By Dessalines Ferdinand
Tthe National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network (NHAEON), a 501C3 non-partisan organization designed to engage in the Education, Empowerment, and Political Process, Amplifying the voice of the Haitian-American Community, hosted its Annual Leadership Retreat last weekend, from January 26-29, 2023, in the Township of Weehawken, New Jersey, under the theme of ‘Standing Together.’
The organization was founded in the spring of 2009 following the historic election of the first black President, Barack Obama. With a vision to unite elected officials of Haitian descent together from local, state, and judicial offices across the United States, NHAEON members are dedicated to supporting domestic policies, legislation, and issues affecting Haitians living in the United States.
Among the issues and initiatives it advocates for are: Community Outreach & Civic Engagement, Foreign Affairs & National Security, Diversity & Inclusion, Economic Empowerment, and Wealth Creation.
The goal behind this annual National Leadership Retreat is a way to continuously connect and engage with the members on a wide variety of issues affecting the Haitian American community in the United States and also to discuss ways to foster better relationships between the United States and their native land, Haiti.
The 2023 theme was, “Standing Together!” Overall, this year’s event was a tremendous success, with highly positive feedback from the participants. The program included a rich variety of topics presented by some high-profile personalities as speakers and panelists. Those professionals were engaged in discussions of major policy issues, which have been determined to improve relations between the United States as well as in Haiti. By-Invitation only, more than 150 business, community, and non-profit leaders attended the weekend-long event along with over 50 current and former elected officials of Haitian descent from across the nation.
It was a four-day experiential retreat for Haitian-elected leaders. The event equipped participants (executives, entrepreneurs, and professionals) with mindful leadership strategies, elevated consciousness, and increased confidence.
Among the current field of Haitian-American elected officials were Lionel Jean-Baptiste (1st Haitian-American Cook County Circuit Court Judge in the State of Illinois); judge Lody Jean (Florida 11th Circuit Court), Councilwoman Christine Ellis (City of Chandler, Arizona); Dr. Alix Desulme (North Miami Mayor); Commissioner Claudette David (District of Columbia); Councilwoman Rita Joseph (New York City, New York); Commissioner Marleine Bastien (Miami-Dade County District 2); Mayor Samson Borgelin (North Lauderdale, Florida); Councilwoman Rita Joseph (New York City), and Assemblywoman Michaelle C. Solages (Valley Stream, New York).
Several former elected officials also attended this year’s gathering, including Commissioner Mike Gelin (Tamarac, Florida), Mayor Andre Pierre (Mayor North Miami), Daphney Campbell (Senator, Florida), Linda D. Forry (State Senator Boston, Massachusetts), and Jean Monestime (Miami-Dade County Commissioner). Community leader Gepsie Metellus (Sant La Neighborhood), businessman Prinston Jean-Glaude (Primary Medical Care Center), and Brooklyn activist Rodrigue ‘Roy’ Morisseau were also among the attendees.
The long weekend event started Thursday night with a Networking Reception where many left the room with a variety of new business cards and, therefore, new networking contacts. As any experienced business or community leader can attest, contacts are critical to growth and future success, so that aspect of the event alone was priceless for so many in attendance.
Friday hosted several interesting sessions beginning at 8:45 in the morning until 5:15 in the late afternoon. What You Need to Know Before Talking to the Press, Where’s Money for My Community, ‘Ayiti ya, Ayiti yo,’ How to Run and Win a Campaign, and The Next Generation Leaders were some of the session topics presented during that day.
What You Need to Know Before Talking to the Press
Hosted by Monique Pressley, Bill Cosby’s most fervent and outspoken former lawyer during the entertainer’s 2016 trial when he faced three felony charges of second-degree aggravated indecent assault. Pressley is a Howard graduate who previously served as the senior assistant attorney general in the Office of the Attorney General for Washington, D.C.
“One of the worst things an elected official should not do when dealing with the media is to come on the show to do an interview and not know the facts,” she said, recalling a conversation she had on the subject with her longtime friend Roland Sebastian Martin, a CNN contributor based in Chicago. “Coming to the show not knowing about what he or she is talking about and trying to say things that are not true.”
“One other thing that frustrates me the most,” she said, “[is that] the elected official doesn’t make him or her available until it is a crisis. This is a serious mistake.”
“The mainstream media doesn’t give damn about you as elected officials. Stop thinking that you need white validation from mainstream media like ABC, CBS, NMBC, CNN, or C-SPAM against your people platform. If you get an invitation from one of those, yes do it… do it, I have been there, but I am saying also, you have the local newspaper in your city, in your state; you have digital platforms that need content. You are a content creator yourself. You can have your own website and use it to reach out to a large audience. You can send mass emails to reach thousands at the same time, let them know what is going on in your town.
“As elected officials, everybody should know who makes the decision about when to speak to the media. Everybody should know who is appointed to do it. You need to have a communication department, someone designated to talk to the media.”
She concluded her presentation by saying, “As an elected official, you don’t have to please the media, you don’t have to feed the media content. You have the right to say, ‘I want to make a statement, but I am not answering questions.’ Don’t’ hide. You don’t owe your career, your integrity, or your reputation to feed media with content. All you owe is kindness, honesty, and availability. They will respect that I don’t have an answer right now, but I will check with my team and respond. You do not need to have all the answers.”
‘Ayiti ya, Ayiti yo’
Johnson Napoleon, CEO at Azure Group, talked about ‘Ayiti ya – Ayiti yo,’ a theme he was inspired to present. According to the entrepreneur, investor, builder, and social media influencer, there is ‘Ayiti ya,’ meaning Haiti, the native land, but there is also ‘Ayi yo,’ which is consisted a group of thirteen states in the US which house a large Haitian population.
The speaker said many of those new Haitian migrants don’t speak English. Because of the language barrier, they are not able to navigate this new system (‘new’ to them). They don’t know where to go to find the appropriate resources they need to start. It’s important for Haitian-American elected officials to advocate on their behalf.
The Founder and President of Azure College School of Nursing, and social media guru, illustrated an example that occurs in the Florida education system where a legal resident can pay just $100 for a course, but a TPS holder is forced to pay three times that rate ($300) for the same course.
He also spoke on another interesting subject, which was the necessity to make trade with Haiti. He pointed out how difficult it is for an entrepreneur to make a Haitian-made product available at the big supermarkets in South Florida, such as Publix or Walmart. He suggested that a Miami-Dade County Commissioner can initiate a conversation with the head of those big companies to evaluate the possibility of helping Haitian entrepreneurs. Most of the time, it is the Board of County Commissioners who delivers permits to those big name companies to open new stores in the region.
As he closed his presentation, Mr. Napoleon suggested that an official entity established in the diaspora, such as NHAEON, open an office in Haiti with the mission of lobbying the Haitian executive branch and its legislative branch to implement new laws that can benefit members of the diaspora, mainly those interested in the business sector.
The Next Generation Leaders
What skills do the next generation of leaders need? This question underlies the many aspects covered by three panelists, including Commissioner Claudette David (District of Columbia), and Representative Dotie Joseph (Florida State District 108 North Miami, Florida). The session was moderated by Councilwoman Linda Julien (Miami Gardens, Florida).
It was essentially a Q&A session where youth had the chance to ask those elected officials some pertinent questions.
How do you focus and not let distractions affect you when pursuing your goals? This question was asked by a female teenager named Nahomie Alcena. Commissioner Claudette David answered, “One of the things to do is journaling, meaning you have everything in terms of goals written down and lined up. That can help you organize your goals and decide what’s most important. After you write them down, use categories or give each one a ranking number to prioritize your goals. You can also go back to review your goals, making [the] necessary adjustments over time. Most importantly, you need keep track of them.”
Representative Dotie Joseph added, “Staying focused is very important. Whatever your goal is, figure out what the plan needs to be. It may be something you need to do every day, like taking your medicine. It may be something you need to plan out a couple times a week. You need to prioritize things because you’re [only] going to have a certain amount of time to do them.”
How to Run and Win a Campaign
This session was moderated by Representative Marie Woodson (District 101 Hollywood, Florida) who was reunited on the podium with four other elected officials: Newly-elected Miami-Dade Commissioner Marleine Bastien, Councilwoman Aniece Germain (City of Cranston, Rhode Island), Commissioner Christina Romelus (Boynton Beach, Florida), and Councilmember Natacha Clerger (Town of Randolph, Massachusetts).
With the question, ‘What has motivated you to run for office,’ one by one the panelists took turns sharing their experiences with the audience. For Bastien, it was her 41 years as a paralegal, an advocate, and an organizer, that pushed her to run for office when she realized that her (commissioner) predecessor would term out (meaning, would not be eligible to seek re-election again for that position). With all the skills she developed through a long and distinguished career, she saw it as an opportunity to serve her community and fellow citizens at a higher level. After working non-stop on the ground, she thought she could make a difference in office.
For her, running a campaign is not a solo thing. A candidate can’t do it by him or herself. “You don’t get to the finish line on your own,” she told the audience. “You have to have a team; you have to have people who support you.”
“I had a passion, a drive to improve my community,” Christina Romelus continued. “There were people who saw potential in me who pushed me to run for office. You don’t have to have a Master’s in political science; you can run once you feel that you have the desire to serve. You just need to care about your community, you have to have the passion to make a difference in your community, and when you do, run!”
Councilwoman Aniece Germain stated that running a campaign is a decision that has to make with your family. It is sometimes hard. It is a sacrifice that has to be thought of with your family. Otherwise, you are going to burn out. And when your burn out, if you don’t have a strong support system, you are going to get depressed.
“First, have a good relationship with your spouse,” Councilwoman Germain said. “Have a good family system behind you. Have your passion, because if you don’t have that, you can end up going out there without a message, without knowing your mission, or what you are going to defend.”
New York Attorney General Letitia James Was the Keynote Speaker
The 67th Attorney General for the State of New York, Letitia “Tish” James, delivered a powerful speech as keynote speaker on Saturday morning during the breakfast.
Referring to the Tyre Nichols murder in Memphis, she said, “It broke my heart when I saw that video. It could have been my child, my nephew. Five black police officers have beaten a brother to death. I am outraged; I hope you are outraged as well.”
She later added, “All those who want to be a police officer need to understand that we are there to serve the people, and not to be served.”
Thanking the chair (Councilwoman Charnette Frederic Irvington) of this year’s retreat for the invitation to address the audience, Mrs. James said, “You are the largest Haitian-American coalition of elected officials in the United States, and you should be proud of that.”
The Attorney General reminded the audience of the longtime relationship between Haiti and the US that has bonded these two nations together, and also about the significant contributions of the large and vibrant Haitian community in the state of New York. She said Haiti should not be defined by the horrific conditions of its people, but rather by their resilience. It is the history of their struggle, and the power of their faith that will lead them forward, and moving forward to progress and to promise.
“What they need now in Haiti is order and civility.” She emphasized that is why it is so important to promote the two New York State Supreme Court Judicial nominees (Civil Court Judge, Dweynie E. Paul, and Supreme Court Justice Valerie Cartwright who were in the attendance.
‘Let’s Get it Right this Time Haiti’
The last session of the day was very animated. Under the topic, ‘Let’s Get it Right this Time Haiti,’ it was roundtable discussion about the priority issues impacting Haiti; it was meant to find alternatives regarding how members of the diaspora can help resolve Haiti’s longtime crisis. After more than 90 minutes of an exchange of ideas, the assembly concluded that justice and security are the most crucial things that need to be addressed in order to start seeing a modicum of hope for the native land. Without those two things, it will be almost impossible to see even a little change in Haiti.
Among the speakers for this roundtable were Cook County Circuit Court Judge Lionel Jean-Baptiste, Linda D. Forry (State Senator Boston, Massachusetts), businessman Jeff Lozama, Miami-Dade County District 2 Commissioner Marleine Bastien, and Irvington, New Jersey Councilwoman Charnette Frederic. Johnny Celestin, Deputy Director, NY City’s Mayor’s Office of Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprises, was the moderator.
The Gala Dinner & Awards
The event continued Saturday night with a gala which gathered about 350 well-dressed guests. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez and Weehawken Mayor Richard F. Turner addressed the audience.
Former Congressman Andy Levin, businessman Napoleon Johnson (CEO of AZURE GROUP, and Kola Choucoune), Fritz G. Fragé (Newark Public Safety Director), Etzer Cantave (President of DuSable Heritage Association (DHA),and Jacques Dady Jean (Community Champion in Boston) were all honored during the gala.
Vice Chairwoman Marie-Estimé Irvin was sworn-in as Chairwoman, North Miami City Clerk Vanessa Joseph, Esq., as Vice Chairwoman, and Councilman Donny Felix (Palm Bay, Florida) as Secretary. They will take charge in early 2024.
South Florida-based solo artist Porsha and compas band KLASS entertained the audience for two-and-a-half hours. Porsha performed three songs, including we will rise again, and Klass played some of its best hits.
The long weekend event concluded Sunday morning with a prayer breakfast. Bishop Gregory Toussaint of Tabernacle of Glory (North Miami, FL) delivered a powerful sermon, placing particular emphasis on the significance of a nation, which is a sense of brotherhood, that links people together.
Even though there was minor mishap with some programming for the weekend, the NHAEON 2023 Leadership Retreat was a tremendous success. Chairwoman Charnette Frederic and, Vice Chairwoman Marie-Irvin Estime and the other leadership team members deserve a round of applause for organizing this four-day event.
The National Haitian-American Elected Officials Network event is an annual reminder of how tireless so many Haitian-American leaders are in striving to improve their communities, their cities, their states, and the U.S. and Haiti. The ideas and contributions each of them set forth should inspire each of us to step up, support their efforts, and find ways to add to the growth we’ve seen these past several decades.
There is much that still needs to be done, but together, with these powerful, passionate leaders paving the way, our collective goals are achievable, if we each stand up, together, and rise as one.
Dessalines Ferdinand | Le Floridien Weehawken, New JerseY
(Photo credit Paul El Sadate)