0:54BAll right, so go ahead.
0:55CAll right. Good morning.
0:56DGood morning, Dwayne.
0:58EHow are you?
0:58BGood.
0:59CSo, um, the first question that I want to get to is, could you please give our listeners some information about your organization, the Haitian American Association of Brevard? Why was this organization created and what is the primary purpose of your organization?
1:13DWell, Dwayne, thank you so much for the question. Let me first say good morning to Barbara. Barbara, again, Thank you for the opportunity having us here. We appreciate what you do and the way you’re contributing to our community for the growth of our community. And like I said, you know, the effort and it’s all very well appreciated by the overall Caribbean community. Dwayne, to get back to your questions, and I want to say quickly, the quick history of the Haitian community here in Brevard County, particularly Palm Bay, it goes back about a little over 10 years where there’s a large, you know, Haitian -- group of Haitians moving from South Florida?
1:56DPretty much for the fact that real estate was so affordable here in Brevard County and down in South Florida it wasn’t the case. And me in particular, I’ve been here 12 years and for the -- that’s mostly for the reason why we’re here. But what we discover is that it’s a growing community where there’s a lot of opportunity in Brevard and Palm Bay in particular. And as the community was growing, we saw the need to start, really organize. It’s a call for organizing the community and also to better serve, to bring services to our growing community. And that’s where HAB, which is the Haitian American Association of Brevard, in 2012, that’s where we were.
2:38DWe become, I believe, a year later, a 501 organization. registered with the state of Florida, really serving, looking to serve our growing community.
2:47CI was looking through the services that your organization provides actually, and one that especially interests me is that I noticed you conduct education workshops. So what I’d like to know is what are some of the lessons that are taught during these workshops?
3:01AAbsolutely.
3:03DOne of the things we do, like I said, we are a virtual organization, so we don’t physically have a center per se. which eventually this is the goal. Some of the things we do, we serve as a liaison. We serve as a liaison. We build relationship, long-lasting relationship with some of the local agencies such as the school board. We made friends with the school board, many other organizations. So what we do, we partner up with this local organization, whether it’s the Brevard Health Alliance, the City of Palm Bay. We have many, many organizations that we partner with to serve and better serve our community. So one of the things we do is, for instance, with the school board, once a year or sometimes twice, we would get together.
3:47DThey would send some of the department heads and we would gather the community, the parents, for instance, subject like, you know, how can their contribution to the kids’ success. As we all know, I mean, the kids, yes, we send them to school, but without us as parents, without our contribution or us taking part, that makes a great impact, you know, make or break the kids, you know, their potential to success. So as the parent getting involved, and, you know, it’s a better potential for the kids to grow and to do better academically and in many other aspects.
4:25COkay, this month marks the 8th anniversary of the earthquake that hit Haiti in 2010. Could you let our listeners know what some of the lingering challenges that the people of Haiti still continue to face even after the earthquake?
4:40BAbsolutely.
4:41D8 years, certainly it’s been -- there is some progress. There’s some progress. Let me take a moment to take us back to, you know, what was Haiti 8 years -- you know, a year prior, even prior to the earthquake. I mean, this is a country unfortunately that had Right. You know, the infrastructure weren’t strong prior to the earthquake. You have many other challenges prior to the earthquake. So if you can imagine an earthquake of that magnitude where the country lost in human life over 300,000 people and the failing infrastructure prior, you know, it even got worse. Now, yeah, 8 years later, do they make some progress? Absolutely, because I don’t think one thing that was popular a few years back was the tent cities. We don’t hear or heard, you know, too many of those cases, but the fact of the matter is, you know, for years and years to come, Haiti will still have some issues, mainly housing, jobs, and jobs, you know, constantly staying up -- I mean, being a problem. That hasn’t changed much, and public safety, of course, still, you know, staying an issue 8 years later.
5:59CYes, one of the issues that Haiti has faced since that earthquake was in 2016 when Haiti was hit by Hurricane Matthew, which was also very devastating for that nation. In what ways did that hurricane adversely impact Haiti’s recovery?
6:14DAbsolutely. One must say, I mean, you know, what Haiti has done, because it’s issues after issues. You know, you imagine an earthquake, you know, 6 years later to have faced Matthew, as Matthew was a pretty strong hurricane. One of the good aspects is that the earthquake solely -- not solely, but mostly hit the center, I would say the west part of Haiti. Port-au-Prince and the surrounding areas. Now, Matthew mostly hit the south, the beachside, you know, cities on the south end of the island. Yes, it was very devastating. It cost us over, you know, 200,000 homes were destroyed. Also left, you know, 1.4 million people in need of shelter where, you know, it was pretty damaging.
7:18DSome estimated in -- estimated as far as economic impact, $4 to $6 billion in terms of, you know, financial impact, negative impact. It was pretty bad. It was pretty bad. Like I said, again, slowly rebuilding due to the help of many organizations that assist the country. And I must mention, Bob, while you may have been aware of it, I know I want to say, you know, take a minute to the effort. I know the Brevard community through HAB, how you guys, you know, I can remember putting together different drives for goods and other things, how you guys did assist. HAB stepped in. We know we’re not just serving our local community here in Brevard County.
8:04DThis was a great opportunity where we partnered with a couple organizations on the ground. Reputable organization, I must mention. We were able to assist quite a few families. We were able to send over 3 or 4 dozen goods, things that were needed, medical goods and food as well. So we were able to be very instrumental as far as helping the people of Haiti after Hurricane Matthew.
8:33COkay, I’m glad you mentioned that actually because the next question was going to be what are some of the things that our listeners can do to assist the people of Haiti?
8:42BAbsolutely.
8:43DOne thing that’s important, it’s very important that we recognize, if anybody knows me, I’m not one to -- because let me take you back because there’s that also, that culture of you know, dependence. And part of it is that, you know, unfortunately there are people, organizations that kind of create that culture of dependence. And my thing is, let’s look at ways how can we help, how can we build ways to create sustainability, you know. As the old saying, you know, you give a man a fish, they’ll fish for, you know.
9:26CThat’s right.
9:27DBut versus you teach them how to fish, it’s a whole different story. They can feed their family for generations, right? So I think that’s where we are. That’s where it should be. That should be the new frame of mind. How can we help Haiti as --
9:42BHelp themselves.
9:42DAbsolutely, help themselves. And one thing we did, I was very proud of our organization. This year we have, the Haitian American Association, we started a scholarship fund. So we today, I mean, this past January 1st, we offered our first recipient $750 to go to school. She’s from Haiti, from an orphanage in Haiti. She was granted a visa, a student visa, to come and study here at a local college here. We were able to give her, you know, her first scholarship. She was our very first recipient. And this is where we want to -- if a listener, if somebody’s listening right now, join with us, join forces with us. These are some of the things we do. And this young lady, I’m so proud of her, she will go back. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re educating and forming the next generation to go back and give back. And this is the next leader of Haiti. And these are the directions we want to take, long-lasting help to really take over and give back to Haiti.
10:49COkay, I found out recently that in Savannah, Georgia, there’s a statue there in honor of the Haitian soldiers that fought in the American Revolution. And the unit that fought in the Siege of Savannah, which was called the Chasseurs-Volontaires du Saint-Domingue -- my French isn’t so good, you know.
11:08DIt’s pretty close.
11:09CWe really had to try for that one. But this was the largest unit of people of African descent that fought in that war. So can you speak to some of the other important contributions the Haitians have made to American society?
11:21BAbsolutely.
11:22DThis was very well mentioned. This was one of the big ones. Over nearly 750 free men from Haiti, you know, fought alongside of the American soldiers there, fought the British in 1779, October 9th, 1779. 700 free men from Haiti. Part of it, one of the, you know, at 14 years old, our first emperor, Henri Christophe, the name may sound familiar. He contributed a lot to our independence. He contributed a lot. He’s the man that built the Citadel. You know, I believe, if I’m not mistaken, number 7, 7 Wonders of the World. Of the World. So, you know, you can Google it, Citadel. In Haiti, he was the gentleman that built it. He was the first king of Haiti, Henri Christophe. At the time, he was part of that 700. He was 14 years old, the little drummer boy.
12:17BMm-hmm.
12:18DThat’s, that’s, you know, he was the gentleman. If you looked at the, the, uh, the actually the monument, you’ll see the, you know, young man that, you know, uh, playing the drum. But anyway, um, this, this means a lot. What does Vannessige mean? It means a whole lot. And unfortunately, you know, these are some of the things you’re not seeing in the history books.
12:37BRight.
12:37DIt wasn’t until just 2015 where they actually recognized it. The city of Savannah worked with some folks from down in Miami. They actually did a large, a big ceremony, actually really recognized the Haitian contribution to, you know, what we contributed to the revolution of the United States. And the other thing we may -- we must mention is the Louisiana Purchase. Louisiana Purchase, you know, after, you know, the slave in Haiti, the free -- we beat the Napoleon army at the time, one of the world’s most powerful armies, and they become so weak they just couldn’t hold on to that whole Louisiana, state of Louisiana, that whole region. they were forced to pretty much send it pennies on the dollar, right? It was, you know, President Jackson at the time had a heck of a deal because they got so weak they had to, you know, they no longer had Saint-Domingue at the time, so they had to sell it to the United States. So today, if Louisiana is part of the United States, you know, we must attribute, you know, our thanks to these Um, that’s one thing. Let me take it back again to, uh, you know, any of you guys heard of, uh, Jean-Baptiste Pointe du Sable, the founder of Chicago?
14:08BYes, yes, yes, yes.
14:10DThe founder of Chicago. So there’s a lot. These are some of the things that all young people must know, take notice of.
14:17FWe --
14:17Dthese are not -- you’re not gonna find them in the history book, uh, but these are some of the -- just to name those few Contribution that Haitian free, Haitian slave give, contribute to the United States Revolution.
14:33CYes, and I think pointing out these contributions that were made by Haitian Americans is especially important now given that the current administration has terminated the temporary protection status that the Haitians who came here after the earthquake had. So my next question is, what are some of the things that you think we can do to help protect these people?
14:51AAbsolutely.
14:51DThe important thing, the important things we must do is to continue, is to continue. Yeah, one may argue, the right argue that, okay, yeah, within the TPS, stands for temporary status, which, which, you know, it’s a valid point, right? But the fact of the matter is, when you allow families to come, you know, 8 years later, when they establish, they start, you know, contribute taxes, they pay taxes, start family, Then 8 years later, they just said, no, we’re no longer, you know, doing that. And then, by the way, this is not just Haitians. There’s many nations, other nations. I believe it’s about 8 nations that is under that protective status.
15:35DThese are people that’s been here. The El Salvadors, over 200,000 people. How do you tell 200,000 people, yeah, okay, it’s time, pack your bag, let’s go? I mean, that’s destroying communities. That’s destroying the very people that make this country great. You know, America will not be great -- America is already great, and it’s the contribution of some of these very people that contribute that make America great. So it’s not fair. It’s not right. What can we do as citizens is to continue lobbying, call our representatives, our congressmen, our senators. Let them know, hey, you know, we must continue to fight. For these folks, they must stay.
16:17DWe cannot do that, turn around and destroy families and do it that way. It’s not the proper way to do it.
16:23AYes.
16:26CAnother thing that I want to mention here was that January 1st marked the anniversary of Haiti’s independence. Now, even though I’m not a Haitian myself, I see this as a very significant event in the history of people of African descent because in many ways, you know, Haiti is a symbol of our resistance against oppression. So my question is, in what ways is the success of the Haitian Revolution meaningful to you?
16:49DI mean, me personally, I mean, if I’m -- if I can be here sitting here today, it all started 200-plus years ago. I mean, kudos to them and what they did. If we all can share this room as a minority, as Black folks, it goes back, it starts there. It wouldn’t be a civil rights movement you know, say 50, 60 years ago without what they did. And not only the Americas, we’re talking about, I mean, that was a message sent to the world. You know, I must mention a guy by the name of Simón Bolívar, that when the Spaniards was kicking their butt, you know where they went? They went in 1815, went back to Haiti to find help. When Haiti was only 11 years as a republic, first black republic. they went back. So not only did we help the Americas, we also have a big footprint in South America as well, Central and South America. So I’m absolutely proud to sit today to, you know, as a Haitian descent, to say, you know, what they did was a lesson to the world, make us all -- should make all black people proud.
18:00CDefinitely agree with that. Now before we get to the final question, is there anything else that you’d like to mention to our listeners that wasn’t mentioned already?
18:08DAgain, you know, I want to thank the listeners that, you know, turn on their radio and listening to me and whatever, you know, they allow me to get to their homes and their cars. I want to thank them. Without them, we wouldn’t have a show. I want to thank Barbara and the staff. young man sitting here and thank you so much for the opportunity and Barbara, again, what you contribute to this community goes a long way. We appreciate you. Thank you, Dwayne, and the technician over there, I’m not sure of the name. Thank you so much for making it possible.
18:45COkay, the steel pan was invented in Trinidad and Tobago by young men of African descent. So before we wrap up this interview, can you please tell us something that you know about the steel pan?
18:56DYou know, the obvious thing, you know, we know Barbara, I know she’s proud of this whole history of this thing. It starts in Trinidad and Tobago. I just learned today that the Pan-Tobago is the world governing. They actually have a governing body that just standardized, you know, that controlled this thing. So that was something new I didn’t know, and kudos to those. That’s something I would like to learn how to play. Can you help me out?
19:27BOh yes, yes, yes. You just keep that desire and we will bring that desire with some organizing here in, in Brevard County.
19:37CYes, sir.
19:37BSo you get to learn to play.
19:38DThat’s good, that’s good.
19:40BAll right.
19:40DThank you so much. Thank you.
19:42BOkay guys, well, thank you, uh, Donnie and Dwayne. Um, you did a very good job, Dwayne. And Donny, you -- I mean, that was a history lesson. You’re not going to get it on CNN, NBC, ABC. You’re not getting it there. You’re getting it on the Steel Pan Vibes. It’s More Than Music radio show, and we do appreciate that. We really, really do. Hey, sir.
20:07EThis is the Steel Pan Vibes. It’s More Than Music radio show. We just heard from Donny Felix, president of the Haitian American Association of Brevard on his organization and the amazing accomplishments of the Haitian people. So don’t believe the hype, it’s all fake news. Haitians have made tremendous contributions to American society and are proud, resilient people.
20:32BWell, the last word comes from Winston Churchill, and I quote, success is not final, failure is not fatal, It is the courage to continue that counts, end quote. Taking us home is a brand new release from UK-based pianist Mighty Jammer and Trinidad and Tobago’s calypso icon Crazy, doing a tune called Ignorance. And from all of us, stay strong, stay focused, be encouraged, have a wonderful day. May God bless you all.
21:16FThis is a true story about the mighty drummer of England and the trials and tribulations that he went through promoting his steel drum from Trinidad and Tobago. I come out to play music. Caribbean jazz. Oh, what a razzmatazz, man. It’s really sad. I learned in this country folk class sociology and all the ignorance surrounding my instrument. Oh Lord, what a big ignorance. I claimed already so Fa la ti do. Oh no, no, we don’t want to know. I’m playing do re mi fa sol la ti do. Oh no, no, we don’t want to know. He want me to play a flute or a trombone or a piano or a saxophone. I said, man, you don’t understand. I come for a little jam here. With my steel pan. Man, what’s your problem? He said, oh no, we don’t want no pans in here. It’s ignorance, ignorance, ignorance. That is the problem. Ignorance, it’s ignorance. Ignorance, that is the problem. Yeah, I went into a dark club to play music. The man said, what you play? I said, a steel pan.
