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LAKOL MAGAZINE


From Broken to Beautiful: A Kintsugi Reflection for the New Year
As we stand at the threshold of a new year, many of us in the diaspora carry the weight of what broke us in the last one. 2025 has been particularly brutal. Political leaders have belittled us, reducing our stories to lies and our humanity to talking points. Families face deportation after decades of building lives here. Businesses that took years to establish now struggle as customers stay away, afraid to be associated with us. The professional credibility we worked so hard
3 days ago9 min read


December Reflections: What We Choose to Carry Forward
The weight of a year settles heaviest in December. Not in the festivities or the forced cheer, but in the quiet moments between when the noise dies and we're left alone with the truth of what we've survived. December doesn't ask us to celebrate what happened. It demands we reckon with who we became in the process.
Dec 23, 20254 min read


When Children Feel Safe, Their Truest Selves Emerge Creating Emotional - Safety as Our Children Return to School
The School Bell Rings, But Home Remains the Foundation
As August winds down and backpacks fill our living rooms, Haitian parents across Georgia are preparing for another school year. But before our children step into those hallways, we have the sacred opportunity to strengthen the foundation they carry with them: the emotional safety of home.
Oct 20, 20254 min read


Beyond Pink Ribbons
October arrives each year clothed in pink, but beyond the ribbons lies something far more important: information that could save your life. Breast cancer will affect 1 in 8 women in their lifetime, but here's what often gets lost: this isn't just a women's issue. Men can develop it too, often with delayed diagnoses. Awareness means understanding the disease, knowing your risk, and taking action.
Oct 7, 20254 min read


How Generative AI is Transforming Marketing: A Game-Changer for Small Businesses
Generative AI has significantly disrupted the landscape of marketing, transforming how businesses, especially small ones connect with their audiences, create content, and make data-driven decisions. At the core of this disruption is AI’s ability to automate, personalize, and scale marketing efforts in ways that were previously time-consuming or cost-prohibitive. For small businesses that have traditionally faced limitations in terms of budget, staffing, and access to high-lev
Sep 30, 20255 min read


Crossing the Chasm: Why Transformation Beats Information Every Time
The New Leadership Reality - The notification pings at 2:47 AM. A video goes viral. Your face, your voice, your words, only they aren’t yours. It’s a deepfake, spreading faster than wildfire across social media. Overnight, your reputation is questioned. Your allies hesitate. Your character is on trial in the court of public opinion.
Sep 16, 20253 min read


September Strong: Making Q3's Final Month Your Leadership Victory Lap
Let's be honest: August 2025 was a lot.
Between global market volatility, the ongoing Al transformation reshaping entire industries, climate events affecting supply chains, and the usual summer staffing challenges, many leaders are limping into September feeling more drained than energized. If you're reading this thinking "I just need to survive Q3," you're not alone.
Sep 2, 20252 min read


What the Bois Caïman Ceremony Teaches Us About Collective Healing
"We gathered as one... and we rise as many."
These words closed my spoken word piece at the recent Eritaj Gala, but they carry a truth that extends far beyond that evening. They speak to something our ancestors understood deeply: that healing, like trauma, happens in community.
Aug 19, 20255 min read


Giving Atlanta Something to Talk About: How Local Businesses Can Win with Word-of-Mouth Marketing
In a dynamic and competitive city like Atlanta, running a successful local business requires more than just delivering quality products...
Aug 8, 20254 min read


A Night of Legacy and Leadership: Inside the 14th Annual Eritaj Business Awards Gala
At the heart of Atlanta's Buckhead district, beneath the gleam of crystal chandeliers at The Whitley Hotel, the Georgia Haitian American Chamber of Commerce once again demonstrated why it remains a cornerstone of cultural excellence and entrepreneurial empowerment. The 14th Annual Eritaj Business Awards Gala was more than an evening of glamor, it was a carefully curated tribute to legacy, leadership, and community resilience. It was a breathing testament to what happens when
Jul 30, 20258 min read


From Liberation to Legacy: July's Call for Emotionally Intelligent Leadership
Every July stands as a crossroads of remembrance and rebirth. We raise flags on U.S. Independence Day, honor Nelson Mandela's legacy, and gather at reunion tables filled with laughter, pain, and possibility. July also marks National Minority Mental Health Awareness, Black Family Month, and Purposeful Parenting Month, all echoing: Lead with Heart or Lead in Vain.
Jul 24, 20254 min read


Beyond Backpacks: Preparing Our Children's Hearts and Minds for School Success
As August approaches and store aisles fill with notebooks, crayons, and uniforms, families across Georgia's Haitian community engage in the familiar ritual of school preparation. Some families prepare to send their eldest to college dormitories, while others select crayons for a kindergartener's first classroom experience. Yet regardless of grade level or academic performance, what we all must do as parents remains the same: we must equip our children emotionally to stand fir
Jul 11, 20255 min read


Eritaj 2025: A Night to Honor the Past and Envision the Future
On Saturday, July 26, from 6:00 PM to 11:00 PM, GAHCCI, The Whitley, and Atlanta will play host to something extraordinary. It is called "Eritaj". (The Haitian Creole word for “legacy”.)
If you have never been to the gala, let this be the year you show up and represent Haitian beauty and excellence. Come celebrate the soul of something deeper... a homecoming of Haitian spirit, culture, art, and expression!
Jul 4, 20252 min read


The Fathers We Inherit: Honoring the Sacred Guardians of Haiti's Children
In Haiti, the word papa doesn’t just belong to the man who helped bring you into the world. It’s a word that carries weight, a word we give to the ones who stay, who show up, who love with their whole hearts, even when they don’t have to.
I was raised by one of those men. Not my biological father, but my uncle, the man who chose me, guided me, and gave me the steady kind of love every child deserves. His presence shaped me more than any bloodline ever could.
Jun 24, 20257 min read


The Gate and the Garden: The Emotional Power of a Father's Presence
As we celebrate Father's Day this June, I want to share something I've witnessed over 30 years in education that always moves me: When a father walks into a parent-teacher conference, the entire atmosphere shifts. Even if he doesn't say much, even if he just sits quietly and listens, his presence changes everything. The child sits a little straighter. The conversation feels more complete. There's an unspoken message in the room: "This child matters to both of us."
Jun 9, 20255 min read


Leading in Defiance: The Untold Heroism of Haitian The First Black Republic
A colony so rich in resources that it fueled half of France’s economy. The Jewel of the Caribbean. But behind that jewel? Brutality. Chains. Generations of men, women, and children whipped, branded, broken; yet never bowed. And then, they rose.
They didn’t wait for diplomacy. They didn’t wait for rescue. They became th
May 22, 20254 min read


A Joyful Celebration of Haiti's Flag Day in Georgia
This past Saturday marked a vibrant and deeply meaningful celebration as the Haitian community and supporters gathered at Starr Park in Forest Park, Georgia, to commemorate the 222nd anniversary of the Haitian flag being sewn by Catherine Flon. The air was filled with pride, rhythm, and the unmistakable spirit of unity as attendees came together to honor a pivotal symbol of Haitian independence, resilience, and cultural identity. Organized by the GA Haitian-American Chamber o
May 20, 20252 min read


Honoring Our Roots, Healing Our Souls: The Power of May for the Haitian Business Community
For Haitian entrepreneurs and business leaders across Georgia and the United States, May offers a sacred opportunity for reflection and celebration. As both Haitian Heritage Month and Mental Health Awareness Month, May invites us to consider how our cultural resilience shapes our business practices and how prioritizing wellbeing strengthens our collective entrepreneurial journey.
May 16, 20253 min read


The Price of Freedom: Remembering Haiti's Indemnity and the Cruelty of Colonial Slavery
Two hundred years ago today, on April 17, 1825, France imposed an indemnity on Haiti.
Not for war damages. Not for property loss. But for the unthinkable: for winning our freedom.
After defeating Napoleon's army and becoming the world's first Black republic, Haiti was forced to compensate its former enslavers. Under threat of French warships, Haiti's president Jean-Pierre Boyer signed away the nation's future—150 million francs (later reduced to 90 million)—an astronom
Apr 17, 20254 min read


Leading Through Renewal: A Season for Reflective and Purposeful Leadership Reflect - Recommit - Renew
“Leadership is not about being in charge. It is about taking care of those in your charge.” Simon Sinek
As the early blooms of April break through the last frost of winter, nature offers us a powerful leadership lesson: growth requires change, and renewal demands intention.
April has long been associated with fresh starts and transformation. It is no coincidence that this month is also dedicated to two important causes: Stress Awareness Month and National Volunteer
Apr 17, 20254 min read
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