“Voices
of the Haitian and Dominican Diaspora in the United States” is
an open forum organized by Columbia University students of Haitian and
Dominican descent who are dedicated to the cause of remedying the human
rights situation facing Haitian immigrants and their descendants in the
Dominican Republic. The persistence of the violations of
Haitian-Dominican’s rights in the Dominican Republic, as well as the
Dominican and Haitian governments’ refusal to address these violations
are the main driving forces behind the creation of this forum.
Currently New York City serves
as home to a growing
Dominican and Haitian population, which have a powerful voice that
resonates on the island. This open forum, sponsored by the Kraft Family
Fund, will provide not only the space, but also the
information
and connections necessary to enact change.
The forum will consists of a
screening of two short documentaries, Birthright Crisis
and Di Perejil,
about the issue of Haitian migration into the Dominican Republic,
followed by a discussion of the films by the creators of the
documentaries. After the discussion, breakout sessions will cover
different aspects of the issue. Finally, we will have a panel
consisting of several prominent speakers, including Lionel Legos as moderator.
Speakers:
Irene
Rial-Bou:
Director and producer of the film Di
Perejil (Say
Perejil),
a film about the efforts of Dominican women of Haitian descent to
establish the identities of their children and to raise them freely in
the Dominican Republic. It is also a chronicle of their attempt to
bring
together two languages, two societies, and two cultures- in the name of
peace and justice.
Dr. Maritza Jimenez:
Worked over 20 years
on the border, including overseeing the construction of a free clinic
for the residents of the town of Jimani.
Edwin Paraison:
Former Haitian consul to the Dominican Republic and activist
for Haitian immigrants' rights in the Dominican Republic.
Silvio Torres-Salliant:
The
Founding Director of the Dominican Studies Institute at the City
University of New York, Torres-Salliant is currently heading the Latin
American and Latino Studies program at Syracuse University. He is the
author of Caribbean
Poetics and The
Dominican-Americans.
Event
Information:
Date & Time: May
3rd, 2008 at 12:30 p.m.
Location: Hammer
Health Sciences Center (701 W. 168th Street, corner of Ft. Washington),
Room 401
Directions: 1,
A, C trains, M4, M5, M7 buses to 168th Street, walk one block East to
Fort Washington
Schedule of
Events:
12:30-
Registration
1:15-
Introductions
1:20 - Di Perejil (Say Perejil)
Screening (
41 min.)
2:05 -
Question & Answer with Producer Irene Rial-Bou
2:25
- 1st Breakout
Session
3:10 - 2nd
Breakout Session
4:00
- Panel
Discussion
5:35 -
Cultural Reception
Following
the open forum, we will be hosting a reception with refreshments and
entertainment by several musical groups at the Malcolm X and Dr. Betty
Shabazz Educational and Memorial Center (3940 Broadway at 165th Street).
Performers:
1st Klass Konpa
Since
the release of its debut album "Piwo" five months ago, 1st Klass has
been hitting the live scene in local New York clubs (Brasserie Creole,
Giggles, SOB's, 169Bar, Labadie Manor, Musique En Folie- Haiti, Parc
Canne A Sucre) building up a reputation as a serious live Konpa band.
Victor y Su
Grupo: Glend, Chelo y Addy
The Lyrical
Circle
with founders Frank Antonio Lopez, Enmanuel Candelario, and Frantz Jerome, accompanied by the Magnificent Alicia in the Trumpet (www.aliciarau.com)
