The fight for Little Haiti
Members of the Caribbean American community in South Florida and across the country are being urged to invest in Little Haiti, as community activists continue the push to preserve the community , that is home to several Haitian immigrants.
Following a resolution earlier this year, in which the boundaries of Little Haiti were approved by the Miami City Commission, Marleine Bastien, the Executive Director of Fanm Ayisyen nan Miyami (FANM), a Haitian community organisation, said the success story must be continued.
“Caribbean Americans need to invest, they need to buy a piece of property, because we cannot let only those from other places buy. Have a stake in Little Haiti, it represents the
courage (and) the resiliency of immigrant groups who came with nothing.”
Bastien, who along with others spearheaded the 16-year fight to have the community recognized said an outreach campaign has been launched to encourage residents to fight for the preservation of their culturally diverse neighborhood.
According to Bastien, as developers continue to acquire most of the space in Little Haiti, it is hoped that the campaign will reverse this trend.
The campaign is focused on four major issues: encouraging homeowners to know their rights;plans to organize a community land trust; organizing a home owners and renters association and a Keep Little Haiti Clean campaign.
While Little Haiti’s designation is arguably one of the most controversial in the history of Miami, Bastien is determined to keep the focus on the community .
“People come from all over the world to see Little Haiti. This is a success story for all of use in the Americans to show that when we come here, we come with a purpose, we do whatever it takes to succeed in this melting pot.”
Her sentiments were echoed by Gepsie Metellus, the Executive Director of Sant La – the Haitian Neighborhood Center, who also believes that several hurdles still need to be cleared.
“We want to ensure that those who remain (in Little Haiti) are given opportunities – this is a highly desirable area at this point in time in Miami – but improvements can be made to avoid the displacement of long time residents.
Concerning investment opportunities, Metellus said Haitians and other Caribbean nationals could play a vital role in ritualizing the area.
“I know that we are working very closely with the City of Miami and we are looking at ways to work with other community stakeholders to revitalize the area financially to retain what is attractive and at the same time protect those who live there.”
For several years, Little Haiti, known mainly as a haven for immigrants and refugees from the French speaking Caribbean nation, was not officially recognized by city officials.
However that changed when on May 26, 2016, commissioners voted unanimously to designate Little Haiti as a neighborhood in the city – a decision-which according to Bastien “No one can come and erase.”
