weeks have left more than 500 dead and wreaked havoc in the lives of more than 600,000 people who have been displaced by flooding or cut off from food supplies. Haitian President Rene Preval has appealed for help from the international community, saying the country faces a "catastrophe".
Wyclef Jean - musician, Haitian Goodwill Ambassador and founder of Yele Haiti - has launched the "Haiti Storm Relief Fund" to provide food, water, purification tablets, tents, blankets, medical supplies, hygiene kits as well as funds to a number of non-profit organizations working on the ground to respond to the emergency. Yele Haiti is working closely with the Pan American Development Foundation and the World Food Programme in this effort, and in consultation with the Haitian government's emergency management authorities.
Yele's Storm Relief Fund has already sponsored food, supplies and water to assist victims in the South-East, including Jakmel, Cayes-Jakmel, Marigot and La Vallee. A second wave of support is currently underway in and around Jakmel in cooperation with the Mayor of this resort community. Containers with emergency supplies are being shipped into the country over the next few weeks as individuals and corporations begin responding to Wyclef Jean's call for donations. Within days Yele Haiti's teams will begin an intensive operation of emergency food distributions with food staples supplied by the World Food Programme.
"My country is facing a serious catastrophe at the moment," said Mr. Jean, "and we urgently require assistance. But the long-term catastrophe is that we have less than two percent tree cover, and without restoring our forests we will always be susceptible to mudslides and flash floods from storms and hurricanes."
Donations can be made online at www.yele.org.
About Yele Haiti
Yele Haiti is a movement founded by Wyclef Jean that is helping to bring hope back to Haiti. Projects are designed to make a difference in the fields of education, health, environment and community development. The power and reach of music, sports and the media is used to increase the impact of these projects. www.yele.org
SOURCE Y?le Haiti

www.yele.org

Copyright (C) 2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved End of Story

GRAMMY AWARD WINNING MUSICIAN WYCLEF JEAN WRITES & RECORDS NEW SONG, "VENUS (I'M READY)," IN HONOR OF 2008 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST VENUS WILLIAMS

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 16:22:00 +0000

"Venus (I'm Ready)" Set To Debut

As Women's Tennis Champion's Theme Song

At 2008 US Open

Venus Williams & Wyclef Jean Paired

On Fourth Season Episode Of "Iconoclasts,"

Premiering November 13 On Sundance Channel

* * * * *

The Haitian-born Grammy Award-winning musician/producer/social activist Wyclef Jean has written and recorded an anthemic new song, "Venus (I'm Ready)," inspired by the spirit, character and prowess of American tennis champion Venus Williams, who recently took home her third Olympic gold medal (with her sister Serena) in the women's doubles match at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

An exuberant celebration of the record-breaking athlete (and the mythological Roman goddess of love and beauty whose name she shares), "Venus (I'm Ready)" is Wyclef's musical fan letter to the 2008 Olympic gold medalist and reigning Wimbledon singles and doubles champion.

"Venus' determination and mental strength inspires me!," exclaimed Wyclef Jean. "Much like Isis, her strength should be celebrated."

"Venus (I'm Ready)" is slated to premiere as Venus Williams' theme music during the 2008 US Open tennis tournament in Flushing, Queens, New York, running from August 25 through September 7.

For more information on the availability of "Venus (I'm Ready)," Wyclef Jean's musical celebration of Venus Williams, please visit www.wyclef.com.

Wyclef Jean met Venus Williams when the two were paired for an upcoming episode of "Iconoclasts," the groundbreaking Sundance Channel original television series, now in its fourth season, which brings together two leading innovators from different fields to discuss their passions and creative processes. The Venus Williams/Wyclef Jean episode of "Iconoclasts" is scheduled to premiere November 13 at 10pm ET/PT on the Sundance Channel (please check your local listings).

"I have been a fan of Wyclef's for many years, from his work with the Fugees to his success as a solo artist," said Venus Williams. "He's a fantastic writer, singer, producer and performer whose music crosses genres and touches people's lives. I am specially impressed by Wyclef's dedication to humanitarian causes and his strong sense of character. I was so happy to meet Wyclef and work with him on our 'Iconoclasts' episode but not even in my wildest imagination, did I expect that such a beautiful song would be one of the outcomes from meeting Wyclef. He is an amazing human being and it is truly an honor for me to be recognized in such a wonderful way by such a gifted musician and exceptional person."

AHP-Mentoring Haitian-American Minds

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Sun, 24 Aug 2008 16:26:00 +0000

Mentoring
Haitian-American Minds

January 2006__The Harvard Mentoring Project of the Harvard School of Public Health and MENTOR/National Mentoring Partnership created National Mentoring Month, and helped proclaimed January as the month to celebrate mentoring. They are leading the NMM 2006 effort in collaboration with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America, Points of Light Foundation, and other nonprofit groups. The Association of Haitian Professionals is currently into their second year of mentoring and tutoring young minds in our community.

“Since October 2005, a dozen AHP volunteers have offered their help and support to Haitian-American students in grades K-12. Every Saturday, these volunteers meet with their assigned student at the Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Washington, D.C. to provide aid in subjects ranging from science and math to reading and writing. Tutoring will be provided through June 2006 and we are currently looking to expand our service to another location in suburban Washington, D.C.

As a result of this program, AHP professionals have had the opportunity to give back to the young minds of the community, and the students appreciate the positive effects of being tutored by a caring adult.

Community service is the cornerstone of AHP's existence and we are always seeking more volunteers. For more information on how you can become a mentor/tutor and the training requirements, contact our Community Service Officer, [Manes Pierre],”

As January comes to a close, we realize that it takes more than a month to mentor a child. We applaud the initiative that The Association of Haitian Professionals has taken.

(Photos courtesy Association of Haitian Professionals)

A. Philip Randolph

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 16:25:00 +0000

A. Philip Randolph
Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Philip_Randolph

Asa Philip Randolph (April 15, 1889 – May 16, 1979) was a socialist in the labor movement and the US civil rights movement. He was born in Crescent City, Florida. His father was a minister of the A.M.E. Church who moved the family to Jacksonville, Florida in 1891. In 1911, Randolph moved to New York City's Harlem in hope of becoming an actor.

Randolph's parents objected to his dramatic aspirations, so while at the City College of New York, he switched his studies to politics and economics. While at City College, he met his future wife, Lucille Green. Green was a teacher who had quit that career and opened a lucrative beauty salon when her first husband died. After their marriage, Randolph's political activities would often cause Lucille the loss of some customers.

Also at City College, Randolph met Chandler Owen, a sociology and political science student at Columbia University. Together, they formed the radical Harlem magazine, The Messenger, in 1917.

In 1925, Randolph organized the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. This was the first serious effort to form a labor union for the employees of the Pullman Company, which was a major employer of African Americans. After years of bitter struggle, the Pullman Company finally began to negotiate with the Brotherhood in 1935, and agreed to a contract with them in 1937. The Brotherhood was associated with the American Federation of Labor.

Randolph emerged as one of the most visible spokespersons for African-American civil rights. In 1941, he, Bayard Rustin, and A. J. Muste proposed a March on Washington to protest racial discrimination in the armed forces. The March was cancelled after President of the United States Franklin D. Roosevelt issued the Fair Employment Act. Some militants felt betrayed by the cancellation because Roosevelt's pronouncement only pertained to defense industries and not the armed forces themselves. In 1947, Randolph formed the Committee Against Jim Crow in Military Service, later renamed the League for Non-Violent Civil Disobedience. President Harry S. Truman abolished racial segregation in the armed forces through Executive Order 9981 on July 26, 1948. Randolph was also notable in his support for restrictions on immigration.

Randolph also helped Rustin and Martin Luther King Jr. to organize the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963.

Recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom on September 14, 1964.

Randolph's efforts on behalf of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters were portrayed in the Robert Townsend film "10,000 Black Men Named George". All the African-American workers in the Pullman company were addressed as "George" after George Pullman. A. Philip Randolph was also a member of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.

Jean-Michel Basquiat

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:27:00 +0000

Jean-Michel Basquiat
Haitian-American Artist

Jean-Michel Basquiat was born on December 22, 1960 in Brooklyn, New York. His father, Gerard Basquiat was born in Port-au-Prince, Haiti and his mother, Matilde was born in Brooklyn of Puerto Rican parents. Early on, Basquiat displayed a proficiency in art which was encouraged by his mother. In 1977, Basquiat, along with friend Al Diaz begins spray painting cryptic aphorisms on subway trains and around lower Manhattan and signing them with the name SAMO© (Same Old Shit). "SAMO© as an end to mindwash religion, nowhere politics, and bogus philosophy," "SAMO© saves idiots," "Plush safe he think; SAMO© ."

In 1978 Basquiat left home for good and quit school just one year before graduating form high school. He lived with friends and began selling hand painted postcards and T-shirts. In June of 1980, Basquiat's art was publicly exhibited for the first time in a show sponsored by Colab (Collaborative Projects Incorporated) along with the work of Jenny Holzer, Lee Quinones, Kenny Scharf, Kiki Smith, Robin Winters, John Ahearn, Jane Dickson, Mike Glier, Mimi Gross, and David Hammons. Basquiat continued to exhibit his work around New York City and in Europe, participating in shows along with the likes of Keith Haring, Barbara Kruger.

In December of 1981, poet and artist Rene Ricard published the first major article on Basquiat entitled "The Radiant Child" in Artforum. In 1982, Basquiat was featured in the group show "Transavanguardia: Italia/America" along with Neo-Expressionists Sandro Chia, Francesco Clemente, Enzu Cucchi, David Deutsch, David Salle, and Julian Schnabel (who will go on to direct the biographical film Basquiat in 1996). In 1983 Basquiat had one-artist exhibitions at the galleries of Annina Nosei and Larry Gagosian and was also included in the "1983 Biennial Exhibition" at the Whitney Museum of American Art. It was also in 1983 that Basquiat was befriended by Andy Warhol, a relationship which sparked discussion concerning white patronization of black art, a conflict which remains, to this day, at the center of most discussions of Basquiat's life and work. Basquiat and Warhol collaborated on a number of paintings, none of which are are critically acclaimed. Their relationship continued, despite this, until Warhol's death in 1987.

By 1984, many of Basquiat's friends had become quite concerned about his excessive drug use, often finding him unkempt and in a state of paranoia. Basquiat's paranoia was also fueled by the very real threat of people stealing work from his apartment and of art dealers taking unfinished work from his studio. On February 10, 1985, Basquiat appeared on the cover of The New York Times Magazine, posing for the Cathleen McGuigan article "New Art, New Money: The Marketing of an American Artist." In March , Basquiat had his second one-artist show at the Mary Boone Gallery. In the exhibition catalogue, Robert Farris Thompson spoke of Basquiat's work in terms of an Afro-Atlantic tradition, a context in which this art had never been discussed.

In 1986, Basquiat travelled to Africa for the first time and his work was shown in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In November, a large exhibition of more than sixty paintings and drawings opened at the Kestner-Gesellschaft in Hannover; at twenty-five Basquiat was the youngest artist ever given an exhibition there. In 1988, Basquiat had shows in both Paris and New York; the New York show was praised by some critics, an encouraging development. Basquiat attempted to kick his heroin addiction by leaving the temptations of New York for his ranch in Hawaii. He returned to New York in June claiming to be drug-free. On August 12 , Basquiat died as the result of a heroin overdose. He was 27.

Primary source for biography:
Sirmans, M. Franklin. "Chronology." Jean-Michel Basquiat.
Ed. Richard Marshall. New York: Whitney/Abrams, 1992. 233-250.

Haitian Athletes in the 2008 Olympics

noreply@blogger.com (dyaspora) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 16:20:00 +0000

Azea AUGUSTAMA Boxing

Elie AUGUSTAMA Boxing

Marvin BIEN-AIME Track & Field

Joel BRUTUS Judo

Wilky CAMPFORT Boxing

Steve DELICE Track & Field

Dudley DORIVAL Track & Field

Ginou ETIENNE Track & Field

Laurias Faixjoux Track & Field

Eugene EUGENE Track & Field

Nadine FAUSTIN Track & Field

Joane JADOTTE Track & Field

Ange Mercie JEAN BAPTISTE Judo

Moise JOSEPH Track & Field

Narc NARCISSE Track & Field

Lionel NAU Track & Field

Dayana OCTAVIEN Track & Field

Barbara PIERRE Track & Field

Christina ROUNDTREE Track & Field

Frantz VALBONA Track & Field