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A Diversity of Concerns
Among members of Washington’s Haitian community, several issues
often arise concerning the community’s present – and
future. In essence, they are the maintenance of identity, values
and tradition; the challenge of divisions in the community that
have been transported to Washington from Haiti; and the maintenance
of links with the homeland, particularly in view of issues that
community members perceive are polarizing and damaging the country.
In their new location, Washington’s Haitians look around
them and see the problems of youth substance abuse, violence, flagrant
consumerism, and school dropouts that plague the wider community.
As a result, a focus within the community is on the need to maintain
Haitian values and traditions as a means of counter-acting these
trends. There is a general feeling among Washington’s Haitians
that the maintenance of traditional values and culture, including
strong family links and religious involvement, serve as a strong
positive force within a broader context of apparent social disintegration.
Worries about the disintegration of Haitian family
structure and a corresponding lack of supervision of the youth
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Youth and Family
Some in the community, however, including one of its younger professional
members, podiatrist Dr. Berthie Labissiere, a recent graduate of
Trinity College, worry about the disintegration of Haitian family
structure and a corresponding lack of supervision of the youth.
Cited as particularly troublesome is what one community member calls
an apparent “breach in youth education.” Particularly
among the newer members of the community, the challenges of making
the transition from Haiti to the US while struggling to make ends
meet on the high cost environment of Washington, educate the children,
and send resources to family back home are cited as significant.
Concurrent with these challenges, the community faces another related
to aging. Services and activities for senior citizens in the community
are reportedly limited, with many seniors living lives of a recluse,
only going out to go to church. “Nothing has been prepared
for us,” one states. And, while some harbor dreams of returning
to Haiti to retire, others, such as this same individual, bluntly
state, “we are not planning to go back to Haiti.”
Whether or not Washington’s Haitians are
planning a return to Haiti, they are certainly thinking about
Haiti and how they relate to it. |
Connectivity with Haiti
Whether or not Washington’s Haitians are planning a return
to Haiti, they are certainly thinking about Haiti and how they relate
to it. The pending arrival of Haiti’s bicentennial of independence
has heightened this fact. Connectivity with the homeland is generally
strongly maintained, through the arrival of new members in the community,
and through family ties and professional visits. The latter is particularly
frequent among medical doctors and other professionals within the
community who occasionally travel to Haiti to engage in professional
activities.
The younger generation of Washington’s Haitian
community will be very important in shaping its future.
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Frequent and sometimes high profile visits to Washington of political
and economic personalities from Haiti help to reinforce the sense
of connectivity shared among many members of the community. Given
its location and evolution, the Washington Haitian community has
a strong degree both of political awareness and of political involvement
– both in Washington and in Port-au-Prince. Concern among
community members over the future of Haiti as a peaceful and democratic
country with a minimum of social and economic development is strong.
Some members of the community have observed how developments in
Haiti that have a debilitating polarizing effect there can also
have a similar effect in the local community, citing this as another
challenge the Washington community faces. Exacerbating this challenge,
according to several who were interviewed, is the fact that some
of the deeply rooted social and economic stereotypes and biases
in Haiti have traveled north, casting a negative influence over
the community living in and around the nation’s capitol. Hence,
some identify a major challenge within the community as being able
to find ways of bridging the gaps among its members.
The Next Generation
A young Haitian entrepreneur |
The younger generation of Washington’s Haitian community
will be very important in shaping its future. One member of that
generation is Elizabeth Cupidon, a student at Trinity College majoring
in Business Administration. Elizabeth left Haiti in 1997 to live
in Maryland with her family. She is very proud to be Haitian and
is committed to forging a career that will make a positive contribution
in Haiti, but is disappointed that other young Haitian-Americans
she meets do not seem to share her strong interest or involvement
in Haiti-related matters. She attributes this, at least in part,
to the existence of very few inter-generational bridges within the
community that can help the youth bond with their Haitian heritage
through social and cultural events. These concerns expressed by
Elizabeth may be mitigated somewhat with the emergence of an increasing
number of such groups as SOMORA, NOAH
and the Toussaint Louverture Historical Society. A challenge among
these groups, however, will be to effectively build that inter-generational
bridge that can serve youth interests. For the future well being
of the community this is essential.Click
here to read more about Elisabeth Cupidon.
Beyond doubt, the Washington Haitian community is a dynamic and
diverse one. As it continues to evolve and confront its challenges,
its members will continue to grow their roots in their new home
while seeking to maintain identity and to advocate for the well
being of the homeland through their continued connectivity with
Haiti and from their location in the nation’s capital. |
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