The Lovely Emeline Michel

Recently I had the pleasure of meeting a Haitian Kompa Music Legend, Ms Emeline Michel. She was in Miami, Fl filming the music video for her newest single.

I was invited to join the crew on set to get some behind the scenes shots; though I had some ulterior motives. I may have had a crush on her once upon a time and may have been trying to slip her my number. Sssshhh don't tell anyone I admitted that LOL!

Haitian Heritage Museum

This past weekend I attended the 1st Annual Societe des Arts Fete Blanc (1st Annual Arts Society White Party) presented by the Haitian Heritage Museum. A dream realized by the HHM's Executive Director, Ms. Eveline Pierre, the museum opened its doors in 2004 and is proudly celebrating its 10th anniversary. Located in the Arts District in Miami, Fl it is the first museum, outside of Haiti, dedicated solely to Haitian arts and culture.

Honoring one of Haiti's heroes and military leaders, the featured theme of the exhibit is Toussaint L'Ouverture. Photos, paintings, and historical excerpts line the walls of the museum.

To help celebrate the 10 year anniversary, the author of the noted Haitian American blog L'Union Suite and the 2014 winner of the HHM's Miss May 18 contest, Ms Wanda was in attendance. To entertain the crowd a very popular Haitian American comedian, ZoePoze graced the stage. Also in attendance were a few of the hosts of a very popular radio talk show located in Miami called The Morning Drive (shameless plug I know). Tune in every Monday thru Friday to WSRF 1580AM from 8am-10am ANN ALE (even more shameless lol)!!!

Miss-Representation

The month of May is recognized as Haitian Heritage Month in South Florida. All month long the Haitian Diaspora has been proudly representing the Red and Blue and sharing our culture as the world excitedly looks on. Since THE hurricane of 2008 and the 7.0 earthquake of 2010 ravaged Haiti, the small French and Creole speaking island has been in the public eye. With a newly elected President and a new dedication to establishing Haiti as a premiere tourist destination, the negative perception of Haiti has slowly been changing.

But then local news outlets released these headlines:

North Miami Mayor Sought In Mortgage Fraud Investigation - CBS news

North Miami Mayor Facing Mortgage Fraud Charges - NBC News

North Miami Mayor charged in $8 million mortgage fraud scheme - ABC News

North Miami mayor reportedly to be charged with fraud - Fox News

The 2014 A La Mode Beauty Fashion and Comedy Show

This past Saturday evening, March 29, 2014, I was fortunate enough to attend the Second Annual A La Mode Beauty Fashion and Comedy Show presented by CarnaFam and it was quite the gathering. Food, drinks, live music, stand up comedy and of course models sporting apparel from some of Haiti's finest designers. Yeah, there are fashion designers straight from Haiti, I had no idea! A few names present were Bijou Lakay, Kaltural, Murielle Creations and David Andre Collections. But lets start from the beginning.

Yours truly and the event's organizers
Djenane (left) and Tanisha (right)

What is CarnaFam? "It is a production company that makes the connection between the different genres such as arts, books, fashion, gastronomy, music, and photography. CarnaFam, a Haitian cultural organization in South Florida, is inviting the South Florida community to journey through Haiti". Through the efforts of President Tanisha Ade and Vice-President Djenane St Fleur, CarnaFam puts on events to promote Haitian culture, literature and social interaction. Alongside some of the community's favorite artists, authors, designers and leaders, CarnaFam looks to impact South Florida by highlighting the best Haiti has to offer.

La Plage/The Beach

Abaka Bay

I live in South Florida, which translates to sunshine, beautiful people, partying and BEACHES!!!! Year round, save for a few days of "winter" residents of Florida flock to the beaches in droves. This weather also draws in many caribbean native immigrants. From the Haitian point of view, Florida just makes sense! You lived on an island, a piece of land surrounded by water (in case you didn't know what an island was lol), full of beaches, sunny and tropical weather year round so where else in the U.S. should you move to? Florida is one of the few states in this fair country that resembles Caribbean weather, so one could assume the transition would be a little easier for those coming from Haiti.

But lets talk about the beaches for a moment. In Florida there are many beautiful beaches that people travel across the country...better yet the world to come see. South Beach, Daytona Beach, and Palm Beach are just a few of Florida's well known beaches. Little did you know Haiti is also home to some of the most beautiful beaches worldwide.

Big Night In Little Haiti/Gwo Nuit Nan Ti Ayiti

Yours truly and the Big Night In Little Haiti sign

Miami is one of those cities constantly mentioned in songs and travel blogs for its nightlife and activities. For it's beautiful beaches, various clubs and lounges, and plethora of culturally inspired events people from all over the world flock to Miami. Few people realize that Miami is made up of many smaller cities. One city in particular, Little Haiti, is one of Miami's hidden gems.

Little Haiti, so named due to the influx of Haitian immigrants who came to call it home in the late '70s early '80s. Comprised of many Haitian owned restaurants, businesses and tourist attractions, Little Haiti is a great place to become engrossed in Haitian culture.

One such attraction is The Little Haiti Cultural Center (LHCC). The center offers tutoring programs, arts and crafts, and dance classes for children and adults. A focal point of the center is a program that it along with The Rhythm Foundation sponsors every third Friday of the month.

Diaspora...

...a word that I have heard many times since I was very young, but not once did I ever stop to find out its meaning. To be honest I never considered the fact that the word would be relevant to me in the slightest. Diaspora was always used in conjunction with the "just comes", Haitians who literally just came over to the U.S. So naturally a young AMERICAN born Haitian like myself wanted no connection with the term.

Growing up Haitian in Miami in the early '90s meant one of two things, you were either a "boat" (Haitian immigrant who came over on a raft/boat) or you were a "Zoe" (a member of the Haitian gang Zoe Pound). Honestly, I never once hid my Haitian heritage, but I did disassociate myself with the "boats". My thoughts were, if I couldn’t be regarded, as a regular kid I'd much rather be feared for having gang affiliations. The wrench in that plan was my father. He didn't seem to be too concerned with my day-to-day identity crises. He sent me to school in my Sabbath Best (comparable to others' Sunday Best) and of course strictly enforced the Three L's of Haitian upbringing: L'eglise, Lekol, Lakay (church, school, home). It’s hard to be thugging in your shiny black church shoes while sprinting home full speed after school to avoid baton. I had no strong Haitian accent or any trouble speaking English whatsoever; but I also didn’t have the newest gear, cable TV, the latest toys and games, or even a respectable shape-up (dad claimed only thugs had shape-ups, smh). All that coupled with a French name and a distinct difference in behavior from my peers, I was clearly different.