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https://www.blackenterprise.com/women-influencers-perception-haiti/
Wanda Tima didn’t feel proud of her Haitian heritage as a child. “I grew up always hearing nothing but bad things about Haiti,” she told Black Enterprise. Born to Haitian parents in Turks and Caicos, the 35-year-old entrepreneur moved to a community in South Florida in the early 90’s where Haitians were stigmatized. “Kids were being told that Haitians eat cats and all Haitians have AIDs,” she said. In addition to the taunts and scorn, Haitian students were subjected to physical bullying and violence. “I watched Haitians get beat up on the school bus and there would be a lot of gang-related fights all the time with Haitians versus Jamaicans [and] Haitians versus everybody [else]. It was so uncool to be Haitian.”
Finding Her Roots
Wanda Tima, founder of L’union Suite (Instagram)
It took years before Tima fully embraced her lineage, which was triggered when she had an identity crisis as a young adult. At the time, she felt disconnected from her Haitian peers and detached from the culture at large. “You have a generation of kids, like myself, [who] were only Haitian by name,” she said. “My mom wasn’t speaking Creole to us at home and we weren’t listening to Haitian music. There wasn’t any Haitian culture in my house.” As a result, “I never really understood where I fit in.”
It wasn’t until she graduated from Bethune-Cookman University, an HBCU in Daytona, Florida, that she realized she couldn’t plan for her future without first connecting with her roots.
“There was a missing piece that I didn’t have any information on,” she said. “I was going through a phase of trying to learn more about Haiti and the culture.”
Her parents, however, discouraged her from exploring her ethnic background or visiting Haiti, so she started researching the country on the web, which led her down a rabbit hole of depressing news about the Caribbean nation. Rather than becoming discouraged, Tima became determined to change the narrative. In 2011, she created L’union Suite, a digital platform that highlights positive news about Haiti and Haitians around the diaspora. Today, it’s one of the most popular websites for Haitian-American lifestyle, tourism, culture, and entertainment news, reaching tens of thousands of readers on a monthly basis, plus millions more on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Karen Civil and Wanda Tima circa 2017
To further empower people of Haitian descent, Tima launched a business directory called Haitian Professionals in 2015, that helps entrepreneurs gain business and exposure. In addition, she works closely with Karen Civil, a Haitian-American influencer and marketing strategist, to hosts charity events and raise money to support different projects in Haiti like a computer lab in a school in Cap-Haitian, Haiti’s second largest city.
The Beauty of Haiti
Steph Lecor with students from the Institut Sacré-Coeur du Cap-Haïtien (L’Union Suite)
In October, Tima celebrated the seven-year anniversary of L’union Suite by inviting a group of U.S.-based millennial women entrepreneurs, artists, influencers, and members of the press to Cap-Haitien. The goal was to expose the world to the beauty that lies beyond the protests, violence, and natural disasters that are frequently reported through American news outlets. Despite the negative depictions of the nation, “Haiti is no different than most other Caribbean countries,” said Tima. “Yes, there’s poverty; yes, there’s a lot of help that’s needed; yes, the government has a lot of issues; but, at the same time…there are beautiful parts of the country.”
During the trip, the women shared their experience with their massive collection of Instagram followers. The four-day trip included a visit to a local school and a tour of the Sans-Souci Palace, an ancient royal ruin built in 1813, that was named after Jean-Baptiste Sans Souci, an African-born slave who helped lead the Haitian Revolution. The women also spent a day on Amiga Island, a stunning beach destination in Labadee, where local fishermen caught and grilled red snapper, crabs, and a Creole conch dish known as lambi. They also dined at popular Haitian restaurants like Lakay and Lolo and stayed at the luxurious Satama Hotel, which sits at the top of a mountain overlooking Northern Haiti.
The Sans-Souci Palace in the town of Milot in Haiti (L’union Suite)
Dawn Richard, an independent recording artist formerly signed to Bad Boy Records, was in the middle of a tour with her singing group, Danity Kane, when she received Tima’s invite to travel to Haiti. Honored by the invitation, the New Orleans native immediately cleared her schedule. “I am overwhelmed and very grateful that I had the opportunity to see my roots first hand,” the Haitian American singer told BE. “Not only am I able to see Haiti through my own eyes…but I get to do it with other women who look like me.”
Likewise, Steph Lecor, a recording artist signed to DJ Khaled’s We The Best Music Group, was delighted to return to Haiti. “I used to come every summer up until I was 12 years old,” said the first-generation Haitian-American singer. “Those were the best summers of my life.” She continued, “When Wanda called me two days before the trip, I jumped on the opportunity to be here,” she said, adding, “as soon as I got here…it felt like home.”
While appreciative of Haiti’s allure, Lecor is not remiss of what many people think of Haiti, including President Donald Trump who notoriously described it as an “s–thole” country. “The perception is that Haiti is unsafe, dirty, and dangerous,” she said, admitting that it’s hard to drive through the impoverished neighborhoods. As a result, the landscape, culture, and people are overlooked.
Amiga Island in Labadee, Haiti (L’union Suite)
Azia Toussaint, a star on BET’s “Hustle in Brooklyn,” had dreamed of visiting Haiti, the country where her father was born, as a little girl. However, she said seeing the poverty and devastation juxtaposed to the scenic landscape was “bittersweet.” “Even [though] the places have gone through so much destruction and hardship, it’s [still] a beautiful place,” she said. She added that Haitians have not lost the grit needed to survive. “I saw a bunch of people who still had pride, still had hope, and the strength, courage, and the willingness to move forward.”
From L to R: Mecca Moore, Sandy Pierre, Amanda Booz, Selena Hill, Shelah Marie, Wanda Tima, Steph Lecor, Azia Toussaint, Dawn Richards at the Sans-Souci Palace (L’union Suite)
After returning to her home in Sunrise, Florida, Tima said the trip was “beyond successful.” In addition to a great experience, the women networked and connected with each other as well as with locals all while shining a positive light on Haiti through social platforms. L’union Suite’s “social media impressions during the trip were record-breaking,” said Tima, “and now more and more people know about the work we are doing in Haiti and want to not only vacation [here] but [also] assist in giving back at the school.”
Furthermore, the trip reaffirmed Tima’s commitment to uplift Haiti and spotlight its beauty and strength. “I come from a lineage of people who are leaders and unapologetically strong. I am the daughter of the first Black republic. We are such truly a group of resilient people,” she said. “The more I learn about my history and our contributions to the world, the more I fall in love with who I am.”
The post Influencers Help Change the World’s View of Haiti appeared first on Black Enterprise.
Wanda Tima didn’t feel proud of her Haitian heritage as a child. “I grew up always hearing nothing but bad things about Haiti,” she told Black Enterprise. Born to Haitian parents in Turks and Caicos, the 35-year-old entrepreneur moved to a community in South Florida in the early 90’s where Haitians were stigmatized. “Kids were being told that Haitians eat cats and all Haitians have AIDs,” she said. In addition to the taunts and scorn, Haitian students were subjected to physical bullying and violence. “I watched Haitians get beat up on the school bus and there would be a lot of gang-related fights all the time with Haitians versus Jamaicans [and] Haitians versus everybody [else]. It was so uncool to be Haitian.”
Finding Her Roots
Wanda Tima, founder of L’union Suite (Instagram)
It took years before Tima fully embraced her lineage, which was triggered when she had an identity crisis as a young adult. At the time, she felt disconnected from her Haitian peers and detached from the culture at large. “You have a generation of kids, like myself, [who] were only Haitian by name,” she said. “My mom wasn’t speaking Creole to us at home and we weren’t listening to Haitian music. There wasn’t any Haitian culture in my house.” As a result, “I never really understood where I fit in.”
It wasn’t until she graduated from Bethune-Cookman University, an HBCU in Daytona, Florida, that she realized she couldn’t plan for her future without first connecting with her roots.
“There was a missing piece that I didn’t have any information on,” she said. “I was going through a phase of trying to learn more about Haiti and the culture.”
Her parents, however, discouraged her from exploring her ethnic background or visiting Haiti, so she started researching the country on the web, which led her down a rabbit hole of depressing news about the Caribbean nation. Rather than becoming discouraged, Tima became determined to change the narrative. In 2011, she created L’union Suite, a digital platform that highlights positive news about Haiti and Haitians around the diaspora. Today, it’s one of the most popular websites for Haitian-American lifestyle, tourism, culture, and entertainment news, reaching tens of thousands of readers on a monthly basis, plus millions more on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
Karen Civil and Wanda Tima circa 2017
To further empower people of Haitian descent, Tima launched a business directory called Haitian Professionals in 2015, that helps entrepreneurs gain business and exposure. In addition, she works closely with Karen Civil, a Haitian-American influencer and marketing strategist, to hosts charity events and raise money to support different projects in Haiti like a computer lab in a school in Cap-Haitian, Haiti’s second largest city.
The Beauty of Haiti
Steph Lecor with students from the Institut Sacré-Coeur du Cap-Haïtien (L’Union Suite)
In October, Tima celebrated the seven-year anniversary of L’union Suite by inviting a group of U.S.-based millennial women entrepreneurs, artists, influencers, and members of the press to Cap-Haitien. The goal was to expose the world to the beauty that lies beyond the protests, violence, and natural disasters that are frequently reported through American news outlets. Despite the negative depictions of the nation, “Haiti is no different than most other Caribbean countries,” said Tima. “Yes, there’s poverty; yes, there’s a lot of help that’s needed; yes, the government has a lot of issues; but, at the same time…there are beautiful parts of the country.”
During the trip, the women shared their experience with their massive collection of Instagram followers. The four-day trip included a visit to a local school and a tour of the Sans-Souci Palace, an ancient royal ruin built in 1813, that was named after Jean-Baptiste Sans Souci, an African-born slave who helped lead the Haitian Revolution. The women also spent a day on Amiga Island, a stunning beach destination in Labadee, where local fishermen caught and grilled red snapper, crabs, and a Creole conch dish known as lambi. They also dined at popular Haitian restaurants like Lakay and Lolo and stayed at the luxurious Satama Hotel, which sits at the top of a mountain overlooking Northern Haiti.
The Sans-Souci Palace in the town of Milot in Haiti (L’union Suite)
Dawn Richard, an independent recording artist formerly signed to Bad Boy Records, was in the middle of a tour with her singing group, Danity Kane, when she received Tima’s invite to travel to Haiti. Honored by the invitation, the New Orleans native immediately cleared her schedule. “I am overwhelmed and very grateful that I had the opportunity to see my roots first hand,” the Haitian American singer told BE. “Not only am I able to see Haiti through my own eyes…but I get to do it with other women who look like me.”
Likewise, Steph Lecor, a recording artist signed to DJ Khaled’s We The Best Music Group, was delighted to return to Haiti. “I used to come every summer up until I was 12 years old,” said the first-generation Haitian-American singer. “Those were the best summers of my life.” She continued, “When Wanda called me two days before the trip, I jumped on the opportunity to be here,” she said, adding, “as soon as I got here…it felt like home.”
While appreciative of Haiti’s allure, Lecor is not remiss of what many people think of Haiti, including President Donald Trump who notoriously described it as an “s–thole” country. “The perception is that Haiti is unsafe, dirty, and dangerous,” she said, admitting that it’s hard to drive through the impoverished neighborhoods. As a result, the landscape, culture, and people are overlooked.
Amiga Island in Labadee, Haiti (L’union Suite)
Azia Toussaint, a star on BET’s “Hustle in Brooklyn,” had dreamed of visiting Haiti, the country where her father was born, as a little girl. However, she said seeing the poverty and devastation juxtaposed to the scenic landscape was “bittersweet.” “Even [though] the places have gone through so much destruction and hardship, it’s [still] a beautiful place,” she said. She added that Haitians have not lost the grit needed to survive. “I saw a bunch of people who still had pride, still had hope, and the strength, courage, and the willingness to move forward.”
From L to R: Mecca Moore, Sandy Pierre, Amanda Booz, Selena Hill, Shelah Marie, Wanda Tima, Steph Lecor, Azia Toussaint, Dawn Richards at the Sans-Souci Palace (L’union Suite)
After returning to her home in Sunrise, Florida, Tima said the trip was “beyond successful.” In addition to a great experience, the women networked and connected with each other as well as with locals all while shining a positive light on Haiti through social platforms. L’union Suite’s “social media impressions during the trip were record-breaking,” said Tima, “and now more and more people know about the work we are doing in Haiti and want to not only vacation [here] but [also] assist in giving back at the school.”
Furthermore, the trip reaffirmed Tima’s commitment to uplift Haiti and spotlight its beauty and strength. “I come from a lineage of people who are leaders and unapologetically strong. I am the daughter of the first Black republic. We are such truly a group of resilient people,” she said. “The more I learn about my history and our contributions to the world, the more I fall in love with who I am.”
The post Influencers Help Change the World’s View of Haiti appeared first on Black Enterprise.
Updated from November 2nd.
Note: We’ll be updating this article through end-of-day Tuesday, so if there’s anything I left off, let us know in the comments!
We’ve been hyping the importance of voting and registering to vote for what feels like forever, and now that the big day is just around the corner (Tuesday, November 6th!), there are a lot of first-time (or even long-time) voters out there who might want some advice regarding how to make the most out of their time at the polls, or even basic knowledge for what comes next. We’ve got you covered.
Check registration & find your polling place.
You can do that at vote.org. Check your registration status here and find your polling place here. Even if you know there’s a polling place near you, take a few seconds and check to make sure it’s where you’re supposed to go. Sometimes the borders of voting districts aren’t where you’d expect, so make sure you know before you leave home!
How to get there.
A number of transportation companies are offering free or discounted rides on Tuesday. Lyft is pairing with Vote Latin and is offering 50% off codes and free rides from rural and underserved neighborhoods. Uber is offering up to $10 off rides to your polling location. The scooter & bike company Lime is offering free rides to the polls with a code. Another great resource is CarpoolVote.com, where you can request a ride to and from the polls or volunteer to be a driver. It’s not available everywhere, but if you need a ride or have time and a car to help out, check it out.
Is it too late for early voting?
Not in every state! If you can’t make it to the polls on Tuesday, some states offer early voting with cutoffs up to the day before the election, or the option to drop off an absentee ballot in person. Check to see what your state’s early voting options are here, and if you forsee yourself not being able to vote in person in the future, you can request an absentee ballot here.
Know what’s on the ballot.
A lot of people find themselves discouraged or intimidated by just how many items can be on a ballot. Initiatives sometimes come with confusing language or deceptive ads. If you don’t understand everything, don’t let that stop you from voting!
In an ideal world, yes, you would have an informed opinion about every single politician, judge, sheriff, initiative, and whatever else is up for a vote. But short of that, know what’s important to you. Senator, Governor, Congressperson, Mayor, and other major leadership roles are important to have a say in.
Attorneys General are the people in charge of overseeing things like voter suppression. So if that’s an issue that’s important to you and Attorney General is on your ballot, take the time to educate yourself on the choices.
Plenty of people also vote down ballot based solely on their party. There’s nothing wrong with checking off every Democrat (in my opinion), but also remember, you don’t lose points or anything for leaving things blank.
Check out a sample ballot.
You may have gotten a sample ballot in the mail, and you can also find one online, but the folks at Crooked Media have put together an absolutely incredible resource at VoteSaveAmerica.com. There’s a lot of great stuff at that site (we’ll get to more in a minute), but their voting guide is so useful. Type in your address here and it will bring up your sample ballot. It will take you through every office and issue that will be on your ballot, along with important information on the candidates, including experience, education, and the issues that are important to them.
A heads up that because these guides seem to be put together on a national level, they might miss some of the intricacies of local issues. Missouri, for example, has an incredibly confusing marijuana legalization proposal spread throughout three separate initiatives and VSA seems to have missed just how bizarre and nuanced this is. BUT the site is a great place to start and great resource for making sure you’ve read through everything (in plain language) before walking into the voting booth.
Find voices you trust.
Maybe this is a friend or some super knowledgeable person whose social media accounts you love to lurk on. Or maybe there’s a group like Planned Parenthood or the ACLU whose opinions you value and want to know who and what they support. There are tons of voting endorsement guides out there.
Here’s a great one for voting a prochoice ballot. It may not sound the most helpful, but honestly, just Googling [your county/city/state] + voter endorsements will bring up a whole slew of resources from local newspapers and special interest groups. And from there, you can take your pick of who you trust, and start forming your own list of resources for future elections.
Know what to bring with you.
In some states, you don’t need to bring anything at all. In others, you’ll need to show ID. You can find out what you need to bring at Vote Save America. You can also check there to see if your state is one of the few that allows same-day voter registration, meaning you can show up to vote even if you’re not yet registered.
What to do once you’re at the polls.
A few things to remember:
- This isn’t a test. You can bring notes, and even your phone into your voting booth. (Not all states allow you to post pictures from inside a polling place, though, so double check that before posting your voting selfies.)
- There’s no time limit. Yes, lines might be long at some polling places but once you have your ballot in front of you (with those notes you brought), you take all the time you need.
- It’s really easy. If this is your first time voting, you may think you won’t know how to do it. Until I read that NY Mag article going around this week about why some young people don’t vote, I didn’t know this might be causing new voters a lot of anxiety. So here’s what will happen: You’ll walk into the polling place you confirmed online, walk up to the first table you see inside. (If that’s not the right table, they’ll redirect you and they’ll probably be really nice about it.) Tell them your name, show an ID if you need to. They’ll give you everything you need–often just a ballot and a pen but different polling place use different technology and the helpful poll workers will tell you exactly how to use it. Voting “booths” these days are usually just tables with mini makeshift cubicle blinders. After you’re done, you’ll take your ballot to the volunteer manning the voting machine, and when they tell you to, you slide your ballot in. Wait for them to tell you it was accepted, and then claim your sticker. That’s it!
Know your rights.
For voters with disabilities, you have a number of important rights. Polling places are required to be wheelchair accessible, have handrails on all stairs, and provide voting equipment for those who are blind or visually impaired. If you have a disability, a poll worker can help you use the equipment, or you may bring someone with you. You can also bring someone with you if you can’t read and/or write.
If you are turned away from your polling place for whatever reason, you have rights! This is why it’s extra important to check your registration status and your polling place. Even if you think you’re definitely registered and you know where you’re going, it seriously takes a minute so just check again. If you were removed from your polling records due to inactivity (it can happen) or you go to the wrong location, you can still vote. Just request a provisional ballot.
Also, know that no matter how long the lines are at your polling place, as long as you are in line when the polls are scheduled to close, you get to vote! They cannot turn you away.
By the way, if lines are really long, there’s a group called Pizza to the Polls that will deliver free pizzas to voters. Seriously.
Finally, here’s the number to call if you encounter voter suppression in any form or anything else you need to report: Call 866-OUR-VOTE or text OUR VOTE to 97779.
What else?
Now that you’re all set for Tuesday, it’s not too late to volunteer to make a difference in this election, even beyond your individual vote. Vote Save America has a great list of ways to volunteer, from canvassing to text/phone banking, to just how to talk to your friends about voting.
(image: Element5 Digital from Pexels)
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