NORTH MIAMI BEACH — In what will become a yearly holiday tradition in the City of North Miami Beach, residents were treated to food, music and good tidings during the 1st annual North Miami Beach Thanksgiving Block Luncheon held on Saturday, November 20, at Philippe Derose International Flowering Tree Garden.
According to North Miami Beach Commissioner Paule Villard, the main organizer of the event, each year, a prominent member of South Florida’s Haitian Community will be honored. This year’s honoree is Philippe Derose. Derose, who made political history in 1993 as the first Haitian-American elected to public office in the United States, is a former Village of El Portal mayor and North Miami Beach Commissioner.
“Philippe Derose is a beloved and well-respected personality of our community,” said Commissioner Villard. “He is really a trailblazer who paved the way for the new generation of Haitian-American politicians by bravely making the first steps into the local politics. As elected officials, we have to remember that Derose is the one who opened the door for us. Therefore, we need to show him gratitude while he is alive.”
Among other speakers at the event were Jean Monestime who also made political history in 2010 as the first Haitian-American to serve as a Miami-Dade County Commissioner, as well as the first to chair the commission; Gepsie Morisset Metellus, Executive Director of Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center and Prinston Jean-Glaude, Founder and CEO of Primary Medical Care Center, one of the sponsors.
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During the Saturday event, the honoree has received many proclamations, including one from the city of North Miami Beach, City of Miami Gardens and the Miami-Dade County Board of County Commissioners
“It’s humbling to stand before you today, to recognize greatness and honor a living legend,” said Miami-Dade County Commissioner Jean Monestime, District 2, before presenting the proclamation of the County Board of Commissioners on behalf his colleagues at the commission. “Every Haitian American politician, every Caribbean-American politician and most politicians in our community would like to emulate Mayor Phillip Derose. Not because he is a tall man, but because of his tenacity, of his desire to serve the community and of his desire to teach others to follow the great example and legend that he has become over the years. So many of us are still learning from him and seeking his advice.”
“It is truly an honor and great pleasure for me to join you today,” said the honoree, Philippe Derose, while also taking a little time to talk about his political career, not without thanking the large crowd who came out to the event to show him respect and gratitude. “I want to seize this moment to thank Commissioner Villa and Commissioner Monestime for taking the time to honor me today. Commissioner Monestime, thank you very much and I really commend you and Commissioner Villa for your hard work and your continuing to serve the Haitian community. I must say, since these two have been elected, they have been working tirelessly to represent the community. I am very proud of you two and this community owes these two a great deal of respect and gratitude.”
Food and soft drinks were served to the participants, and hundreds of free turkeys were given away. Entrepreneur Prinston Jean-Glaude, CEO and President of Primary Medical Care Center, the office of Miami-Dade District 2 Commissioner Jean Monestime, and Sante Pam Organization Inc., were the local entities who sponsored the free items. Local DJ Paz was there to entertain the crowd at the event, which ended around 2:30 pm.
Thanksgiving is a time to be grateful for things large and small. What Philipe Derose achieved in his life was nothing short of extraordinary and this was a wonderful way to say ‘thank you’ for his effort and accomplishments. As the first of an anticipated annual event, we will look forward to next year’s honoree, someone who will certainly inspire in ways Derose has already done for us, and remind us that together, as a community, we are stronger because of the men and women who break down barriers that were once thought to be impenetrable. A wonderful event and great reminder of how much we have to be grateful for these days.
Dessalines Ferdinand/ Le Floridien
