Civic leader Wilner Auguste honored with three awards this spring

Wilner Auguste, founder of the Haitian-Americans United, Inc. (H.A.U.) of Massachusetts has been named a 2009 Ambassador of Hope for Haiti by Eritaj Foundation. An organization based in Framingham and Port-au-Prince since 1999, Eritaj Fondation seeks to promote organizational, social and economic development in Haiti. The foundation gives the title of Ambassador of Hope for Haiti to any person who promotes a healthier legacy for Haiti by contributing to the advancement of education, Haitian art, music, community health and development.

Friends mourn Mattapan man killed in Blue Hill Ave. accident

A Mattapan man well-loved in Boston’s tight-knit Haitian community lost his life on May 20 when his motorcycle collided with a car on Blue Hill Avenue near the corner of Clarkwood Street. Yves Guery, Jr. 28, died at the scene of the accident, which happened at about 3:30 p.m.
Geury — or “Junior” as he was widely known— was a motorcycle enthusiast who enjoyed traveling to his native Haiti, dancing and working out, was mourned this week by friends and family who recalled his ready smile and willingness to help others.

Brockton-based health outfit celebrates 11 years of success

“We will work with anyone, regardless of their beliefs, if it will benefit the community,” says Frantz A. Louizia, Executive Director of Massachusetts Community Health Services, Inc., (MCHS). It’s this philosophy that is likely at the root of the Brockton-based organization’s success.
Last month, the organization celebrated its eleventh year of providing health education services to the Haitian community of Brockton and the surrounding areas. This is pleasantly surprising considering how MCHS came into existence.

Mondesir honored as ‘Health Champion’

Dr. Eno Mondesir was awarded as a Health Champion by Whittier Street Health Center at the Boston’s Premier Men’s Health Summit held on Saturday, June 6 at Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Dr. Mondesir has been working for the Boston Public Health Commission for the last 12 years. Presently, he is part of the Infectious Disease Bureau, the department that handles all the communicable diseases issues for the City of Boston. Prior to that, Dr. Mondesir directed an HIV/AIDS program in the Haitian Community.

Haitian government raises minimum wage to $5.50 per day

Haitian labor activists applauded the Preval administration's decision to raise the minimum wage in Haiti from 70 to 200 gourdes ($5.50 USD) per day. However, the increase has been strongly opposed by Haitian industrialists. Georges Sassine, president of ADIH (an association of Haitian industrialists) warned that the wage increase would cost tens of thousands of jobs. He claimed that similar minimum wage increases in Cambodia have proven disastrous.

Manno Charlamagne’s voice moved a nation; Homegrown talent Fontaine makes an impression

Manno Charlemagne
Les Inedits (unedited)
Songs of Manno Charlemagne

His was the voice and conscience of the generation of Haitian men and women who ousted the Duvalier regime in the early 1980s. Manno Charlemagne also helped to usher in Haiti’s first attempt at Democratic government ten years later.

Artist's vision of peace on display at Roxbury museum

Fritz Ducheine: Iconic Christian images.Peace is not exactly the first thing that comes to mind when viewing some of Fritz Ducheine's paintings at ESCAPE, his exhibition at the National Center of Afro-American Artists (NCAAA) Museum in Roxbury. Ducheine's sanguinary splashes of red, ghastly skulls and swirling phantoms may seem unsettling to some, but in the midst, he weaves themes of love, harmony, non-violence, hope, and faith.

Boston Haitian Reporter