Issues in the Community

The Quest for Political Representation
While the Toussaint Louverture High School is an important symbol for the Haitian Community in Delray Beach, and the soon to be opened museum will add another reason for pride, the Haitian community is in fact not represented by one of its own at any level of government. This is increasingly proving to be a hindrance to the goals of the community. Despite the heavy campaigning for Haitian votes in the Democratic primary for the State legislator’s seat, Haitians are finding that their voices are not being heard at the municipal level. This is most apparent in the economic arena.

Evidence of Emerging Voice Re-Elect Anne Gannon Flyer in English | in Creole

The Voiceless Backbone of the Economy
Haitians, employed in the service sector jobs related to the tourist industry and to a lesser extent the agricultural work on the farms west of Interstate 95, form the backbone of the local economy. Haitian businesses are prevalent in the commercial districts that extend through the neighborhood of Osceola Park. Despite the proximity of these businesses to the downtown artist section called Pineapple Grove, however, many Haitian business owners complain that their streets have not been beautified in the same manner as the surrounding downtown area. And indeed, when walking from beautiful Atlantic Avenue down SE 3rd Street one cannot help but notice the gradual degradation of the sidewalks and general level of cleanliness. Haitian business owners desire the same treatment as other downtown business owners, but wonders whether this can be accomplished without Haitian representation in the hallways and offfices of local government.

They will most certainly need their voice to be represented as the downtown revitalization continues and developers begin to start eyeing property in their Osceola Park neighborhood. In this regard, says high school principal Joseph Bernadel, the example of what happened in North Miami, where the elected mayor is Haitian-American Joseph Celestin, is important. For Bernadel, North Miami demonstrates that areas with highly concentrated Haitian populations can elect members of their own community to seats of great responsibility. Bernadel has expressed an interest in running for elected office in Delray Beach, and with his success as Principal of the Toussaint Louverture High School, he has begun to build a constituency of voters from all sections of the Haitian community in Delray Beach

"The kid who just got here three weeks ago listens to konpa whereas the one who has been here ten years listens to hip-hop. Usually they do not interact much.”

Challenges Facing the Community’s Quest
A challenge facing any aspiring Haitian political leader in Delray, however, is the reality that what seems to outsiders to be a homogeneous group of immigrants is actually made up of different subgroups divided by age, geography and how long they have lived in the U.S. Within this framework, two challenges will loom large within the Delray Haitian community in the coming years: the interaction of younger generations with older generations and the interaction of increasingly Americanized Haitians with more recent arrivals.

When asked about the interaction among Haitian students at his high school, Principal Bernadel describes the inherent differences between those who have just arrived and those who have been here for 10 years. “The kid who just got here three weeks ago listens to Haitian konpa music whereas the one who has been here ten years listens to hip-hop. Usually they do not interact much.”

This division between old and new immigrants is clearly manifest at churches, which are often the venue of activities that can bring the two groups together. In many cases, however, that does not occur, however, as newly arrived Haitians attend a Creole service whereas those who arrived earlier go to an English service. These types of divisions can also separate first generation community members who have more of a connection to Haiti from second-generation members who were either born in the US or arrived in the first wave, at a young age.

Like any immigrant community, the Haitian community of Delray Beach is coping with the challenges and side effects of assimilation into a new culture. Among some in the community, there is a tendency to focus strongly on Haiti while neglecting the task of assimilation in their new ‘home.’ For others, more strongly demonstrated among those who have the deepest roots in Delray, the pattern is almost reversed. There is no question in Delray, however, about the loss of Haitian links and identity. As long as Haitians continue to migrate to Delray Beach and those already there continue to venerate their heritage, the community’s links with the homeland will not disappear.

Bus to Toussaint Louverture High School

A Community Reaching the Strength of Adolescence
The Delray Beach Haitian community appears to have reached an important moment in its growth that is somewhat akin to that of an adolescent coming to terms with his/her own newfound strength. The community has grown to very large absolute and relative numbers. It has the largest Haitian percentage population of an entire community of any place in the United States! As it becomes increasing Haitian-American, that population has the power in its hands to elect officials that can represent its interests. That population also has in place the institutions that can welcome and assimilate new arrivals from Haiti.

More than anything else most people in the community appear to believe that the biggest change in the community over the past twenty years has been linked to the rising levels of education among its members. As stated by Siliana Joseph, a student at the Tousaint Louverture High School, “Before, Haitian youth used to arrive here and go directly to work, but now they go to school.” The strong desire among Haitian immigrants to afford the best in education for their children has been aided in Delray Beach by such institutions as the Toussaint Louverture High School. As increasing numbers of graduates from that school and others turn their attention to education beyond high school strong signs of the community’s maturity emerge, boding well for its future.