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Dear Uncle Maurice;
First allow me the opportunity to thank you for
your thought-provoking message. Upon reading it,
I couldn't help but to pen a response formulating
my humble opinion on the subject matter raised in
your eloquently articulated arguments. I think your
message sparks the critical thinking and analytical
exercise that an organization such as HALEC needs
to engage into if it were to live to see another
day in the Haitian community. You propose that the
conference be titled "The New Haiti,"I
will provide you with my comments on this subject
matter in a few.
Second, I concur with you in admonishing HALEC to
continue in learning to express itself as an organization.
However, guidelines are needed.
Third, regarding alternative titles for the upcoming
conference in New York, I offer the following. It
is a laudable endeavor and HALEC is to be commanded
for initiating such project. Be that as it may,
however, if the conference is to be "thought-provoking
and attractive to serious thinkers, including HALEC
members, about new paths toward development and
restoration" it will have to make an earnest
effort at gaining recognition, acceptance and hence
respect within the community it pretends to serve
first. Otherwise, it would lack a priori the credibility
required to implement its projects and all its efforts
would be futile destined to be sacrificed on the
altar of indifference, hypocrisy, the cult of personality
and ultimately obsolescence.
My dear uncle, you have correctly diagnosed the
cancer that plagues Haitian society namely: a) "it
seems that Haiti's political, business and military
elites and their overseas helpers have made a choice
to return the country to a life of violence, vengeance,
deception, disease, fragmentation and corruption."
Amen! Some body has to tell the truth. b) Concerning
new governance you state that: " first, it
needs a new vision for recovery, but based on what
is preventing recovery - the destructive attitudes
and practices of Haiti's elite social class structure
and function, the constrictive pattern of landownership,
the flow of money out of the country, the continued
flow of topsoil into the sea, the final loss of
forest cover, the paralyzing illiteracy and disrespect
for education and the unattended chronic disease
and unemployment that takeaway life spans and livelihoods.
Ironically, in a manner of speaking, Haiti has had
new governance for more than a year. Are Haitians
better off now than they were in 2003? HALEC needs
to answer that question and decide what to do with
the "old governance" before it imagines
how to bring on a new one. For that, it has to precisely
define the terms, parameters and conditions of new
governance and then make an extraordinary leap beyond
the present situation to a time in the future where
new leaders will subscribe to those new conditions
in a nonviolent manner."
Somebody has to muster the courage required to tell
the truth and thus starts the process of true rehabilitation
and eradication of this epidemic that hinders, suffocates,
aborts and annihilates any real progress toward
developing the country. So, based on the aforementioned
facts as stipulated in your message I agree that
the proposed titles are not appropriate.
As for the "New Haiti" title I'd like
to once again quote a passage from your message:
"simply put, we suspect that something is seriously
and fundamentally wrong with the historic approach
to Haiti's future and we intend to discover what
it is and what to do about it." This time you
strike
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Letter of the chair
4 Haitian American Leadership Council (HALEC)
a near perfect score, so we need to synthesize
a conclusion. Let us agree on some basics.
1) A new Haiti is an outcome, an intended result;
to get an outcome or a result you need a process
coupled to an input, which is nothing more than
positive ideas. People make-up the process, indomitable
leaders serve as pilots with education and democratic
institutions as the engine;
2) A country is made-up of people, if the same
people (the most repugnant elite) are there how
do you arrive at your intended result?
3) Recall the ubiquitous law of physics: "any
action engenders an equal and opposite reaction",
stated otherwise no one likes change and no one
will change their ways if they don't have to,
paradoxically there cannot be any growth without
change;
4) it takes great visionaries to stimulate and
propagates the change necessary to steer society
in a different course albeit all you need is a
few courageous men and women (i.e. the American
Revolution of 1776, the French Revolution of1789,
the Haitian Revolution of 1804 just to name a
few);
5) the pillars of all fair and equitable societies
are the rule of law, equal rights (all men are
created equal), opportunities for all, impartial
judicial system and the respect of the people's
inalienable rights i.e. the right to contract,
the right to petition your government, the right
of free expression, the right to bear arms, the
right against self-incrimination, self-defense,
the right to seek freedom and happiness, the right
against unreasonable search and seizure, those
rights that are self-evident.
We need a paradigm shift in the market place of
Haitian political ideas. This debate is likely
to goon ad infinitum, meanwhile it is my belief
that the only way to bring about real progress
is to foster a change in the "mentality"
of the people: a cultural revolution: a paradigm
shift. The same cause will always produce the
same effect. Therefore, I am proposing that the
theme "The New Haiti" be changed to:
"The New Culture of a Modern HaitiT"
or "he Modern Culture of a New Haiti."
Once again, thank you for sparking this debate
for it is a much-needed ingredient in the process
of advancing HALEC's mission.
Emmanuel Coffy, MSEE, JD
Chairperson
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HAITIAN-AMERICAN LEADERSHIP
COUNCIL INC.
The Haitian-American Leadership Council (HALEC)
is a non-profit, non-partisan organization. The
members of this organization volunteer their time
and talents to develop a legislative agenda for
Haitians living within the United States, shaping
local, state, national and international policy
towards Haiti and its descendents.
Headquartered in Washington, DC, the organization
is fully operational in seven (7) states: MA,
CT, NY, NJ, MD, VA and FL. Its members work to
build abridge between the Haitian-American community
and the American political system.
We are working to increase our civic participation
in the United States. Active participation empowers
our communities, by creating an environment that
protects the rights of all Haitian-Americans.
As Haitian-Americans we must unite under a collective
Leadership. HALEC is committed to unifying our
voice, politically, socially and economically.
Our Collective Voice
Uniting our voices and our votes will help influence
and create policies in the United States toward
Haiti, Haitian Immigrants and Haitian-Americans.
HALEC believes we can work together in order to
affect change for future generations of Haitian-Americans.
Aptly stated in the Haitian flag is the slogan:
"L'union faitla force", "in unity
there is strength." In unifying we build
the strength required to make a difference in
our communities.
In Unity there is:
HOPE -
HALEC is working toward creating a legacy for
children of Haitian descent.
ECONOMIC POWER
- HALEC is working to build an economic presence
in the United States for Haitian-Americans.
POLITICAL POWER
- HALEC is working to encourage political leaders
to join the fight for issues affecting Haitian
Americans.
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Cultivating the Haitian-American
Community…
It is reported that Haiti's population is about
8 million people. Circa 1969, a massive immigration
of professional and educated Haitians began. This
exodus creates a chasm between the rich and poor.
This massive immigration augmented in the years
that follow, exponentially widening the cleavage
thus leaving a gulf that takes on dimensions ever
so far apart. The rifts that separate the two
classes are creating a yawning abyss, an irreconcilable
division thereby polarizing the socio-economic
spectrum of the country. This fissure however,
creates new opportunities for those who believe
in the inherent goodness of mankind to pledge
and/or renew their efforts so to play an active
role in the plight of social and economic justice.
Haiti is thus drained of its cadre and consequently
left with a population (up to90%) largely uneducated.
An additional 2million live outside the motherland
constituting the Haitian diaspora. There are [sic]
almost a million Haitian people living in the
United States today reported the Washington Post
in the Editorial section of the March 23, 2004edition.
According to other estimates, however, that number
may be as high as 1.4million.
Furthermore, in its study, the World Bank stated
that eight of ten Haitians who have college degrees
live outside their country.
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A Haitian Organization of National
Scope and Structure.
Our Collective Strength
Haitian-Americans living in the United States
work, vote, and pay taxes as residents and citizens,
yet very few of our issues are addressed by leaders
in communities where we live. We are working to
create an environment that allows eligible Haitian-American
voters to actively participate in local, state,
and national elections.
HALEC realizes the power of Haitian American voters
and want us to exercise that power in order to
produce change and improve conditions for all
Haitian-Americans.
Haitian diaspora handsomely contribute to Haiti's
economy sending back about $1 Billion annually.
"This Haitian diaspora may be the greatest
hope for Haiti's future. These men and women have
the skills and perspective required to rebuild
their homeland, and they have an understanding
of the fundamentals of democracy that can only
come from living under a democratic system. Their
participation will determine how readily Haiti
emerges from the devastation of its past. For
that reason, the US policy in Haiti should reflect
the input of this group, rather than the ambitions
and agendas of political factions in our own country"
continued the Washington Post article. Indeed,
the Haitian diaspora faces a task of historical
proportion. Though the task is gigantesque but,
by nurturing a symbiotic relationship with the
alma mater the burden would be ameliorated. The
predicament, however, is that this Haitian diaspora
is made up of disparate groups of people largely
unorganized; thus unable to wield its power.
to accomplish the task. We just have to foster
an environment of collaboration, do away with
our big ego in the interest of the community and
get to work. We have to rise up to the occasion
and with determination accomplish what we set
out to do, because if we don't, no one can nor
will do it for us; for we alone know what our
needs are. We would just be left behind and be
trampled upon as before. No one can do for you
that which you cannot do for yourself. In the
words of John F.Kennedy: "ask not what your
country (community) can do for you but ask what
you can do for your country (community)."Haitians
are scattered throughout the United States with
higher concentration along the eastern seaboard.
Florida and New York are home to the most densely
populated Haitian communities. In regions like
Spring Valley, NY Haitians constitute a majority.
Yet, the helm of government remains elusive not
within our reach. This is partly due to our passive
attitude, our fear of the system, a hostile environment
and lack of information among others. Hence, there
is an urgent need for Haitians to get involved
in the process and become masters of their own
destiny. We have the necessary resources and wherewithal
In this context, we answer to the call by founding
Haitian-American Leadership Council (HALEC). It
is a newly formed, non-partisan, non-profit organization
that is registered in six states: Massachusetts,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Maryland and
Florida. The basic tenet upon which HALEC was
founded is the following ."A strong Haitian
diaspora for a more prosperous and democratic
Haiti." If we are able to organize ourselves
in the diaspora, we would become strong both politically
and economically. We would be better able to defend
our interests in the US for example thereby projecting
a more positive image about our community. This
in turn would directly and indirectly have a positive
ripple effect upon Haiti. If we are to be effective
in helping Haiti, we need to start in the diaspora
right where we live. This is by no means a revolutionary
idea. The Jewish diaspora perfected it and the
Cuban Americans follow suit.
In an era of globalization when major decisions
affecting least developed countries'
governance are more and more made outside and
away from their circle of influence, it maybe
advantageous if not a blessing for a country to
have a strong diaspora. In that sense, Haiti is
once again at the forefront, the envy of many
Caribbean countries because of its diaspora: the
largest.
Haitians are very successful individually, however
that does not translate into a more opulent community.
The true measure of one's success is directly
related to how one's community is perceived by
the world at large. It's just a matter of statistics.
HALEC wants to charter a new course introducing
a new paradigm in the market place of Haitian
political ideas. It represents a genuine effort
at erecting a Haitian organization with a national
scope and structure. Its objectives are to integrate
the Haitian-American community into the democratic
process, promote civic betterment, expand and
defend the legal rights of all Haitians, unify
the political voice of all Haitian-Americans under
a collective leadership, enroll and register eligible
Haitian-American from MA to FL to participate
in elections at the local, state and Federal levels,
encourage eligible Haitians to obtain their citizenship
and finally to assist new arrivals in immigration
matters. HALEC will endeavor to empower the Haitian
community by embracing a cultural metamorphosis
dislodging those long held beliefs and customs
that only perpetuate our material poverty. After
all, we have been at this for the past 200 years.
We all know the same cause produces the same effects
given the same conditions. We can't expect different
results if we keep doing the same old thing. It's
time for a change.
This labor of love is a team effort, a vision
that is bigger and greater than any one person,
therefore, requiring the full participation of
everyone in order to attain its goals and be a
success. We want to form partnerships with existing
organizations that are like-minded, be they Haitian
or otherwise. For example, we have established
a strong working relationship with the NAACP,
the leader and oldest civil rights organization
in the nation.
It is said: "a journey of a thousand miles
begin with the first step." Along the way
we shall be joined by decent people of good conscience
who will contribute to the struggle to the end
of the journey. Let us join hands in order to
make this dream a reality; for in unity there
is strength. We cannot change the world, but we
can change ourselves and our world will never
be the same again. And, if any two of us are in
accord in making this dream a reality, indeed
it shall come to being.
Emmanuel Coffy, MSEE, JD
Chairperson of HALEC
December 11, 2005
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Justice for Haiti
A meeting of international diplomats and financiers
in Port-au-Prince this summer ended up with a
commitment of $750 million in foreign aid to Haiti
over the coming year. This generosity will build
badly needed roads, schools and hospitals, which
will make a real difference to ordinary Haitians-the
poorest people in the Americas-in the short-term.
But what Haiti really needs to permanently end
centuries of misery is not the world's charity,
but its justice.
The July donors' meeting refused to discuss the
one fair and lasting solution to Haiti's grinding
poverty: restitution of the independence debt
imposed by France in 1825. The debt-calculated
at $21 billion in current dollars-dwarfs current
aid commitments and its payment would allow Haitians
to develop their economy without the attached
strings that keep poor countries dependant on
international aid.
Haiti won its independence from France in1804,
through a bloody 12-year war, becoming the second
independent country in the Americas and the only
nation in history born of a successful
warships remained off its coasts, threatening
to invade and reinstitute slavery. slave revolt.
But world powers forced Haiti to pay a second
price for entrance into the international community.
They refused to recognize Haiti's independence,
while French
After 21 years of resisting, Haiti capitulated
to France's terms: in exchange for diplomatic
recognition, Haiti's government agreed to compensate
French plantation owners for their loss of "property,"
including the freed slaves; compensation to be
paid with a loan from a designated French bank.
The debt was ten times Haiti's total 1825 revenue
and twice what the
United States paid France in 1803 for the Louisiana
Purchase, which contained seventy-four times more
land.
The debt was a crushing burden on Haiti's economy.
The government was forced to redirect all economic
activity to repay it. A huge percentage of government
revenues-80percent in some years-went to debt
service, at the expense of investment in education,
healthcare and infrastructure. The tax code and
other laws channeled private and public enterprise
to export crops such as tropical hardwoods and
sugar which brought in foreign currency for the
bank but left the mountainsides barren, the soil
depleted and the population hungry.
Haiti did not pay off the independence debt until
1947. Over a century after the global slave trade
was eliminated as the evil it was, Haitians were
still paying their ancestors' masters for their
freedom. After the debt was paid, Haitians were
left with a chronically undeveloped economy, rampant
poverty, and a spent land-today relatively minor
environmental stresses like tropical storms cause
catastrophic damage in vulnerable Haiti. Economic
instability has engendered political instability.
Haitians have endured more than30 coups since
1825, and most of the resulting rulers have been
malignant dictatorships.
The independence debt was not only immoral and
onerous, it was also illegal. In 1825aggression
and oppression did not violate international law,
but the reintroduction of slavery-the threat underlying
the debt agreement-did. It had been banned by
three treaties that France had signed by 1815.
Haiti has a new democratic government, and an
opportunity to make a clean break from the past.
The $750 million that the international community
has promised towards this transition is a lot
of money, but it is less than a year's interest
on the $21billion dollars that France owes Haiti.
Moreover, if the past is any guide, not all of
the promised money will arrive, and much of it
will come with strings attached-loan repayments,
import tariff reductions, privatization of government
services, etc.-that will perpetuate Haiti's dependence
on international help.
If the international community really wants to
help Haiti, repayment of the independence debt
will be at the top of the agenda, not off the
table. A just repayment of the independence debt,
by contrast, would allow Haiti to develop the
way today's wealthy countries did-based on national
priorities set inside the country. It would also
right a historical wrong, and set a strong example
of good neighbor policies for a global neighborhood.
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HAAPA & HALEC
INVITE YOU TO A
TOWN HALL MEETING
WITH
11TH CONGRESSIONAL CANDIDATES
Hon. Carl Andrews, Hon. Yvette Clarke,
Mr. Chris Owens and Hon. David Yassky.
Aktivite HALEC reyalize
Nan kad travay pwomosyon ak edikasyon HALEC bay
tèt li manda pou l fè, li reyalize
plizyè aktivite.Pafwa li fè aktivite
sa yo pou kont li. Gen lòt fwa li mete
ansanm ak lòt òganizasyon ayisyèn
kin andyaspora pou l fè aktivite sa yo.
Konsa nan mwa … HALEC te reyalize yon rankont
deba ak kandida pou sènatè vil N….
nan dat ..Rankont sa a te rasanble x moun konsa,
patisipan nan deba sa a te jwenn okazyon poze
kesyon, epifè tande vwa kominote Ayisyèn
nan ki …. Sa se yon gwo viktwa òganizasyon
ayisyèn …….. (oukònnen
plis pase m sou sa)
Nou te òganize nou yon konferans ak madan
… lidè nwa ameriken ………..
Nan mwa avril … nou te mete ansanm ak òganizasyon
… pou te selebre lanmò ……
Nan okazyonsa a, nou te prezante……..
Nan mwa jiyè nou te patisipe nan foròm
dyaspora ki te fèt ann Ayiti nan dat ………
Nou te pwofitevwayaj pou te rankontre ak ofisyèl
ayisyen yo. Nou te prezante yon konferans sou
tèm ….. nanchanm depite a,……..
DATE: SUNDAY,
AUGUST 27, 2006
TIME: 2:00 PM
PLACE: ST. JEROME CHURCH
(NOSTRAND AVENUE, CORNER OF NEWKIRK)
IF YOU CARE ABOUT RISING COST OF LIVING (GAS,
RENT, ETC.)
IF YOU CARE ABOUT JOBS IN YOUR COMMUNITY
IF YOU CARE ABOUT EDUCATION FOR YOUR CHILDREN
IF YOU CARE ABOUT HEALTH CARE
IF YOU CARE ABOUT IMMIGRATION
IF YOU CARE ABOUT
A BETTER LIFE FOR YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY
THEN THIS FORUM SHOULD MATTER TO YOU.
ATTEND THIS FREE EVENT
AND VOICE YOUR CONCERNS!!!
REFRESHMENTS WILL BE SERVED.
ISSUE
UPDATE
DATE: May 9, 2007
TO: Concerned Parties
FROM: Hilary O. Shelton,
Director, Washington Bureau
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES PASSES NAACP SUPPORTED HATE CRIME
PREVENTION BILL
BILL
MOVES TO THE SENATE FOR CONSIDERATION;
SENATORS KENNEDY (MA) AND SMITH (OR) HAVE
ALREADY
INTRODUCED A COMPANION BILL
THE ISSUE:
On May 3, 2007, the US House of Representatives,
by a strong bipartisan margin of 237 yeas to 180
nays, passed H.R. 1592, the "Local Law Enforcement
Hate Crimes Prevention Act."
Currently, the federal government is allowed to
intervene in the investigation and prosecution of
hate crimes only if they occur on federal property
or if the victim was participating in one of six
very specific activities, such as voting. The
"Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act"
would expand existing hate crime prevention laws and
allow the federal government to assist the local
authorities in the investigation and prosecution of
crimes motivated by hate, regardless of what the
victim was doing at the time the crime occurred. It
would also expand the definition of a hate crime to
include those motivated by the victim's disability,
gender or sexual orientation and it would provide
money to states to develop hate crime prevention
programs.
In short, this proposed hate crimes prevention
legislation would allow the federal government to
work with state and local authorities to punish hate
crimes to the fullest extent possible. While the
NAACP believes that states should continue to play
the primary role in the prosecution of hate crime
violence, a federal law is needed to compliment
state statutes and assist the states in securing the
very complicated and expensive cases through
prosecution.
Now that the bill has passed the House,
it moves to the Senate where it is joined by S.
1105, a companion bill introduced by Senators Edward
Kennedy (MA) and Gordon Smith (OR).
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO SEE HOW EACH MEMBER VOTED.
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