Reshaping the Haiti Narrative: A Movement in the Making
A Conversation with Ambassador Altidor and Andy Shallal
Join us for a fireside chat with Haiti’s Ambassador to the US, Paul G. Altidor, and the owner of Busboys and Poets, Andy Shallal. You can look forward to an intimate discussion on a wide range of topics.
About Ambassador Altidor: Known for his innovative and strategic leadership with extensive background in the private sector, Paul Getty Altidor was named Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Haiti to the United States on January 2012 and presented his credentials to President Barack Obama in May 2012. Ambassador Altidor spent his early years where he was born in Jérémie, Haiti. Ambassador Altidor received his undergraduate degree from Boston College. He earned an advanced degree from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and also pursued graduate studies in law and economics at the University of Paris X, in France. Before assuming office, Ambassador Altidor was Vice President at the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund in Washington, D.C. In the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake, Ambassador Altidor led a team of professors and researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Community Innovators Lab down to Haiti. At the request of Haitian authorities, the team provided guidance to reconstruction officials on housing policy and financing. Ambassador Altidor has dedicated his tenure to shifting the narrative of Haiti towards a more constructive approach.Â
About Andy Shallal: an artist and social entrepreneur,  Andy is the founder of Busboys and Poets and Mulebone Restaurant. Both restaurant concepts create an environment where racial and cultural connections are consciously uplifted. Spaces to feed the mind, body and soul and where art, culture and politics take center stage. With 6 locations in the Washington Metropolitan Area, Busboys and Poets has become home for progressives, artists and intellectuals. In 2016, Busboys and Poets will open in Historic Anacostia in Ward 8 with a state of the art culinary and leadership academy and a full service Busboys and Poets restaurant, bar and bookstore as well as performance space for poetry, music and political and social conversations and salons.Â
Free and Open to all!
***Busboys Tribe Trip to Haiti***
After learning about the storied history and rich, artistic culture of Haiti, Tribe Members are invited to embark on this once-in-a-lifetime exploration of Haiti that will lead into an insider’s tour of the misunderstood Nation in July 2017!
The “Nan Nannan Ayiti†(A Journey into the Soul of Haiti) Tour
takes inquisitive travelers on a journey to discover and engage with a country which transcends the negative headlines and stereotypes. Interested guests will be afforded the unique opportunity.
The Tour will offer the Busboys and Poets tribe the opportunity, during eight days (seven nights), to delve into a fascinating universe created and imagined by a people whose unique culture, rich history, creativity and determination to thrive continue to inspire and galvanize freedom lovers the world over.
To find out how you can be a part of the Busboys’ Tribe Tour of Haiti, please visit: http://www.globalexchange.org/reality-tours#id=nan-nannan-ayiti-a-journey-into-the-soul-of-haiti
