Resolution recognizing May as Haitian Heritage Month. On motion of Councilor Louijuene, the rules were suspended; the resolution was adopted.
All those in favor say aye. Aye, aye. Opposing. The ayes have it. The docket has been adopted. Mr. Clerk, please read docket 05950595. Council of Louisiana for the following resolution recognizing me as Haitian Heritage Month. Thank you, Mr. Clarke. The Chair recognizes Constitution. Constitution? You have the floor. Thank you, Mr. President. I am very excited to be writing today in recognition of May as Asian Heritage Month. Actually, Boston is the first place where we started celebrating Haitian Heritage Month in 1998, and it's because of the number of events that happen in the month of May that, you know, that are relative to Haitian history, that it became a whole month, including the most. For me, the most important Haitian holiday is our Independence Day, which is on January 1st. What Haiti was able to do when a 13 year slave revolt, the only the only republic born out of a slave revolt. That is the most important holiday. But the most celebrated holiday in Haiti is actually May 18th, and it is still a holiday celebrated around the world, in Haiti communities. It's our Flag Day, where we honor Captain Flynn for creating the Haitian flag by essentially tearing up the French flag and creating something new from that which is symbolic of everything that Haiti has represented and continues to represent. You know, so much of the hate story of Haiti, as we know, you know, there's a lot of pride, but there's also, you know, a lot of pain. I'm not thinking just about the seven months in which, you know, I was running for city council. You know, the things that came up in the assassination of our president. An additional earthquake after continued trauma from the first earthquake that happened in 2010, you know, dodging hurricanes and really and with the political instability in the country, a lot of it being the result of American foreign policy. So there's just so much there. And I think, too, about just growing up as a as a young Haitian woman in this city. You know, when I was in elementary school, we didn't have a Haitian Heritage Month, and I was in a school, an elementary school with a large Haitian population. But I was not an English language learners class, but I was noticeably Haitian. And my father, who was at the school every day, he's supposed to be here, but he's running late because that's what we do. We really he I couldn't hide the fact that I was Haitian. Right. He was always in the school is a very thick Haitian accent when he speaks. And in my classroom, there were other students who were Haitian. But, you know, sometimes they didn't always mention it because they made fun of the Haitian or the Haitian English language learners. And as a result of that, they made fun of me in my classroom. And I think about how confusing that was as a young elementary student, not knowing why it was worth making fun of people trying to learn English or why it was worth making fun of people who had dark skin. And so when I now as a full adult and now as a Boston city counselor, go into classrooms and go into elementary school rooms, I always remember that little girl who was in those classrooms and who wanted to see someone say. It is more than okay to be proud of who you are and of where you come from. And so I'm really happy that I had this opportunity. My father, who just wanted. To to other. Haitian Heritage Month and to also, you know, honor my dad, who is one of the reasons why I am able to stand here as a very proud Haitian person. He made sure that my sister and I were reading Haitian Creole, we're speaking it, which is a thing that a lot of people can do. If you weren't born in Haiti. And so he made me even though it wasn't cool for your dad to make you someone carry your pride, he made me carry the pride of this flag everywhere that I went. And so building on that, we had this whole month where I doing a lot of really awesome programing on the USS Constitution Museum in Charleston, actually has original letters from Toussaint Louverture, where he, the Haitian freedom fighter who is the cause and the reason for our freedom, and really showed the example to the world of what enslaved people can be and become and how we could break off the shackles of slavery. We are having the Haitian Flag Day parade on on May 15. We'll also this council has actually had a breakfast honoring our Haitian Flag Day every year. And for the first time since we have a Haitian American city councilor, I will be hosting it. My announcement for the week, I'm just putting it here, is that I invite all of you to that breakfast happening here next Friday at 10:30 a.m.. I also just want to also recognize the number of Haitians working here in city hall, including my cousin Charlene, who is here. I just there's so many of us here, and I think it's important. I always say that the third largest Haitian diaspora is in Boston that is cognizable. It is here in the city of in in city hall and in our hospitals, in our schools, everywhere we are. And so I'm just so grateful that I now have this ability to do this, to be a representative for my people. And I know that this hearing was also filed last year by any society George and Andre Campbell. So many people here have, you know. We represent communities that are vibrant Asian communities. I think of Council Valley, think of Castro Arroyo. I know that we have many friends here and I just am so grateful for the work that we do not only to, you know, go to Asian communities when they need, you know, when it's time to get a vote or, you know, to say that I'm a good friend, but to really do the real work of being in deep partnership with communities that are often struggling. Right. We have folks coming here from the border. We have folks who are being displaced by fires. We have Haitian nonprofits that are running on shoestring budgets. We have a diaspora here that is in deep, deep need of having a place where we can be centered and anchored in our culture when things happen. So I just thank you all for your commitment to the Haitian community here. I'm into the work that we are going to do together. I'm just going to say this a little bit. Bill Bascom Gabriel Castillo because you've spent considerably more education and I've been to Boston look in L.A. City Hall young film one to excuse me Le Couteur by La Avenue minute. Corner toot toot. Kutumela. What do you miss here when talking with you about this? Are your men and women taking liberty to Kariobangi Newport Tabla and looking to get these women on wharf? It no communication. What can you do that well somebody's awesome their kids may poop I love it really scares me if you poo I'm pretty junior so I just want to say thank you to everyone and thank you to my council colleagues. I hope to see you all next Friday at the breakfast and thank you for the work that you do for me and my people. Thank you. Thank you, Council, John. And on behalf of the body, we also want to welcome you out here. We're proud we're proud to have you here as well. Welcome. The chair recognizes counsel. Have clarity. Counsel clarity. View of the floor. Please add my name to this resolution as the very first sponsor of that breakfast that passed that are working within our mind to see it back in the day passed it on to former counsel Rob Consalvo, who passed it on to former counsel to McCarthy, who passed it on to our colleague Ricardo Arroyo, who obviously passed it on to our first Haitian-American here and roots in Louisiana. So I appreciate the on to come along to that breakfast, but also to her dad. We may want to cook him up with Kerry because he came in a little late after for a speech. So we may able to get him the full tape working through central staff so that he didn't miss the he didn't miss all the action. All right. Thank you, Mr. President. Great, great recommendation, counsel. Clarity. Thank you. The chair recognizes Counselor Arroyo, Counsel Arroyo of the fall. Thank you, Counselor. Louisiana. You know, the country of Haiti is really a beacon for the world in the way in which they were formed in a slave revolt successfully. And much of the trauma and harm that Haiti has experienced has been the result of foreign policy, frankly, from places like the United States of America, which at the time were slave owning and had slave owning leadership that saw Haiti as an existential crisis. And so there's many different ways in which I think we can raise our voice to ensure that we are. We're leaving them, frankly, of the harm that has been done in all of our names. And I know one of the ways in which we can do so as well is pushing for the repayment from France to Haiti, for the debt in which they have incurred upon Haiti, which it was fully paid, which was for themselves. Haiti, upon their liberation, was imposed a debt from France where they were to pay for their own freedom, and that should be returned tonight. And I'd raise my voice to that. And I will say that as we have the privilege and the benefit of a large Haitian population here in Boston, I believe that the district with the most members of the Haitian diaspora in the city of Boston, the breadth of service that has come from that, the culture and in the ways in which they have lifted up our small businesses have joined in and been parts of our community and making them better and in bringing in soccer leagues and doing all of these different things that have created a better day to day for all members of our city. I'm grateful to them. I'm grateful for their spirit, for their resilience and for their pride and where they come from, both from a historic way, from a personal way, from their homeland, but also in the ways in which they uphold their culture and their tradition so proudly for all the rest of us who are members of different diasporas to see. And so I'm very grateful to counsel Louis Gen for raising this. I am in full throated support of this, so please add my name and I'm grateful to our Haitian community here in Boston for all that they do and for the country of Haiti, for all they have done for other countries like the one that my parents come from, who have also grappled with colonialism and with imperialism, and in that specific case, the the ultimate sin of of slavery. And so thank you for for that. And thank you to all Haitians for uplifting their country here at home. So thank you, Counselor. Flynn Thank you, counsel. While the chair recognizes counsel to counsel. COUNSEL Larry, you have the foster. Okay. Thank you, President Flynn. I think Counselor Fernandez Anderson was before me, but she very graciously gave me her spot. I wanted to rise in support of this and to thank Counselor Lujan for filing it. I've said this before and I want to say this again that black people all across the diaspora in this entire world, all the people of Haiti, a great debt and that we are where we are now because of their fervor and because of their fight for liberation. And I also want to stand because I think it's incredibly important to publicly show support as a woman from the Dominican Republic. I think that. You know, what we have seen happening on the Dominican and Haitian border in the past few years has been unconscionable. And I think that as people of the Dominican diaspora here in the United States, we have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with the Haitian people. And with your permission, I would like to speak in Spanish to the Baron in terms of for your resolution that they need the assets of Mr. Mario a mr. Patrimonial is also a story. Is that resolution the lack of seclusion for you in the Dominican at the end, rather that they are saying in solidarity that it's a las personas, the idea of establishment of those eating with straw. So thank you for filing this and please add my name. Thank you, counsel. Ira. The chair recognizes Counsel Fernandez innocent. Counsel Fernandez innocent. You have the floor. Well, we just going to make this multicultural, whatever, because I'm both so I'm. I'm publisher. Is your comment separate on power, Robert, not hold back, huh? Well, that well, they're massive for everything that you do for our Rosa. I always say when I met your dad, I told him, I said, you know, you carry all manageable, fancy, suitable, fancy and manageable control. But she but he was like, okay, you know, it doesn't matter. You're speaking it. We understand. Let's go. So I really I really love you, dad, and appreciate you watching this. And during the campaign, I would tell the people the same thing. I'll be like, hey, you're my cousins because y'all left covered right. West Africa went and it being or Cuba as well being one of the first islands to land. So literally, we eat your food. Thank you for your zouk. I know cassava is not Haitian, but still it's your culture and thank you for your food. Keep word being that it's a very new civilization or in terms of post-colonial. We didn't have TV, we didn't have music. We have a lot. So we benefit from your culture and we dance your music and your food and your traditions, or rather what you left behind. So messy for being here, for being president. But I also think that, you know, I literally just watched the documentary again because I love watching it again and again and again to remind me that how we have the strength to be able to fight. But I have great respect for the Haitian people, for their strength, for just a story and how they really showed the world and being the only one to fight a colonial colonialism. So shout out to Toussaint Louverture, as you said, and thank you so much for being here. And I would hope that in the way that I treat you, in the way that I interact with you is exemplary in how I respect you and love you. So I'm good to you for that reason because you are a priority for me. Thank you. Love you. Thank you. Counsel Fernandez Anderson, the chair recognizes. Counsel me here, counsel me here. You have the floor. I am so incredibly happy to have our first and I hope will not be our last Haitian representation here on the city council. So thank you, Counsel Louisiana, for everything that you do, not only to just amplify the voices of our people, but to also continue to fight as hard as you do. Thank you. I just wanted to share the same sentiments as counsel. A lot of you know, I always talk about being an Afro Latina and reclaiming my black roots. Right. I think that Dominicans really struggle with recognizing that we share the island of. Yeah. And that this is an opportunity for us to really as Dominicans to really lean into this conversation that we're here because of you. And I think that's really hard for a lot of Dominicans to to digest that. I actually met your dad even before I was even thinking of running and when I was advocating a deep collaboration with the Haitian community during the earthquake, because there was a lot of tension with Dominicans and Haitians here in the city of Boston. And I think that this solidarity needs to just be here on this council floor. But we need to work in collaboration and bring our communities together to recognize that we need each other and we need to continue to fight for one another. And I do so in the spirit alongside you, Councilor Lucian, for this day and every day. Thank you. And please sign my name. Thank you, Councilman. Here. The chair recognizes counsel Braden. Counsel Braden. Thank you. Thank you, Mr. President. And thank you, counsel Louisiana, for this celebration of Haitian Heritage Month. You know, you've met my nephew, Jamin, and he's a very tall, handsome black man who came from Port au Prince as a very little child. His mom is from Haiti, and she's married to my brother in law, Henry McCarthy. And they live in New Orleans. And my association with that family and by extension, the Haitian community is limited in many, many ways. But I just one thing that impresses me is the incredible tenacity, perseverance and courage of the Haitian people in the in the in the face of so many recurrent and sequential challenges, natural disasters, political strife and political unrest over the last year of the history of the over the history of the nation. And I'm very honored to consider you a friend and colleague on the Boston City Council, the first Haitian woman you walk in, you following in the path of a few other very strong and remarkable Haitian women in politics in Boston. And I'm so honored to have you as a friend and colleague. So I wish all the folks in the Haitian diaspora here in Boston a very happy celebration of Haitian Heritage Month. Thank you. Thank you, Counsel. The chair recognizes counsel. Earl. Counsel Earl. You have the floor. Thank you, President Flynn. And thank you to counsel Louis Gen for bringing this to the floor. I'm in support of this resolution, and I just want to. Let's also add that, you know, just like the Haitian community, you know, setting the example of being resilient fighters and preserving through all the turmoil that they have gone through, you know, you know, Counsel Louis Jean brings that fighting spirit to the city council. And I'm a big fan of the culture, just like Councilor Tang and Anderson has said, you know, typically these that Copa music. And I'm looking forward to celebrating the culture on Haitian Flag Day. And I also know what it's like to have very prideful parents, me being a West Indian, it's one thing that, you know, your parents are always happy for you when you're, you know, doing doing the smallest thing sometimes or, you know, even to this height, you know, recognizing your culture. And it. Jamaicans also have a slogan that says, out of many, we are one. So it's in that collaborative effort that I look like to be united with the Haitian community in my district to kind of move things forward. Thank you. Thank you. Counsel world. The chair recognizes Constitution. Constitution? You have the. Floor. Yeah. Sorry, I'm not going to take that. I just want to say thank you to all my colleagues for your kind words. Sometimes we sit here, we pass these resolutions, and we're like, What is it doing right? I just want to say that I will. I tell people that no city council is recognizing Haitian Heritage Month. We passed a unanimous resolution. So God willing. Right. And they just stood up. It just the joy for folks who for so long have been excluded, who are downtrodden, who have been forced to. When you go into this resiliency. Well, and I just think that like these small, they seem small. But it really does matter to a lot of people. You know, when I was in Kansas and Anderson was here recognizing, you know, and fighting for it as a holiday, what that when I looked around at, you know, the Muslim folks in this room and how much that meant to them, it's the same thing. So I just am so honored to have all of you speak so, so, so nicely about the Haitian community here and hope that that also translate to the work that we have to do. So thank you, Ms.. Champion. KIMBALL And the benediction. May God bless everyone. Thank you, counselors and anyone else I'd like to speak. I would like to add that I'm also proud to. Sign on to this because of the incredible contributions and sacrifices of the Haitian and Haitian American community here in greater Boston is with the constitution several months ago out in front of the federal building where we will be protesting in support of fair immigration for for the Haitian community that came to here came to the United States during the earthquake in 2010, 2010. And I was only I was about 80 miles away from that earthquake when it when it hit. No. And I was part of the I was part of the. Relief team. But I just wanted to say the the resilience of the Haitian community here in our country is exceptional and they are tremendous tremendously to Boston answered into the United States. So happy to sign on as well. Anyone else like to sign on? Please raise your hand. Mr. Clarke, please add Councilor Baker. Council Councilor. Bar Council Operating Council. Flowery. Also our council here. Council. Murphy Council. We're all in the chair. Um. Constitution is seeking suspension of the rolls and adoption of dockets. 0595. All those in favor say aye. Aye. Opposed saying the ayes have it. The docket has passed. We arrived too late. Files. I am informed by the correct that there are zero eight files. Since we are onto green shoots, anyone wishing to remove a matter from the green sheets may do so at this time. The consent agenda. We're now moving on to the consent agenda. I have informed by the clerk that there is one addition to the consent agenda agenda.