Elizabeth Warren: She's earned our support in Tuesday's election.The act of electing an “independent Republican” to represent Massachusetts in the United State Senate two years ago was, in some ways, a worthwhile exercise. Senator Scott Brown sometimes rejects the far-right majority that has become the brain trust and base of the Republican party. And he satisfies a certain instinct within our electorate to add variety to the range of political perspectives we have in our arsenal.

But in a Republican party that no longer boasts even the modest makings of a moderate wing, Brown has been — and, unfortunately, will remain—a follower, an afterthought, an outlier with little sway in the national debate moving forward. Moderate Republicans have been driven from the ranks by Tea Partiers and other hard-liners whose allegiances to far-right ideologues (see Grover Norquist and his no-taxes pledge) trump any reasoned attempt at compromise. Read more

On Jan. 30, Investigative Magistrate Carves Jean handed down a ruling on the Jean-Claude Duvalier case, recommending that all human rights charges against Duvalier be dropped and that he be tried instead in a lesser court on charges of financial malfeasance, but not on the accusations of misappropriation of public funds. The judge did not explain his reasoning.

Human rights advocates responded with a forceful outcry against the ruling, claiming that human rights crimes during Duvalier’s regime are amply documented, and under international law, there is no statute of limitations on crimes against humanity. Read more

Immediately after the earthquake the White House granted eligible Haitians already living in the United States the chance to remain and work here legally for 18 months through Temporary Protected Status (TPS). On May 17, 2011, more than 16 months after the first designation, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano announced the extension of TPS for roughly 48,000 Haitian nationals who currently had the designation. The extension was made effective July 23, and allowed Haitian beneficiaries to remain in the United States an additional 18 months—through January 22, 2013. Read more

On July 14, a group of leaders from the Haitian diaspora launched a national listening tour in Boston. The Haitian Fund for Innovation and Reconstruction (HFIR) based in New York, Konbit for Haiti out of Florida, the Lambi Fund from Haiti, and Oxfam America headquartered in Boston with offices in DC - collaborated with the Boston Haitian Reporter – to convene a working meeting. The goal was to hear the diaspora perspective on issues that can be addressed through coordinated
advocacy.

Participants engage in brainstorm about advocacy priorities on July 14.

About 25 local community leaders, entrepreneurs,human rights advocates and young professionals gathered to discuss priorities in setting an advocacy agenda. The group eagerly provided their input on the major sectors that need to be bolstered and prioritized, from education and governance to the justice system and infrastructure. Read more

This month we celebrate the legacy of International Women's day and Women's History Month by featuring remarkable women in the Haitian community. From Rep. Linda Dorcena Forrry and Carline Desire, a domestic violence advocate to Natasha Archer, a young doctor, Karen Keating Ansara philanthropist and Carla Prophete, an emerging high school star, these women embody the indomitable spirit of their fore-mothers in their own unique way. Read more

BHR 12-10 front pageOn Tuesday night, the Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) announced the preliminary results from the November 28 elections in Haiti. President Rene Preval’s party Inite (Unity) won the majority of seats in parliament. Of the presidential candidates, former first lady Mirlande Manigat placed first – with 31.37% of the vote while Jude Celestin, the Inite party candidate came in second with 22.48%.

So, we are set for a runoff between Manigat and Celestin scheduled for January 16th. But wait, not so fast. Famed musician Michel Martelly received 21.84% of the vote – a very close third, roughly 6000 votes behind. Martelly is appealing the results and many of his supporters have taken to the streets to protest what they’ve dubbed “The Selection”.

Reports of massive demonstrations, fraught by opportunistic violence, are pouring in. Some people are passionately protesting for their right to fair elections – while others are reportedly burning the headquarters of the Inite party and even the homes of rural politicians. The chaos many predicted and feared would come of an ill-run and possible fraudulent election seems to be coming to pass in the hours after the CEP announcement. Read more

BHR October 2010The Boston Haitian Reporter, the region's leading source for news and information in the Haitian-American community, endorsed the re-election of Gov. Deval Patrick in its October edition, in circulation on Oct. 8. The full text of the endorsement follows:

Four years ago, this newspaper endorsed the candidacy of Deval Patrick because of what we saw in him: the promise of a transformational leader who would bring change to state government.
This month, we endorse his candidacy for a more concrete reason: because he has earned it.
Gov. Patrick has guided the Commonwealth through the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. He has done it with poise, professionalism and with a sense of purpose that has paid off: Massachusetts’ economy is now growing at twice the rate of the rest of the nation. While unemployment remains high following the global financial meltdown of 2008, the Commonwealth has added jobs in the last six consecutive months and there are many other encouraging signs that the state is positioned to leap past most other states in job creation. None of that is accidental. Patrick has shepherded Massachusetts through the most severe crisis of the last half-century and he has distinguished himself and his administration in the process.
Even while managing a fiscal crisis of historic proportions, Gov. Patrick was able to assemble an impressive list of accomplishments: Read more