Unity parade set for May 20: The annual parade features marching bands, floats, dancers and dignitaries- all celebrating Haitian and Haitian-American culture. Photo by Don WestHaitian-Americans United Inc. organizes the celebrations each year of Haitian Heritage Month in Boston, Massachusetts. H.A.U. and its partner organizations continue to focus on “Unity” as a central theme for each event; while evoking the spirit and the determination of the ancestors that led Haiti’s independence on January 1st 1804.

The Haitian Heritage theme for this year is: Haiti counts on its Diaspora and Friends: Unified to support Education and Reconstruction. As to previous years, H.A.U. will coordinate three major events for the Haitian Heritage Month with one in collaboration with Haitian-American State Representative Linda Dorcena Forry.

KMistryKMistry
“It’s My Life”

Boston’s music fans have been hoping for local talent to impact the mainstream Konpa scene and it seems their prayers might be answered with our latest local sensation - the band – K-Mistry!. The group’s first album “It’s My Life” is currently available in a store near you and this independent release boasts a generous 14 original compositions.

K-Mistry has been making moves locally all winter throughout greater Boston. They’ve paired up with Djakout Mizik, T-Micky and Kreyol-La to give fans a taste of their talent and it seems they’ve garnered quite a local following so far. The formation was born in 2009 when young musicians - Riccardi Rene (Keys), Alex Mathieu (Band leader/Bassist), Clarence Rene (Lead vocals), Willenz Altenor (Lead vocals), Yves Eliscar (guitar), Stanley Jeudi (Keys), Abdias Derisme (Percussion), Kevin Merisier (Drums) and Wilgens Joseph (Congas) – combined their talents to pursue their musical ambitions.

Hyde Park Open Studios takes place Sunday, September 30, 2012. This event highlights artists and their work. It is a community-wide, family event. We invite resident-artists from the Haitian Community of Hyde Park to join us. Registration takes place during the month of June. For more information, call Tommey at 617.784.8260; write to hydeparkos@gmail.com; or visit our website at hydeparkopenstudios.org

Gilbert Sisters: Sisters Shaina and Gabriella Gilbert have spent the last three years volunteering at a camp that Shaina created in Haiti. Gabriella will attend Columbia University in the fall, while Shaina is presently pursuing a Master’s degree at Boston University. Mattapan sisters Shaina and Gabriella Gilbert are six years apart in age, but they share the same passion for scholarship and volunteerism.

The Gilbert girls have particularly distinguished themselves by devoting their summers to teaching youth in their parents’ native Haiti.

In 2009, Shaina created a summertime leadership camp called Empowering Through Education, or ETE, which derives from the Haitian Creole word for “summer.” In its first year, the camp started with 40 students that expanded to over 100 over the past four years, teaching children how to become leaders of their communities and learn about social change.