NJ Gov. Phil Murphy Nominates Fabiana Pierre-Louis To The State’s Highest Court

On Friday, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy will announce his first pick for the state’s Supreme Court since taking office, and it will be a historic one.

Murphy will nominate Fabiana Pierre-Louis, a partner at Montgomery McCracken Walker & Rhoads, to be the next associate justice of the state’s highest court. If the state Senate confirms the nomination, Pierre-Louis will be the first Black woman to ever sit on the court.

Pierre-Louis, 39, has not only worked in private practice, but has also worked as a federal prosecutor with the Department of Justice for years.

“It’s hard to put into words the honor that it is to be nominated to the highest court in the state of New Jersey,” Pierre-Louis told ESSENCE. “My goal, particularly as a prosecutor, was always to pursue justice and fairness in the law…It’s just a remarkable opportunity to continue in the very proud tradition of this state’s Supreme Court.”

The daughter of immigrants from Haiti, and a first-generation American, Pierre-Louis believes she will bring a unique perspective to the court if confirmed.

“I am a Black woman. I am the child of immigrants from Haiti. I am someone who is a first generation American citizen here in this country, [the] first person in my family to attend law school, to become a lawyer, someone who’s also lived in a variety of inner cities throughout my life, beginning with my early childhood in Brooklyn, then followed by the remainder of my childhood in Irvington, New Jersey,” she said. “All those experiences bring a unique perspective to the Court that currently is not there.”

To the governor, the nomination was a no-brainer, given his own belief that a judiciary should reflect the diversity in the state.

“A core tenet of my Administration is a commitment to an independent, fair-minded judiciary that reflects the immense diversity of our great state,” Murphy told ESSENCE. “As a first-generation American, Fabiana brings both a sharp legal acumen and the perspective of her own past that will greatly benefit the proceedings of our state’s highest court.”

“New Jersey is a very diverse state,” Pierre-Louis echoing the governor’s statements. “It is extremely important for the judiciary and other government bodies to be a reflection of the community that they serve. So, having people of diverse backgrounds and diverse perspectives sitting on the highest court in these states certainly inspires confidence that the court will rule and have these diverse perspectives in ruling on extremely important cases.”

Pierre-Louis’ own work speaks volumes for her. She graduated from Rutgers Law School with High Honors before going on to clerk for Justice John Wallace Jr. during the 2006-2007 Supreme Court term. From there she went to Montgomery McCracken for about three years, before moving to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey in 2010. In 2012, she moved to the Trenton office, and four years later she would be the first woman of color to be Attorney-in-Charge.  In that role, she supervised all aspects of criminal matters handled by the office, while also investigating and prosecuting her own caseload, inclusive of matters from child exploitation offenses, to national security matters, to public corruption matters and more.  

While in Trenton, Pierre-Louis helped to create the Trenton Reentry Court, which provides assistance to returning citizens to help reacclimating to society.

In 2018, she became the first woman of color to serve as Attorney-in-Charge of U.S. Attorney’s Office in Camden, later returning to private practice in 2019.

“My experience speaks volumes with regard to my ability to take on this position and to successfully execute the duties of an associate justice of the Supreme Court of New Jersey. I’ve practiced in private practice at a law firm doing civil work. I’ve also been a federal prosecutor,” Pierre-Louis said. “I’ve supervised a wide variety of cases and gained the respect of not only the judiciary but of my colleagues and even defense attorneys that I have worked on cases with. And I think my integrity, my open-mindedness, and my ability to communicate well with others is something that has helped me succeed throughout my career.”

If confirmed, Pierre-Louis will be the first Black judge to sit on the court since 2010, when then-Gov. Chris Christie stirred controversy and outrage in the state after failing to renominate then-Justice John Wallace Jr. to a tenured term.

In the New Jersey State Supreme Court, a justice is initially confirmed for seven years. After those seven years, once a justice has served with good behavior and made sound decisions (regardless of who may or may not agree with said decisions), they are typically renominated and reconfirmed for a tenured term, which automatically expires once the justice turns 70, regardless of if that justice was initially chosen by a governor of a different party.

Wallace has been the only justice that has been denied tenure since the state Constitution was adopted in 1947. At the time, he was the court’s only Black justice (and only the second Black person to ever sit on the court), and his tenured term would have automatically expired when he had reached 70 in less than two years.

The fallout was swift, and Christie’s Judiciary Advisory Panel all resigned en masse to protest the then-governor’s decision to replace Wallace. Democrats balked, with the Democrat-led senauntil Justice Walter Timpone was confirmed and sworn in 2016.

It is Timpone’s seat that Pierre-Louis will fill if confirmed, as the justice will reach the mandatory age of retirement in November.

Pierre-Louis’ nomination comes at a time when the nation is in turmoil and many have flooded to the streets demanding justice for Black Lives and accountability from the police, but Murphy stressed that his selection did not come as a result of the current national discourse.

“In addition to her esteemed legal career, Fabiana’s humility, empathy, and character are all traits that make her well-suited to become the first Black woman and the next Associate Justice to serve on New Jersey’s Supreme Court,” Murphy said in a statement.

“I have not chosen to nominate Fabiana because of the current national discussion around race. However, given the challenges which are being brought to the forefront of our society, and the questions which will undoubtedly rise to reach our Supreme Court – core issues of socioeconomic equality and equity – there is no better meeting of an individual and the times,” he added. 

Pierre-Louis told ESSENCE that she seeks to be a “fair, open-minded” justice, if nominated.

“I certainly believe that I would…have the ability to listen to all arguments from all sides and make a determination after having done so and looked at the facts and the law before me to make determinations about whether I believe there was an error on the lower court below or not,” she said.

“I think the New Jersey Supreme Court is a perfect model of a very strong court in this country that has historically been very independent,” she added. “I think the role of a Supreme Court justice is to review the cases and ensure that fairness and justice results no matter what the political atmosphere is at the time.”

By: BY BREANNA EDWARDS for Essence.com | June 5, 2020

Biden Campaign Adds Karine Jean-Pierre As Senior Adviser

Joe Biden has hired Karine Jean-Pierre, a veteran African American political strategist, as a senior adviser to his presidential campaign as the presumptive Democratic nominee pivots to the general election campaign.

Jean-Pierre will advise on strategy, communications and engaging with key communities, including African Americans, women and progressives.

“This really is the most important general election in generations,” Jean-Pierre told The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom, in an exclusive interview Monday night. “I’ve known Joe Biden for 10 years now. I believe he’s a man of integrity, he’s a man who knows how to lead, he’s a man who knows how to use the levers of government to help people and he’s the man who could beat Donald Trump in November. For me, as a black woman, I just could not sit this out.”

Jean-Pierre, 43, will begin her role with the Biden campaign next week. She gained prominence in 2008 as the southeast regional political director for then-candidate Barack Obama’s history-making presidential campaign.

She served in the Obama White House as regional political director before working as deputy battleground states director on his 2012 reelection. In the latter role, Jean-Pierre handled political engagement in key states including Ohio, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Born in Martinique to Haitian parents and raised in New York, Jean-Pierre worked on former Maryland governor Martin O’Malley’s 2016 Democratic presidential bid before joining liberal group MoveOn as chief public affairs officer. She is also an MSNBC political analyst.ADnull

Separately, the Biden campaign announced Tuesday that it hired Obama campaign alum Julie Chavez Rodriguez — who previously worked as co-national political director for Sen. Kamala D. Harris’s presidential campaign — as a senior adviser, making her the highest-profile Latina to join the team as Biden struggles to shore up his support with Hispanic voters headed into November.

Biden’s swift rise this spring was fueled largely by black voters — particularly black women, who are regarded as the backbone of the party and seen as key to a winning general election coalition in the fall. Energizing these voters will be crucial to the record turnout needed to topple Trump. Black turnout was down in 2016 from historic highs in 2012 and 2008, when the country elected its first African American president.

Jean-Pierre said her hiring signals that Biden “understands how he became the presumptive nominee.”

“Black voters, black women, have helped him get to this point,” she said. “When everybody was counting him out, black voters spoke out. I am so proud and excited as a black woman watching how black women have exerted their power … we had to say loud and clear this (the actions of the Trump administration) is not okay.”

Valerie Jarrett, former senior adviser to Obama, called Jean-Pierre “a superstar” who shares Biden’s values of equality, fairness and justice.

“She will be able to communicate his agenda in an authentic way that I think will resonate importantly with African American women, but also with the entire country,” Jarrett said in a telephone interview. “It’s a coup for vice president Biden and his campaign.”

By Errin Haines | The 19th and The Washington Post May 20, 2020

This story is part of a collaboration between The Washington Post and The 19th, a nonprofit newsroom covering gender, politics and policy.

10 years after devastating earthquake, Haitian Latter-day Saints welcome friends to nation's first temple

Unimaginable horror fell upon Haiti in the opening month of 2010 when a massive earthquake claimed hundreds of thousands of lives and displaced legions more.

The disaster prompted a world-wide humanitarian response — including tens of millions of dollars from the Church to help fund food, clean water and other disaster aid efforts.

Almost a decade later, the quake recovery continues. But Haitian Latter-day Saints are celebrating this week as they welcome their friends and neighbors to their nation’s first temple.

The Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple public open house officially begins on Tuesday, Aug. 6 — although a few visitors have already toured the new edifice, surrounded by lush gardens reflective of Caribbean flora.

“I can’t believe my eyes,” said Michael Paquette, a Canadian who was one of the first international missionaries to serve in Haiti in the 1980s. “I used to walk up and down this road outside the temple, Route de Freres. (That) was in the early days of missionary work; now there are (several) stakes here in Port-au-Prince. Now the temple is here.”

The building’s beauty is amazing, he added. “It is very special for the saints in Haiti.”

Caribbean Area President José Alonso, far right, hosted representatives of the U.S. Embassy on a recent tour of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple that included, from left, Jean Baptiste, U.S. Embassy defense attaché Commander Kenneth Eller, Haiti communication director Sister Pierre-Nau and Area Seventy Elder Bien Aimé. Photo: Courtesy of the Caribbean Area Public Affairs

Counted among the first visitors to the Port-au-Prince temple was a delegation from the U.S. Embassy. They were hosted by Caribbean Area President Elder José Alonso, a General Authority Seventy, and Elder Bien Aimé Huberman, an Area Seventy and chairman of the temple’s organizing committee.

Elder Huberman noted the historic significance of having a temple operating in his homeland.

"The temple is, first and foremost, important because the members will be able to do their sacred ordinances,” he said.

In the past, the high cost of travel and passports prevented many Haitian Latter-day Saints from worshipping regularly inside temples in neighboring Dominican Republic and other nearby nations.

“(Now) we will also be able to go to the temple in our own country with our friends, family and our own people,” he said. “It is a new day for us, a new program. We are very satisfied. Everyone is excited and we are ready now for the open house to begin."

The Port-au-Prince temple is distinctly Haitian.

Turquoise blue and lime green carpets throughout the interior mimic the neighboring sea and the island’s fecund plant life. It’s patterned after an array of local vegetation — including palm leaves, tropical flowers and the hibiscus, Haiti’s national flower, according to a Church-provided facts report.

Michael Paquette, left, a Canadian who served a mission to Haiti in the 1980s, stands outside the country's first temple with Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple President Andre Joseph Fritzner. Photo: Courtesy of the Caribbean Area Public Affairs

Palm leaf motifs are found in several areas of the temple such as the celestial room, sealing room, baptistry and foyer. Palm leaves, of course, were used to celebrate Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem.

Temple visitors will also spot hibiscus-inspired wall plaster patterns in the brides’ room.

Artwork adorning the Port-au-Prince temple includes two original works: “Haiti Palm Trees by the Sea” and “Mountains near Port-au-Prince,” both by Russian artist Emin Zulfugarov, the report noted.

The public open house will continue through Saturday, Aug. 17 — except for Sunday, Aug. 11.

A youth devotional in Haiti will be held on the eve of the Sept. 1 dedication of the Port-au-Prince Haiti Temple. The temple will open for ordinances on Sept. 10.

Haiti is home to more than 23,000 Latter-day Saints.

By: Jason Swensen for churchnews.com | August 5, 2019

Hotel dishwasher awarded $21 million after boss made her work on Sundays

The jury also found she was due $35,000 in back wages and $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish.But a cap on punitive damages prevents her from receiving anywhere close to that amount.Marie Jean Pierre, who worked as a dishwasher at the Conrad Miami, sued Virginia-based Park Hotels & Resorts, formerly known as Hilton Worldwide, in 2017 for violations of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The landmark law bans employment discrimination on the basis of race, color, religion, sex or national origin.The award was filed on Tuesday with the U.S. District Court in Miami. The jury also found she was due $35,000 in back wages and $500,000 for emotional pain and mental anguish.Pierre, 60, is a mother of six and a member of the Soldiers of Christ Church, a Catholic missionary group that helps the poor, her attorney Pierre said in the lawsuit that she informed the Conrad Miami from the beginning of her employment that she could not work Sundays because of her religious beliefs.Her lawyer, Marc Brumer, said Hilton argued in court that it was unaware Pierre was a missionary, and never knew why she always wanted Sundays off.In 2009, she alleges the hotel scheduled her to work on a Sunday, according to the lawsuit. She says she told her employer she would have to resign, but in an effort to persuade her not to quit, they accommodated her request until 2015.Sometime in 2015, the kitchen manager at the Conrad Miami, "demanded" Pierre work Sundays, the lawsuit states and for a short time allowed her to swap shifts with other coworkers to have the day off.On March 31, 2016, Pierre says she was fired for alleged misconduct, negligence and “unexcused absences,” according to the lawsuit.Although there is a cap on punitive damage awards in federal court, Pierre's attorney said he expects she will receive at least $500,000."I asked for $50 million, knowing that I was capped at $300,000," Brumer told NBC News on Wednesday. "I didn't do this for money. I did this to right the wrongs."The jury was unaware that the law caps the amount of punitive damages she could receive.Hilton said it was "very disappointed by the jury's verdict, and don't believe that it is supported by the facts of this case or the law.""During Ms. Pierre's ten years with the hotel, multiple concessions were made to accommodate her personal and religious commitments," a spokeswoman said. "We intend to appeal, and demonstrate that the Conrad Miami was and remains a welcoming place for all guests and employees."By: Janelle Griffith for NBCnews.com | January 16, 2019

Rewriting Haiti's Narrative: Ten Haitian Entrepreneurs Helping To Reinvent Their Nation

Haiti's social and economic narrative is being rewritten by innovative entrepreneurs dedicated to championing sustainability and self-sufficiency while celebrating the vibrant and creative culture of the island and its citizens, which dates back to the Haitian Revolution that started in 1791 and represents the world’s first and only successful slave revolt.

Political instability, natural disasters and a lack of economic opportunities have contributed to mass migrations away from the island and a view of Haiti as a troubled nation in the eyes of the world. A generation of enterprising young Haitians are chipping away at that imposed narrative and replacing it with one that speaks to the strength, ingenuity and beauty of the country and its culture.

Haiti has a rich history and vibrant culture. Photocredit: GettyGetty

Here you will meet ten young entrepreneurs who are creating opportunity in this Caribbean island nation to uplift Haiti’s environmental, economic and social landscape.These inspiring Haitian entrepreneurs are demonstrating that a nation can overcome its challenges and rewrite its story, both for itself and in the eyes of the larger world. They also prove that a combination of innovative ideas, effective use of technology and a dedication to solutions that honor the integrity of both the natural and the human landscape can produce truly transformative results.

Jude Celiscar, Goodoo Courier, LLC

Jude Celiscar Speaking on Leadership.Used with permission.

In his travels between Haiti and the U.S., Celiscar became aware of the difficulties that many Haitians face in the purchasing and delivery of consumer goods. Recognizing that commerce is the backbone of an economy, Celiscar formed Goodoo Courier to address those issues. The company partners with small businesses and university students to help stimulate economic growth on both the individual and societal level. Concerned with the natural environment as well as the economy, Goodoo Courier uses recycled materials from other areas of the island for its packaging materials.In addition to being the founder of the company, Celiscar is also an author and international speaker on business and leadership. He is dedicated to changing Haiti’s narrative and inspiring young people to invest in themselves and their country by taking the lead in creating opportunities for success.

Don’t be so quick to think about the financial profit but think about the social impact, the social transformation that your company will have on your community and on your environment.- Jude Celiscar

Daphnée Karen Floréal, Bijou Lakay

Daphnée Karen Floréal.Used with permission.

With a talent for art and finance and possessing a strong business sense, Floréal merged her skills and passions in forming Bijou Lakay. Taking inspiration from Haiti’s native elements, Floréal uses wood and beef horns to create ethically sourced handcrafted jewelry pieces. While inspired by international trends, her pieces strongly reflect and celebrate the vibrant Haitian culture. Along with reducing unemployment and having a positive impact on the economy, Bijou Lakay’s community of artisans also strives to preserve and pass on the creative crafting processes and cultural heritage of Haiti.Floréal is actively engaged in promoting entrepreneurship and other activities that have a positive impact on the youth of Haiti, such as literacy and sports. In her love for her home, commitment to cultural authenticity and entrepreneurial spirit, Floréal is a reflection of the current reshaping of Haitian creativity and identity.

Always dream big. Even if you are living in one of the poorest countries in the world, your country can’t define your story. You are the only one who can decide what your life, what your family and what your business will be. - Daphnée Karen Floréal

Mike Bellot, Solo Bag

Mike Bellot Reading By the Light of a Solo Bag.Used with permission.

After losing a close family member in a fire started by a candle that was being used to provide light for evening schoolwork, Bellot was driven to invent the Solo Bag. The school bag, embedded with a solar panel and an integrated LED light, allows students in the rural areas of Haiti to study at night. As only 37% of the population has access to electricity, many children are unable to do schoolwork after nightfall. Poor lighting affects literacy and leads students to be less productive, with many often giving up on school entirely and perpetuating a cycle of poverty.

This revolutionary sustainable solution not only helps the students of Haiti, but can also help the 1.2 billion people worldwide who do not have access to electricity.

An economist, entrepreneur and innovator with degrees in International Trade and Global Political Economy, Bellot also invented the world’s first mobile aquaponic garden system, Ancora BoxFarm, a system designed to help farmers in areas that are vulnerable to natural hazards and disasters.

Nora Jeanne Joseph, RADIKAL

RADIKAL, Empowering Haitian Women.Used with permission.

Jeanne Joseph established RADIKAL to address the root causes of gender inequity and economic disparity with a business model that creates revenue opportunities for women in Haiti. RADIKAL creates micro-enterprises that offer organic beauty, wellness and environmental products to underserved consumers through a dynamic network of micro-entrepreneurs. Utilizing the internet, social media and mobile technology has transformed the ability of these micro-enterprises to create financial independence in marginalized communities.Jeanne Joseph is dedicated to changing Haiti's global image by demonstrating that the island can rely on its own resources to foster economic growth and gender equality. Embracing the use of only organic, high-quality local raw materials and using a circular economic model that allows Haitian women to invest in their own thriving micro-franchises, RADIKAL redefines sustainability in the current context of the country.

I am passionate about sustainability, women's empowerment and Haiti! – Nora Jeanne Joseph

Stephane Jean-Baptiste, Kreyòl Essence

Stephane Jean-Baptiste, Kreyòl Essence.Used with permission.

Endeavoring to tackle the socioeconomic disparities that plague Haiti, Jean-Baptiste formed Kreyol Essence, a company with a business model that benefits the country both economically and environmentally. A high-end product available to the global market, Haitian Black Castor Oil is helping to ignite an aggressive reforestation plan that propels the growth of undervalued native tropical vegetation. Imported commodities from around the world have crippled the agricultural economy of Haiti and Jean-Baptiste is driven to correct that problem, creating prosperity and self-sufficiency through the use of the island’s natural resources.Using ethically sourced and organic ingredients to craft a luxury brand that celebrates the vibrant and bold imagery of the island, Jean-Baptiste is working to rewrite Haiti’s narrative and change the global image of the country using sustainable materials and practices.

I consider our work as an opportunity to develop new marketing strategies to help me visually communicate our multicultural perspective with all people. - Stephane Jean-Baptiste

Jessenia Thimotee, Epis Kreyol

Jessenia Thimotee , Epis Kreyol.Used with permission.

Thimotee is promoting Haiti’s native vegetation, food culture and sustainable practices with Epis Kreyol. Made with non-genetically modified organisms and organic Haitian spices noted for their healing properties, the flavorful seasoning sauce is safe for almost all palettes. The ingredients are grown organically, making it equally safe for the island’s natural environment.

Epis Kreyol is putting Haiti on the map with its native spices, allowing food enthusiasts from all over the world to enjoy an authentic taste of Haiti.

Johnson "Blada" Desauguste, Kay Blada Recycling

Johnson Desauguste, Kay Blada Recycling.Used with permission.

Desauguste was inspired to form the nonprofit organization, Kay Blada Recycling, after growing up witnessing the extreme poverty and environmental devastation that plague Haiti. Kay Blada Recycling addresses both issues by providing sustainable employment to local Haitians in the mission to alleviate plastic waste on the island. Along with the direct recycling effort, Desauguste is also dedicated to educating Haitian citizens about waste management and environmental stewardship. Cleaner streets and waterways are a direct result of his mission to inspire and empower people to clean up Haiti’s natural environment.In the three years since its founding, Kay Blada Recycling has grown to employ 100 people and has recycled over 85,000 pounds of plastic. Desauguste continues to seek out ways to further the causes of lowering unemployment and decreasing plastic waste.

That's 100 Haitians that otherwise would not have anything to do with their time due to the high unemployment rate in Haiti, and 85,000 pounds of plastic that was going be burned or end up in the ocean. Think about it. - Johnson Desauguste

Wanda Tima, L'union Suite & The Haitian American

Wanda Tima, L'union Suite.Used with permission.

Tima created L’Union Suite to serve as an online platform for networking and connecting young entrepreneurs with established professionals in entertainment, sports, culture and humanitarian efforts. The platform gathers and curates authentic stories about Haiti, Haitians and Haitian-Americans to reveal the unique and inspiring life of the island and its citizens to the world. These accurate and authentic accounts excite interest in Haiti and attract tourists, boosting the nation’s economy.Dedicated to changing Haiti’s narrative, L’ Union Suite has created a wave of young ambassadors to tell and share the stories that no one else will tell. Sharing news and information about efforts and accomplishments allows the world can see Haitians and the Haitian diaspora with less focus on the country’s difficulties and more on the joy of a strong and resilient people. Tima’s ultimate goal is to inspire others and create a legacy of hard work, dedication, and community change.

Since launching in 2011, L’union Suite has attracted over 10 million visitors a week and gained more than 300,000 subscribers via the site and social media platforms.

Christian Tribie, 121 Consulting Group

Christian Tribie, 121 Consulting.Used with permission.

Focusing on sustainable development in energy, water and agriculture, 121 Consulting is comprised of a group of individuals dedicated to developing a better Haiti. The group’s first project was the engineering, procurement and construction of a 130 kilowatt PV system with a 196 kilowatt-hour lithium storage capacity. The system supports an office building that provides services to improve Haitian education, health, children and orphanages. The project developer, 10Power, promoted gender equality and the empowerment of the local workforce, along with providing valuable training on OSHA safety and code compliance (NEC 2017).The project represents the largest solar installation on a UNICEF base to date and was a Caribbean Renewable Energy Forum (CREF) 2018 Industry Award Winner. It stands as a benchmark for the growth of renewables development in the Caribbean. 121 Consulting and 10Power continue to pursue more projects where local empowerment will drive economic success in Haiti.

With the continued tenacity and innovation of organizations like these, the Caribbean’s switch to a clean and resilient energy grid will be much sooner than many thought possible.  Adam Carter- Advisory committee member, CIBC FirstCaribbean

Duquesne Fednard, D&E Green Enterprises

Duquesne Fednard , D&E Green Enterprises.Used with permission.

Fednard is a passionate social entrepreneur who seeks to break the cycle of extreme poverty by using innovative approaches in employing local resources to solve local problems. He has created several programs to address and successfully alleviate extreme poverty in Haiti and is always looking for new ways to solve social issues in a financially viable and scalable manner.Fednard built Haiti’s first and only business processing outsourcing center (BPO), providing training and high paying jobs to underprivileged youth. He has also created an automatic savings program (SxC) for ultra-low income people by harnessing their existing spending on basic food staples. Other successful projects implemented by Fednard and D&E Green Enterprises have been corncob- and solar-powered micro-grids that provide reliable power to more than 300 households and a factory for producing highly efficient cookstoves to slow the deforestation caused by the excessive use of charcoal.

“I believe if we can create financially viable systems to provide universal access to basic services such as clean energy, health care and education, extreme poverty will be a thing of the past.” - Duquesne Fednard

By: James Ellsmoor for Forbes.com | December 1, 2018      

GOP Rep. Mark Sanford: Haitian babies born in US don’t deserve birthrights because they are not ‘former slaves’

Outgoing South Carolina Republican Rep. Mark Sanford on Wednesday insisted that some babies born in the U.S. — from places like Haiti — do not deserve to be granted birthright citizenship because the 14th Amendment was only intended to apply to descendants of slaves.During a discussion on MSNBC about President Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship, Sanford argued that the constitution did not apply to immigrants when it said all “persons” born in the U.S. have the right to be citizens.“What do you make of the suggestion that birthright citizenship can be revoked with the stroke of a pen?” MSNBC host Craig Melvin asked the South Carolina Republican.“I would find that hard to believe,” Sanford replied. “I’m not a fan of birthright citizenship. But I think it’s much more complex than the stroke of a pen.”“Why are you not a fan of it?” Melvin wondered. “You do recognize that it’s in enshrined in the Constitution, the Fourteenth Amendment?”“I happen to be [co-sponsoring] a bill that would say otherwise,” Sanford stuttered. “I think there are a number of folks who have said that particular interpretation is not really what the founding fathers intended.”“The idea that you just happen to come in from Haiti or anywhere else and because you get your boat to shore, all the sudden you are open to the same rights and privileges that anybody else is, I think that’s at odds with the intent,” he continued. “I think it was ultimately about slavery at that time and rights that should come to former slaves. But we’ll leave that to legal experts.”The Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, however, does not mention slavery as a requirement for bestowing citizenship rights on people born in the U.S.Section 1 states: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”Sanford, who lost his seat in this year’s Republican primary, also said that he could not condemn the alleged racism of Rep. Steve King (R-IA) because he has been “focused on shutting down the office here.”Watch the video below from MSNBC.https://twitter.com/r35i5t/status/1057718366516011009?s=21By: David Edwards for rawstory.com | October 27, 2018

This Beauty Queen Builds Schools in Haiti

Christie Desir is more than meets the eye. She's a fashion model -- and a role model. She won Miss Universe Haiti in 2014, but she's much more than a beauty queen. The self-described "entrepreneurial hustler" is building her career as an actress, model and host. She's also helping build schools in Haiti."I'm Haitian, and I'm an American. And I'm chasing my dreams in both countries," Desir said.

Christie Desir in downtown Manhattan in October 2018.

CBS News

Desir grew up in what she calls a tough neighborhood in the south end of Stamford, Connecticut. Her childhood home, now dilapidated and surrounded by a chain link fence, is a relic from a bygone area as other parts of the neighborhood are being rapidly revitalized. But Desir has always had perspective on the challenging circumstances of her childhood."I spent summers in Haiti," she recalled, "where other children had it much worse."That motivated her. She worked hard in school, fondly recalling her mother's insistence on a perfect attendance record. She would eventually go on to to be the first person in her family to graduate with a bachelor's degree. She landed an internship with music mogul Sean "Diddy" Combs and then got a full-time job at a record company in New York City. She was chasing her dreams -- and catching them."But something was always calling me back to Haiti," Desir said.

Christie Desir reviews blueprints for the schools she's helping to build in Haiti.

CBS News

In 2014, she left everything behind and moved back to Haiti, with a primary focus on volunteering and teaching English, although she said in the back of her mind she had considered competing in Miss Universe Haiti. Both the volunteer work and the competition were demanding. For the pageant, she trained and competed in a series of local contests nearly every day for three months, but she says everything was worth it when she won."I truly wanted to show the world a different side of Haiti," Desir said. "And that's what kept me pushing."The accolades brought Desir newfound attention and opportunities. She partnered with the nonprofit Haiti Health Initiative on a mission trip to the small village of Timo. When she asked the people of the community what they needed most, the resounding answer was a school. At the time, the town's school and church were both housed in a small shed-like structure.Desir noted with pride that the school is now under construction, will be built to withstand a hurricane and is scheduled to be completed by September 2019. "The ultimate dream is to continue to open schools throughout Haiti," she said.Another of Desir's dreams was to become an actress, something she put on hold while living full-time in Haiti. So she recently decided to move back to New York City and chase that goal."I go from waitressing to hosting events to fundraising to auditioning to modeling," Desir said. "That's how women entrepreneurs like me hustle to get things done."

Christie Desir performing an acting scene in New York City.

CBS News

If her past is any indication, Desir will find success in her current pursuits. Her website boasts a calendar full of upcoming events and creative endeavors, and she has an Instagram following of more than 22,000. When asked what she wanted to share with contemporaries and fans, she said: "My message to all the little girls and women entrepreneurs out there is stay true to yourself, be nice, work hard, write your own narrative. And if one door shuts, kick the next door open."By: Jeremy Bradley -MoneyWatch -for CBSnews.com | October 30, 2018

High-school-basketball-coach-threatens-send-player-home-Haiti-profane-rant

'I'm the dirtiest, baddest motherf***er on this earth': High school basketball coach calls a player 'r*****ed' and threatens to send him back to his home in Haiti in a profane rant

• Mike Woodbury – the owner of Port Saint Lucie's Nation Christian Academy, where he coaches boys basketball – was recorded threatening the player
• During the recording, Woodbury can be heard saying that he 'control[s] transcripts,' seemingly implying he could control the player's GPA 
• When the player received his transcripts, he had a 1.4 grade-point average (GPA). He asserts that Woodbury changed his grades to harm his future 
• Woodbury denied the accusation and attributed the lower numbers to an 'error' 
• The rant seems to be in response to the player's decision to transfer schools
• In the statement, Woodbury claims the foreign student actually lived with him 
• The player and a teammate claim they found a damaging conversation between Woodbury and a woman, which spurred him to ask for a request to transfer
• Players coached by Woodbury in Maine claimed he verbally abused them

A basketball coach who owns a private academy in Florida has admitted to a profanity-laced tirade in which he called a player 'r*****ed' while threatening to send him back to his home country of Haiti after the student told him he was transferring to another school.

After a recording of the profane tirade was released on YouTube, Mike Woodbury – the owner of Port Saint Lucie's Nation Christian Academy – admitted to the rant in a school statement.

Woodbury said the full conversation lasted 20 minutes. The YouTube clip is about three minutes long, but contains a litany of derogatory terms aimed at the player, who was seemingly telling the coach he intended to transfer.

In speaking with Stadium, the player said he left Nation Christian Academy two days after the

'Just get out of my face,' Woodbury said at the start of the clip. 'Take your broke asses – I'll say it again – your broke asses back to the garage. I don't want to hear from you. The bottom line … get the f*** out. Just walk the f*** out. I don't give a shit. I control transcripts. I control where you go next. It could be back to Haiti, mother****er. That's how easy it is for me.'

According to Stadium, that player and a teammate claim they found a damaging conversation between Woodbury and a woman, which spurred the player to ask Nation Christian's head of school for a release and transfer.

When the player, who is reportedly being recruited by McNeese State, Louisiana Tech and other mid-majors, received his transcripts, he had a 1.4 grade-point average (GPA). He asserts that Woodbury changed his grades, but Woodbury denied the accusation and attributed the lower numbers to an 'error in calculation.'

WOODBURY'S TIRADE 

Mike Woodbury: What was this conversation about?

Player: I don't know?

Woodbury : Me disrespecting you fake f***s? Just get out of my face. Take your broke a**es - I'll say it again - your broke a**es back to the f***ing garage. I don't want to hear s*** from you. Bottom line. The next thing I hear from you, just get the f*** out. Just walk the f*** out. I don't give a s***.

I control [grade] transcripts. I control where you go next. It could be back to Haiti motherf***er. That's how easy it is for me. You don't want to - listen, I'm the one thing that you don't want to cross. I'm the dirtiest, baddest motherf***er on this earth.

First of all, you can't get to my level. You can't; you can't. It's like I said when I came out and you tried to get out and (inaudible) and say you're going to f***ing - and what did I tell you? I'm going to send your little...

Player: Yo, I...

Woodbury: Hey, shut up stupid a**. I screen shot it. You know what that's called? What's that called f***face? It's called extortion. I have it on a text message you dumb motherf***er. I screenshot it.

(Both the player and coach talk over each other)

Woodbury: Stop talking. No, you're done talking.

(Player talking in the background)

Woodbury: You're still talking. You're still talking. You're done talking. Stop talking. Because now I control everything. I just want you to really know that.

Player: You control what?

Woodbury: I am going to f*** you in your a** the next time you talk out of line. I'm going to take everything from you. And let it be known, I'm saying it out loud. I am going to take everything from you...

Look up the word. I know you're r*****ed. So take one of your friends and have them look up the word extortion for you. If you need some help spelling it, right maybe Simon can put it on f***ing word check. 

During the recording, Woodbury can be heard saying that he 'control[s] transcripts,' seemingly implying he could control the player's GPA.

Woodbury alleged to Stadium that the player had attempted to extort school leadership.

The player, who was in his second season at the school after moving over from Haiti at 15, allegedly skipped school, which, as Woodbury told Stadium, was the final straw.

The player denied many of the specific charges made against him by Woodbury to Stadium, and insists he was not trying to extort anyone.

Rather, the player claimed, he was worried the school would be shut down and he wanted to transfer before that happened.

He claims Woodbury's efforts to misrepresent his GPA negatively impacted his chances to transfer: 'I’ve already had two schools close down on me. I was afraid this one would be shut down also, so I wanted to get out of there.'

Multiple players coached by Woodbury in Maine told Stadium they witnessed verbal abuse from him. The private school league in which Nation Academy was a member of, Sunshine Independent Athletic Association, told Stadium it parted ways with the institution.

Woodbury released a statement Wednesday: 'First, I want to apologize for the vulgar language that was used in the video that has been circulating around. I have had this particular student for a year. He is like family and sometimes family arguments get blown out of proportion.

'I am in no way justifying the language, however, there are two sides to every story. This conversation did not take place at school, I do not coach the team. Without indicting the child too much, there were multiple conduct issues while this student was attending school and living in my home with my wife and son. One issue was criminal in nature, that was not pursed as the intentions are not to cause lifelong damage to this student.

'Also, this particular student was asked to leave the school and we arranged for it to be done so amicably. The timeline on this "conversation" is deceiving as this was on 10/17/2018 with 4 other students and another coach present. This conversation was in regards to the several conduct issues and lasted 35 minutes, the particular clip was dubbed to 3 minutes. I am readily available for comment.'

The rant went viral after former Kentucky Wildcats star and journeyman NBA guard Rex Chapman posted the YouTube link on Twitter.

'Sickening,' Chapman wrote. 'Please pay attention to the people "coaching" your kids. This is Nation Christian Academy Head Basketball Coach Mike Woodbury reacting to a player transferring. He was recorded. This is not coaching. Or teaching...'

By Alex Raskin Sports News Editor For Dailymail.com and Associated Press | October 31, 2018See full video below - Warning: Graphic content

 

Haiti: Top Officials Fired After Anti-Corruption Protests

Haitian President Jovenel Moise removed Monday two top government officials in a purge of people linked to a corruption scandal that sparked violent mass protests last week, Channel News Asia reported.

The cabinet chief and the secretary general of the presidency were fired from their posts along with 15 government advisers, according to an official announcement.

These firings follow a report compiled in August by the Haitian Senate that called for charges to be brought against two former prime ministers and several other government officials for alleged embezzlement of US$3.8 billion, abuse of power and forgery in connection with a Venezuelan oil loan program.

PetroCaribe, a Venezuelan-led oil alliance between the South American nation and Caribbean countries, was funneling money into Haitian government coffers. But the Haitian Senate’s report follows up parliamentary investigation into whether the PetroCaribe funds were then misspent by previous administrations.

“To have a healthy process, the president has decided to rid the environment of people linked to Petrocaribe without admitting they are guilty of anything,” Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant said at a news conference this week.

Haiti’s citizens remain outraged by the lack of arrests and the slow pace of the investigations. Last week at least two people were killed and dozens were injured as anti-corruption protesters numbering in the thousands surged through the streets of the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince.

A police spokesman said 11 civilians were injured by bullets and 11 officers by flying rocks, but other officials reported higher civilian injuries.

The protests were kicked off by a photo tweeted by Haitian filmmaker and writer Gilbert Mirambeau Jr. showing him blindfolded and holding a cardboard sign reading “Where is the PetroCaribe money?” in Creole.

The social media campaign, called the #petrocaribechallenge, has spread like wildfire throughout Haiti, one of the poorest nations in the world.

“We are fed up with what’s going on,” said Mirambeau, 35. “It’s like we have a knife under our throats, and are looking at the government and not doing anything.”

Some marchers were heard calling for the resignation of President Jovenel Moise, who took office in February 2017 and whom many accuse of thwarting the PetroCaribe investigation.

In response to the protests, both Moise and Prime Minister Ceant reasserted their commitment to investigating the alleged embezzlement.

“No one will escape justice. It is a moral duty and a righteousness,” Moise tweeted on Thursday.

“We are going to create an independent commission to investigate the truth of Petrocaribe,” Ceant told journalists.

Neighbors on call: Haiti may offer window to Montana’s healthcare future

This is the first part of a three-part story on the role of community health workers in rural health care from the Montana Gap project. Part one: What’s working abroad? In rural Haiti, locals trained as community health workers help mentally ill neighbors where full-fledged physicians are few and far between.As a child, Presandieu Charles suffered severe headaches and stomach pains. One day he beat his mother on the foot and thigh with a stick, and later cried when he saw what he had done.In October 2017, Charles began to hammer at the timber walls of his family’s dirt-floored home with his fists. He would not stop. Neighbors bound his ankles and wrists with leather straps and metal chains. They called his affliction “the madness.” He still has the scars: dark star-shaped marks on the skin on his right wrist.The house perches on the edge of a lush, forested ridge several miles outside Cange, a remote Haitian village near the Dominican border. Inside it is cool, and slivers of light stream through the white lace curtain hanging in the front door frame. Charles’ shoulders droop as he sits on a bed dressed with Pokémon sheets. The 24-year-old wears an Adidas t-shirt and plastic Nike sandals. Beside him is Joseph Benissois, a local community health worker with the Boston-based global health nonprofit Partners in Health (known in Haitian Creole as Zanmi Lasante). The two exchange no small talk, and Benissois begins to ask Charles questions from a clipboard in his lap. Charles doesn’t often smile as Benissois asks them. When he does, though, it’s a sweet, knowing flash of pride at the progress his answers reveal.Does he cry? Not as often as he used to.Does he have difficulty sleeping? No, but he feels weak when he wakes, and he has trouble going to the garden or fetching water. That might be the drugs he is taking.Does he feel bad or uncomfortable with himself? In the past he felt bad. Now he tells jokes to the friends he sees on the street, smiles and laughs with them.In the past 15 days, has he wanted to die? “He used to say to himself that it’s better if he died, but not now,” an interpreter relays.Partners in Health, which was founded just down the road in Cange by renowned physician and humanitarian Paul Farmer, has been recruiting and training individuals like Benissois since the late 1980s and placing them on the frontlines of the organization’s efforts to combat cholera, HIV and other major health threats. But the 2010 earthquake that devastated this rugged Caribbean nation — killing an estimated 220,000 people, injuring more than 300,000 more and leaving some 1.5 million homeless — brought to the forefront another widespread Haitian health risk: This country of more than 10 million people had only 10 psychiatrists. The loss of homes, jobs and loved ones in the quake triggered a rash of depression that Haiti’s few specialists, already struggling to treat a host of other mental-health issues, were ill-equipped to handle. In the central plateau, Partners in Health tasked its community health workers to help fill the gap in mental-health coverage.The questions Benissois asks Charles come from a depression symptom inventory developed by the nonprofit. They’re identical to those asked by its 58 other mental-health-focused CHWs. Since April 1987, Benissois has worked with the organization as a CHW (or accompagnateur in Creole), a non-specialist position designed to provide patient check-ups and administer basic health care in small, remote communities. The model traces its roots back to the mid-1950s and China’s so-called barefoot doctors: farmers and other villagers who received short-term medical training to meet immediate needs in isolated towns. Gradually embraced and refined by the global health community over subsequent decades, the model is now a vital component of health-care strategies in scores of developing nations, and is being increasingly implemented in the United States. In fact, after five years of coordinated development by various stakeholders, Montana recently rolled out a CHW training curriculum of its own to support statewide implementation of a model that the Montana Office of Rural Health/Area Health Education Council says is proven to increase health-care access, reduce costs and improve responsiveness to patient needs. That the timing of that roll-out coincides with state budget cuts and widespread layoffs among community-based health-care service providers is entirely coincidental.Benissois is a familiar face in the hills around Cange, having served as the local pastor and a community advocate for more than 30 years. He visits as many as 20 patients a month throughout the Cange and nearby LaHoye regions. Occasionally, he’ll take a moto — a motorcycle taxi, one of the more popular modes of transportation in Haiti — to visit people like Charles. Today he’s on foot, shuffling with a lopsided gait along the shoulder of the highway, smiling casually to those he passes and greeting them with a familiar “bonjour.”Benissois visits Charles once a month. While Charles keeps regular appointments with Partners in Health physician Reginald Fils Aime in Cange, and is currently taking antipsychotic medications, the at-home check-ups with a trusted neighbor free him from having to make extra trips — a mile walk each way — to the clinic. When asked what the veteran CHW has done to help him, Charles wraps an arm around Benissois and beams.“I love him so much,” Charles says. “He is my father and Jesus Christ.”That Montana, an isolated, largely rural state nearly 3,000 miles from Haiti and, geographically, nearly 14 times the size, has recently embraced the CHW model in the face of its own health-care challenges makes the organization’s decades of work a compelling case study. Though culturally distinct, the two areas share many commonalities: remote populations, impoverished communities and, particularly in the wake of last year’s cuts to Montana’s mental-health budget, a pressing need for local solutions. And if the benefit that Benissois delivers to Charles is any indication, CHWs could become a valuable asset for Montanans as well.by: Alex Sakariassen Missoula Independent via Valleyjournal.net | October 10, 2018

Venice Plane Company Makes Weekly Service Trips to Haiti

From earthquakes to hurricanes, disasters like those only exemplify the need Agape Flights tries to offer.

VENICE, Fla. -- Allen Speer looked up at his red, white, and blue plane and smiled. It was ready to be loaded again for another life-saving flight to Haiti.“It’s more than a job. It’s a calling,” said the pastor-turned-CEO at Agape Flights in Venice.The plane’s tail tag reads “N316AF,” which Speer explained stands for John 3:16 – one of the world’s most quoted Bible verses.“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life,” he said.Everything Agape Flights does operates on faith. It’s a company that supports missionaries all over the Caribbean in places like Haiti, Cuba and the Dominican Republic. In all, 375 missionaries are supported by Agape Flights, which has operated in Florida for 39 years.“For me, there is no better feeling than to be able to help somebody else who can’t help themselves,” said Rod Aldrich, who sold his cows and retired as a dairy farmer in order to move to Florida to begin working for Agape Flights. “God drew us here.”"Agape" means "unconditional love" in Greek. It costs $5,000 per week just to fuel the planes that Agape Flights sends to and from the Caribbean. The supplies, mostly mail and non-perishable food, helps sustain the men and women ministering to nationals all over Hispaniola.“We’re supplying the supplies that enables them to continue reaching out and, like you said, show the people of Haiti, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, that we care about them,” said pilot Jeff Yannucciello. “They’re not forgotten. We’re doing a flight a week usually, sometimes up to 65 flights a year.”Haiti is considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere. Agape Flights is fewer than 800 miles away. A 5.9 magnitude earthquake shook Haiti Saturday night and at least ten people died. A disaster like that and devastating hurricanes only exemplify the need Agape Flights tries to offer.“When they see that plane coming, they say, ‘Hope is Life,’ and they’re so thankful for this red, white, and blue plane when they see it coming in,” Speer said.The company's motto is "Serving Christ by Serving His Missionaries."By: Bobby Lewis for wtsp.com (10 News) | October 8, 2018

Death toll in Haiti earthquake rises to 15; at least 333 injured

PORT-DE-PAIX, Haiti — The death toll from a 5.9 earthquake that hit Haiti over the weekend rose to at least 15 people with 333 injured, according to updated figures released Monday by authorities, as rescue crews worked to help victims spooked by strong aftershocks.Haiti's civil protection agency said in a statement that it will soon deploy 70 soldiers to the Nord-Ouest and Artibonite provinces that were hardest hit, noting it already sent 14 soldiers along with nurses and doctors to the area over the weekend.

Thousands of people along Haiti's north coast have dragged mattresses and chairs outside, fearing new aftershocks. Many wondered how they were going to rebuild from Saturday night's quake and a strong 5.2 magnitude aftershock on Sunday that had residents in the coastal city of Port-de-Paix and elsewhere worried about returning to their cracked cinderblock homes for fear they would collapse.

Among them was Marc-Sena Docteur, a 24-year-old carpenter whose girlfriend died in the earthquake."Now I'm left with a 9-month-old baby with no aid at all," he said. "I'm still crying. I don't know what I'm going to do without her."The walls of the room that the couple had been renting for a year collapsed, and he and the baby have been sleeping outdoors since the quake.

Sunday's aftershock caused panic on streets where emergency teams were providing relief to victims after cinderblock homes and rickety buildings toppled in several cities. The U.S. Geological Survey said the epicenter of the aftershock was located 9.8 miles (15.8 kilometers) north-northwest of Port-de-Paix.Among the dead were a 5-year-old boy crushed by his collapsing house.Impoverished Haiti, where many live in tenuous circumstances, is vulnerable to earthquakes and hurricanes. A vastly larger magnitude 7.1 quake damaged much of the capital in 2010 and killed an estimated 300,000 people.Etanvie Dimorne, a 50-year-old mason, said people have to rebuild stronger given the earthquakes that have hit Haiti. He lost his home in Saturday's quake and is now sleeping under a tarp in someone's yard."Last night it rained," he said. "I have to sleep under difficult conditions."

President Jovenel Moise urged people to donate blood and asked international aid agencies to coordinate with local agencies to avoid duplicated efforts. The government did not provide an estimate of the damages.

The USGS said Saturday's quake was centered 12 miles (19 kilometers) northwest of Port-de-Paix, which is about 136 miles (219 kilometers) from the capital of Port-au-Prince.It was felt lightly in the capital, as well as in the neighboring Dominican Republic and in eastern Cuba, where no damage was reported.In Haiti, officials have struggled to shore up buildings despite the two major fault lines along Hispaniola, which is the island shared with the Dominican Republic.

The damage from the temblors was visible. In Gros-Morne, one bed was covered in rubble, while the exterior walls of some homes were cracked. Others tilted at precarious angles.Pierre Jacques Baudre, a farmer and father of seven, said he was afraid to return to his home after one wall built with rocks and cement crumbled."The house can fall at any time," he said.The civil protection agency issued a statement saying that houses were destroyed in Port-de-Paix, Gros-Morne, Chansolme and Turtle Island.Damage was also reported at the Saint-Michel church in Plaisance and the police station in Port-de-Paix. Parts of a hospital and an auditorium collapsed in Gros-Morne, where parliamentarian Alcide Audne told The Associated Press that two of the deaths occurred.By: Associated Press via NBCnews.com | October 8, 2018

New York Knicks: Former Columbia Forward Jeff Coby To Sign

The New York Knicks will sign Jeff Coby, a former Columbia forward, according to Nicola Lupo of Sportando.

The New York Knicks appeared to complete their training camp roster for training camp, with the signing of Tyrius Walker on an Exhibit 10 deal. This brought the group to 20 players, but could there be another change on the way?

According to Nicola Lupo of Sportando, the Knicks will sign Jeff Coby, a former forward at Columbia. ESPN’s Ian Begley added how Coby worked out for the team recently and impressed in informal sessions and garnered the coaching staff’s attention.

Coby played for the Haitian National Team and spent the past year in Spain, and while at Columbia, he averaged 5.2 points and 3.9 rebounds on 43 percent shooting from 2013-17.

Former Columbia forward Jeff Coby will sign a deal with the New York Knicks, according to a source. He spent his rookie season in Spain.

— Nicola Lupo (@NicolaLupo99) September 20, 2018

Columbia’s Jeff Coby has agreed to a deal with the Knicks, league sources confirm. Coby, a Hatian National Team standout, has worked out w/the Knicks in informal sessions recently and impressed the staff. The Coby agreement was first reported by @NicolaLupo99.

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) September 21, 2018

No indication on what kind of deal Cody signed, but another Exhibit 10 deal makes sense so he can join the Westchester Knicks for the 2018-19 season.Coby’s presence makes him the 21st player on the training camp roster, and teams can only carry 20 into the season. That puts someone onThat puts someone on the outside looking in.The obvious name is Joakim Noah, with reports of his impending departure before training camp. He and the Knicks have battled through a tumultuous relationship for the past two years, since the former president of basketball operations, Phil Jackson, gave the veteran center a four-year, $72 million deal in 2016.A waive-and-stretch scenario is the most likely way to remove Noah from the roster. That’s unless a team steps up with trade interest.If not Noah, the Knicks have players on partially guaranteed deals, including Kadeem Allen and Noah Vonleh, but it would be a surprise to see either be cut as this saga reaches its conclusion.With Coby around, look for the Knicks and Noah to end this two-year-long adventure and open a roster spot for camp. It still leaves decisions before the start of the season, as the squad must trim down to 17 (15 without the way-way players).

by: Rob Wolkenbrod for dailyknicks.com | September 21, 2018

Naomi Wants the World to Know Haiti for Its Beauty and Its Cuisine

"I have no problem becoming an ambassador for my father’s country. Haiti deserves to be known by the world for its magnificent beauty and especially its delicious cuisine ” Osaka

Noami Osaka, who was born from a Japanese mother and a Haitian father, visited Haiti recently in her effort to learn and connect more with her father’s country. The young superstar, who defeated Venus Williams recently in the second round tournament in Hong Kong expresses her interest in being an ambassador for Haiti. “I have no problem becoming an ambassador for my father’s country. Haiti deserves to be known by the world for its magnificent beauty and especially its delicious cuisine ” Osaka said during a press conference at the Karibe Hotel.Osaka who was raised in Japan, and started to play tennis at the age of 3, admits that she always hear negative things about Haiti, and she wanted to find out for herself, and that is why this year she decides to come to Haiti. “I am grateful for this experience; I had the opportunity to visit Jacmel, where I visited several beautiful beaches,” she said. although it is her first time in Haiti, Osaka was able to experience this beautiful sunny country, and she does not want to keep it for herself, she wants to share it with the world.The 20 years old, Naomi Osaka has a very promising tennis career, and she says her parents have been very supportive. This experience changes her life, and her perception about Haiti and she is determined to help educate the world about the natural beauty of Haiti and everything it has to offer.By Davidson Toussaint for Davidson Toussaint.com | October 31, 2017

US Open 2018: Naomi Osaka, the new face of tennis, gears up for another battle against 'biggest idol' Serena Williams

Today, for the first time in the history of women’s tennis, a Japanese player made the finals of a Grand Slam. That player is Naomi Osaka, currently ranked No 19 on the WTA Tour and poised for a top 10 breakthrough. Now, she faces her “biggest idol” — one she shares with millions — Serena Williams, who, in the year after giving birth to her daughter, has now already made two Grand Slam finals.Osaka was born in Osaka in October of 1997, over two years after her idol and now rival at the US Open, went professional. With the option to sign with the United States Tennis Association, Osaka’s father chose to sign her to where he said she found significantly more support: The Japanese Tennis Federation, which is incidentally the earliest-founded tennis federation in Asia. Osaka herself has lived in the United States since she was three years old.

Naomi Osaka became the first Japanese women's player to reach a Grand Slam final. AP

In so many ways, their courses through the tennis court have been similar and yet so different. Born to a Japanese mother and a Haitian-American father, Naomi Osaka has had to face racial prejudice and assumptions through her relatively young career so far. In a 2016 interview, Osaka said Japanese locals were often left surprised when they saw her. “When I go to Japan, people are confused. From my name, they don’t expect to see a black girl," she revealed.It goes without saying that the Williams sisters have had a transformational effect on tennis  but this effect is so much more significant for athletes of color. Venus and Serena have been the biggest female athletes of colour since Althea Gibson, who was the first person of colour in the history of tennis to win a Grand Slam — at the 1956 French Open. In a sport that has been pushing to become more inclusive, the WTA’s top 20 features Osaka herself, her semi-final competitor Madison Keys, and defending US Open champion Sloane Stephens. Each of the three — not to mention a number in the top 20 — cite Serena Williams as the biggest, most significant inspiration and for many, the reason they began playing tennis. It is truly staggering just how much one significant idol can change the face of a sport, and Serena Williams has been that idol.This year, Osaka played Williams at the Miami Open and trounced her in straight sets. But a Grand Slam is a different beast, and Serena, with 23 (as of now) has more Grand Slam titles than the years Naomi Osaka has been on earth. That win might have been followed up by a drubbing to Elina Svitolina, but for Osaka, it followed her first Premier title at Indian Wells, where she defeated former No 1 Maria Sharapova in the first round, and then handed World No 1 Simona Halep a bagel in the semi-finals before taking home the trophy as the tournament’s first unseeded champion in over a decade. That win came 13 years after a certain Belgian player named Kim Clijsters achieved the feat in 2005.2018 has been Osaka’s best year so far, but the tall ace showed promise early on. At the Bank of the West Classic in Stanford in July 2014 — less than a year after she went pro, the then 16-year-old beat 2011 US Open champion Samantha Stosur with serves that came in at just under 200km/h, giving plenty of people plenty of reasons to sit up and take notice. She also saved match point against the experienced former World No 4 as much as a mental game as it is physical.Both women are tall. Serena at 5’ 9” and Osaka at a staggering 5'11", and it is a fact that other than Serena Williams, Osaka has one of the most powerful serves on the current women’s tour. Big forehands, aggressive baseline play. Sound familiar? That might be because Serena is one of Osaka’s biggest idols. “I’ve always wanted to play her.”Indeed, both their styles are very reminiscent of one another and in a few ways, different. Both play aggressively from the baseline, but while Osaka focuses on a powerful forehand, Serena has a more all-round game which of course, also comes from experience. Osaka’s serves have speed but then, so always have those of Serena, who has the added advantage of having one of the most powerful serves in the history of tennis. Those are some pretty big shoes to fill and currently, Serena is still very much in them. While Osaka has a more offensive style of play, Serena has always managed both the offensive and defensive game with aplomb. Williams is also known for her consistent aces, especially at critical times — something she has been doing even more than usual in recent years — while Osaka’s serves are consistent and speedy, her ace delivery is not frequent.Last year, Osaka made perhaps the biggest stride forward in her career when she enlisted Sascha Bajin to be her coach. The Serbian-born German player was on the ITF circuit in 2007 when he received a call-up to be the hitting partner of a professional tennis player — Serena Williams. From a hitting partner, Bajin has evolved over the years into more of a coach, and worked with former No 1s Victoria Azarenka and Caroline Wozniacki, with whom he parted ways only last year, before taking Osaka under his wing.Bajin himself highlights perhaps the biggest difference between the two players. Serena Williams is known to be one of the most outgoing players on the tour, and her drive spills over from her professional life into the personal, and vice versa. On the other hand, Osaka is more reserved, and although she can fire big shots that are reminiscent of Serena, she does not have the on-court aggression that has become a trademark of Williams’ game.Similarities and differences in game aside, Osaka has established herself quickly as one of the funniest characters off the court  even if she is a bit shy. Known for her quick, dry humour, Osaka said the Serena win at Indian Wells was her ‘second-favourite’ win, second to her victory over her sister Mari. When Osaka met her other idolVenus Williams at the WTA Finals in 2016, she stood around the former No 1 in awe, and in typical Naomi Osaka fashion, said at the time she thought she was “kind of creeping her out.” Her social media is further evidence to her dry brand of humour:

In the middle of telling a joke 😫 pic.twitter.com/85ZkO7RoQ5

— NaomiOsaka大坂なおみ (@Naomi_Osaka_) March 17, 2018

Osaka’s Indian Wells acceptance speech was one for the ages. Prefacing it by warning the crowd it might be the “worst acceptance speech ever”, she thanked rival Daria Kasatkina and her team, then her own team for “putting up with me”, and the “awesome ball kids.” Stumbling over her own words, she consistently had the crowd in stitches.On Serena Williams: “I was really impressed by her and wanted to play like her when I was little. Well, I hope I’m starting to play like her now,” Osaka said at the start of her professional career. Once described by Serena as “talented and dangerous”, Naomi Osaka is both of those things and a package of talent, honesty and hilarity all rolled into one.In the years since her debut, Osaka has picked up more conversational Japanese, and says she can “understand almost everything”, which has endeared her significantly to what is now a loyal Japanese fan base.Osaka is nothing if not open, and a refreshing change from the manicured, curated speeches and public images so many athletes have today. Youthful but not necessarily exuberant, Naomi Osaka is the new face of tennis: a talent for her generation, a receiver of a baton that has not yet been passed and this weekend, a young tennis star who faces her biggest idol across the net once again.

Naomi Osaka took these photos with her idol Serena Williams at the Bank of the West Classic in 2014. Now they will play for the 2018 US Open Title on Saturday. 😀🎾(photos WTA, Bank of the West Classic FB) pic.twitter.com/JpEw0X4W0K— LaWanda (@lawanda50) September 7, 2018

By: Anuradha Santhanam for firstpost.com | September 7, 2018

Naomi Osaka Reaches US Open Semifinals

NEW YORK -- Naomi Osaka charged into the first Grand Slam semifinal by a Japanese woman in 22 years, routing Lesia Tsurenko 6-1, 6-1 on Wednesday in the US Open quarterfinals.The No. 20 seed continued what's been a largely dominant run through the draw by winning in just 57 minutes, the third time in her five matches she didn't even have to play an hour.She raced to a 3-0 lead in the first set and then 4-0 in the second against the shaky Tsurenko, who finished with more unforced errors than points in her first major quarterfinal.Osaka will face either 14th-seeded Madison Keys or No. 30 Carla Suarez Navarro in the first major semifinal appearance for a Japanese woman since Kimiko Date reached the final four at Wimbledon in 1996.Osaka, who was born in Japan but moved to the U.S. at age 3, was followed on Arthur Ashe Stadium by Kei Nishikori facing Marin Cilic in a men's quarterfinal.Together, Osaka and Nishikori were the first Japanese woman and man to make the quarterfinals of the same Grand Slam since Date and Shuzo Matsuoka at Wimbledon in 1995.The 20-year-old said she was nervous, claiming to be "freaking out inside" -- though it certainly never showed."Just like my entire body was shaking, so I'm really glad I was able to play well today," she said.She won 59 points to just 28 for the unseeded Ukrainian, who knocked off No. 2 seed Caroline Wozniacki in the second round.But after laboring through the heat in her previous match, Tsurenko said she was sick Wednesday, waking up with a sore throat and not breathing well."Unfortunately during this tournament I had many issues with my health, and today was not my day obviously. I was not feeling well," she said.Osaka had consecutive 50-minute matches earlier in the tournament, including a 6-0, 6-0 thrashing of Aliaksandra Sasnovich in the third round.She was finally tested in the round of 16, edging past No. 26 Aryna Sabalenka 6-3, 2-6, 6-4 in a little more than 2 hours, but she was back in complete control against Tsurenko, winning 20 of 22 points (91 percent) on her first serve.Tsurenko labored in the heat during her fourth-round victory over Marketa Vondrousova, having her temperature and blood checked during a medical timeout in the first set and nearly quitting when she trailed early in the second. She recovered to win in three sets, with her opponent accusing her of acting after the match.It was another hot afternoon Wednesday, with temperatures in the high 80s but feeling some 10 degrees hotter with the humidity.Tsurenko didn't appear bothered by the conditions, but whether it was her health or just first-time jitters, she was off from the minute she stepped onto Arthur Ashe Stadium.She pushed some balls a few feet past the baseline, often failing to make Osaka do anything special to win a point and finishing with 31 unforced errors."I hate matches like this," Tsurenko said. "I didn't want to show this kind of game in front of this big crowd, but unfortunately I'm just not able to play now."By: Associated Press via ESPN.com| September 5, 2018

American Airlines Cuts Service to Haiti; Delta Adds Additional Flight

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti– American Airlines (AA) is cutting direct flights to Haiti’s capital from November, while Delta Airlines has announced it will begin a weekly flight the following month.AA said yesterday that from November 3, it will reduce the number of daily flights from six to four. The two that have been cut are services from Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport and New York’s John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport.But it will continue to operate three daily flights connecting Port-au-Prince to Miami International Airport. It will also continue to serve Cap-Haïtien, Haiti’s second largest city, with a daily flight from Miami.“It was a painful but necessary decision, given the economic circumstances, particularly in an environment where the cost of fuel is high,” American said in a letter to Renet Prévilon, Director of Customs at Toussaint Louverture International Airport yesterday.Peter Vittori, American’s managing director of sales for Florida, the Caribbean and Latin America, said the cuts, which are among several reductions, “makes for much more viable economics”.However, Guy Francois, minister of Haitians Living Abroad, the government ministry dedicated to the diaspora, said the move was “a big loss” for Haiti.At the same time, the country has welcomed news of an additional Delta Air Lines flight from JFK on Saturdays, starting December 22.Delta will also start a Saturday flight to Antigua beginning on the same date, and daily non-stop flights between JFK and Kingston, Jamaica from December 20. It is also expanding its service to the Bahamas with a second daily flight between JFK and Nassau, starting October 1.By: Carribean360.com | August 22, 2018

Haitians protest alleged misuse of PetroCaribe funds, demand accountability

Haitians hit the streets to call for an investigation into the alleged misuse of Venezuela-sponsored PetroCaribe funds by previous administrations.A social media campaign drew attention to the issue and led hundreds of Haitians in front of the Superior Court of Accounts with some holding signs that read, “Where is the PetroCaribe money?”“We’re here to ask the court, the (Ministry of ) Justice – I want to know where the fund given by Venezuela is, the fund that should be invested in development projects in the country? A fund estimated at more than 3 million dollars. It’s unacceptable that a small group of people, the (Ministry of) Justice, the parliament can’t understand this dynamic. This morning we’re mobilizing to ask where is this fund”, an unidentified protester said.

I want to know where the fund given by Venezuela is, the fund that should be invested in development projects in the country?

Another protester said “We’re here to denounce the thieves. They should turn over the PetroCaribe fund. We’re starting a peaceful movement. If they don’t turn over the money this movement can take any form. It’s their obligation to turn it over.”Venezuela’s PetroCaribe scheme, launched in 2005, has furnished about 12 Caribbean states with oil supplies under a flexible credit mechanism. It obliging these states to pay cash for part of every shipment and finance the rest at low interest rates, or buy it with goods like food and clothing. However, a collapse in oil prices has caused a recession in Venezuela, and stalled many of the PetroCaribe shipments.Earlier this year judges were appointed to probe possible acts of corruption with PetroCaribe funds during the administrations of former Haitian presidents Rene Preval and Michel Martelly, between 2008 and 2016.Current President Jovenel Moise, who is from the same party that ruled during the period, has been criticized for not pursuing corruption as actively as he vowed to do.Haiti has a long tradition of corruption, and international partners and anti-graft watchdogs have often blamed Haitian politicians for failing to crack down on the menace.By: Reuters via Africanews.com| August 25, 2018

An investment opportunity for Haiti’s Diaspora

A Brooklyn-based Haitian-American entrepreneur is on a mission to lead her fellow country folk living abroad to invest in the city of Cap-Haitien, commonly known as Okap — Haiti’s bustling northern city. Maritza Boudoir spearheaded “Thriving Okap,” — an initiative that encourages the economic revitalization of her home city from other Haitians interested in investing in the Caribbean nation. She says the city is open for business and if Haitians wanted to seek out a location in Haiti outside of Port-au-Prince.“There are lots of opportunities for Haitians in the Diaspora to get involved. Okap has a rich history and a growing tourism industry which could be very lucrative for the local economy and entreprene­urship,” said Boudoir. “There are risks but the opportunities are also there, with hard work, faith, dedication, and tough skin — we can thrive as a community.”Thriving Okap aims to present the issues and possibilities the city have, connect prospective investors with major players in the city, and analyze the various industries and find ways those problems can be resolved with business creation. And the prospects the country overall can offer is abundant.“The land in Haiti is very fertile so there are opportunities to expand in several areas such as agriculture, environment, and manufactur­ing,” she said.To jumpstart on bringing the initiative’s efforts forward, she connected with fellow Haitian-American and founder of the Haitian cultural site L’Union Suite, Wanda Tima. She says the pair share similar aspirations on Haiti’s improvement, and Tima’s influence within the Haitian Diaspora could raise awareness about the project.“We are both from Okap and I always admired her work in promoting our culture and her drive as a social entrepreneur, so when I had the intention of launching “Thriving Okap,” I knew she would be an effective media partner,” said Boudoir. “Her company does a fantastic job at bridging the gap between the locals and the Diaspora.”Other than Okap being Boudoir’s place of birth, she chose the city as the location for this initiative because of it being the country’s urban hub in the north, its fascinating past, and her established connection to it.“Okap is the second largest city and it’s rich in history, and as we are talking about Haiti being the first black independent nation — most of that history stems from the north,” she said. “‘Why Okap? Why not Okap?’ I had to start somewhere so I went with what I love and know best. If there’s any social, cultural and economic revolution to take place in Haiti, Okap is definitely the nucleus.”She says very often Haitians living abroad show little interest in going back to create economic development because they may view the country’s problems as challenges, but Boudoir wants to shift those attitudes and show that there are favorable options.“I am an entrepreneur at heart and a woman who is deeply connected and committed to her country, and instead of focusing on the problems, I decided to focus on the possibilities which is why I launched Thriving Okap,” she said.One of Okap’s biggest economies is self-employment through the strong presence of vendors, according to Boudoir. And the existence of such an industry shows the desire the city’s locals have finding work for themselves. She said that other emerging industries such as technology is growing rapidly and helps ease the way business owners connect.With Thriving Okap, Haitians interested in starting a business in Haiti should make visits to the city to assess what is there, and the team will make contact with established businesses they are in collaboration with, to determine the avenue one can delve into.Boudoir added that Okap was like any city across the globe and with an uptick in investment and job creation, the city will grab more interest that will benefit its growth.“Part of the reason the economy of any country works is when people have the opportunity to buy, and part of that is creating jobs, and in order to create jobs, we need thriving businesses. With “Thriving OKAP,” the focus is on local entreprene­urship,” she said. “When we create jobs, we decrease poverty and elevate the standard of living. But if we can educate people, we can change their mindset, and let them know that they are valued because feeling valued is at the core of every human being.”By: ALEXANDRA SIMON | Caribbean Life | August 21, 2018

Haitians Resurrect Honour For Historic Heroes

Newer generation reminded of roots by statues of iconic figures that went unnoticed for long time.Most countries have statues to honour iconic figures of the past, but in Haiti, statues of former heroes often go unnoticed.However, for the younger generation, they are now becoming a reminder of their roots.Al Jazeera's Gabriel Elizondo reports from Port-au-Prince.By: Gabriel Elizondo for Aljazeera.com | August 19, 2018