 As a part of Haiti Week in DC, Busboys and Poets and the Embassy of Haiti invites you to this panel conversation on current issues in the U.S. featuring prominent Haitian-Americans at the forefront of socio-political affairs who will also reflect on how their Haitian heritage has shaped their political trajectory.
About the Moderator:Â
Yamiche Alcindor is a national political reporter for The New York Times and a political contributor for NBC News. At The Times, she writes about the impact President Donald Trump’s policies have on the social safety net and working class people as well as the nationwide protest movement opposing Mr. Trump. She also often writes about the intersection of race and politics as well as fatal police encounters. Since joining the paper in 2015, she’s traveled extensively to closely cover the presidential campaigns of Senator Bernie Sanders and Mr. Trump.Â
About the Panelists:Â
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is the first elected Attorney General of the District of Columbia. With his inauguration in 2014, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) began an era of independence for the agency and accountability to District residents. As the chief legal officer for the District of Columbia, Attorney General Racine relies on his 25 years of legal and leadership experience to advise the Mayor and District agencies, defend the city in court, and use the law to advance the public interest.Â
Marie St. Fleuris is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bessie Tartt Wilson Initiative for Children. Prior to this role, Marie St. Fleur was elected to serve in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1999, and is the first Haitian-American elected to state office in the United States. As the House Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, Arts and Humanities, St. Fleur championed two-way bilingual education and alternative education, and led the establishment of the new Massachusetts Board and Department of Early Education and Care.
Patrick Gaspard is the vice president of the Open Society Foundations. He oversees the organization’s advocacy work in Washington, D.C., and Brussels, as well as provides strategic direction and oversight to its programmatic agenda. Gaspard previously served as United States Ambassador to South Africa from 2013 to 2016.Â
Free and open to all!
(Click here for the full Haiti Week DC schedule)
***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
