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"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.

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

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.

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

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.

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."

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

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

In the face of unspeakable hardship, they stand tall. Through generations of political violence, natural disasters, and systemic inequality, they rebuild. Despite trauma that would shatter most spirits, they rise each morning to forge a path forward—not just for themselves, but for their families, communities, and nation. Haitian women embody a resilience so profound it transcends mere survival; it transforms pain into power. Bearing Witness to Trauma The story of Hai

Before her flag unfurled with pride, Before her peaks scraped crystal skies, Haiti's warriors crossed the foam, Far from their embattled home. In Savannah, seventeen-seventy-nine, Six hundred formed their battle line Chasseurs-Volontaires, fierce and bold, Their valor Time cannot withhold.