Message from the President – January 2021
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Mesaj Prezidan An
1 janvye 2021
One respe pou tout moun!
Bon fèt endepandans! Peyi a gen 217 lane depi li reprezante yon gwo limyè pou libète kont sistèm esklavaj. 217 lane tou lap peye konsekans revolisyon an.
Map ekri mesaj sa a ann Ayiti… Jodi a mwen tap pataje soup pa m, epi mwen te bwe pa zanmi m yo tou. Kounye a m ta renmen fè yon ti refleksyon sou lane denye a, remèsye w pou kontribisyon w epi enfòme w sou koze Asosyasyon Etid Ayisyen (H.S.A. nan sig angle a) pou lane 2021 an.
Jan nou swiv nouvèl yo, sitiyasyon an grav. Anpil. Peyi a lòk ankò, men se pa pèp la ki deside pote kole ak mouvman yo. Menmsi moun riske lavi yo pran lari nan yon vag kidnapin, pa gen machin… depi kèk jou pa gen gaz. Menm yon pwovens tankou Grandans pa epanye. Lavni a rete ensèten. Pa gen palman. Prezidan gouvène pa dekrè… youn nan denye dekrè konsidere manifestasyon yo kòm zak teworis, epitou 944 manifestan te pèdi lavi yo nan 9 premye mwa 2020 la. Nan yon mwa, 7 fevriye, manda prezidan an ta sipoze fini. Men pèsòn pa ka di kisa ki pral fèt, kouman denye etap sa a pral dewoule.
2020 te yon lane katastwòf toupatou, sitou pou Etazini kote pifò manm nou rete. Anplis lapolis te touye 164 moun nwa pandan 8 premye mwa yo, kowona te touye preske 350,000 moun, epi nenpòt 45 milyon moun pèdi travay yo. Enpak COVID nan inivèsite yo grav anpil… epi nou poko wè klè jis ki nivo kriz inivèsite sa a pral rive. Fòk nap lite tout kote. Se pou sa tou wwen vin prezidan sendika inivèsite m.
Nou menm manm H.S.A. te fè yon gwo jefò lane denye… nou reyisi reyini online, sou Zoom. Anplis, te gen 4 seyans Jèn Chèchè (Emerging Scholars) epi 5 seyans Atelye Travay yo. Gras ak anpil nan nou ki te pote kontribisyon nou, finans nou vin pi solid pou n pare pou n vanse.
Epi nou pap ka pa vanse.
Ane 2021, jan nou menm manm Asosyasyon an te mande, nap kontinye òganize yon aktivite sou Zoom pi regilyèman. Jodi a 1 janvye nou te òganize yon diskisyon avèk yon videyo Etant Dupain te reyalize ki fenk sòti an oktòb, Madanm Sara. Pwochen aktivite nou pral fèt 6 fevriye otou videyo Chèche Lavi¸ sou migrasyon ki fèt anvè Brezil. Epi tou ret tann yon relans aktivite Jèn Chèchè yo…
Paske Kowona poko di denye mo li, nou poko ka planifye kòlòk anyèl pou yon ti moman… nap sèvi ak moman sa a pou n vin pi solid sou plan òganizasyon nou. Komite yo ap konsolide travay nou. Epitou tout moun tap tann nou ap pase nan yon lòt faz Gwoup Travay yo, pou kèk komisyon ka vin gen pi plis pèmanans. Ret tann anons la nan pwochen semenn yo!! Si w ta renmen pote kole ak komisyon ki ap òganize yo, tanpri fè n konnen. Epi nap lanse baz done ekspètiz manm yo.
Map ekri w kòm prezidan toujou… akòz COVID nou te blije pwolonje manda Egzekitif la. Map mete tan m ak enèji m a nivo 100%, jan m toujou fonksyone. Mèsi pou konfyans nou bay mwen kòm prezidan… nou onore m anpil. Anplis ranfòsman enstitisyonèl ak Gwoup Travay yo ane sa, priyorite pou mwen se pou kore manm ki viv Ayiti yo. Nap òganize yon komisyon epi yon mini-kòlòk ann Ayiti, menmsi li sou Zoom. Malgre reyisit nan fè kòlòk la an oktòb, nou wè klè ke majorite moun ki pat ka prezan rete Ayiti. Fòk nou korije sa, youn fwa pou tout!
Asosyasyon an remèsye twa manm Konsèy ki fini manda yo, Marlene Daut, Régine Jean-Charles, ak Andrew Tarter. Mèsi anpil pou sèvis ou te bay H.S.A. a.
Epitou nou remèsye twa manm ki ap koumanse bay sèvis pa yo ki sòti nan eleksyon ane pase a. Mamyrah Dougé-Prosper, Ayanna Legros, ak Petrouchka Moïse vin nouvo manm konsèy. Ayanna reprezante etidyan/ jèn chèchè nou yo. Bat bravo pou yo! Byenvini! Nou pwofite pou nou di mèsi tou a tout manm konsèy la ki ban nou anpil zepòl ansanm avèk sekretarya nou an.
Epi mèsi pou tout tan, enèji, mwayen finansye, ak bon volonte nou tout pote pou Asosyasyon Etid Ayisyen nan. Se pou nou tout òganizasyon an ye.
Nap pale pita…
Ane sa a, nou la pi rèd toujou!!
Ak tout lanmou, solidarite ak imilite,
Mark Schuller,
Prezidan
Message from the President
January 1, 2021
One respe pou tout moun!
Bon fèt endepandans! Happy new year! Haiti has 217 years of being a beacon of freedom against slavery. For 217 years Haiti has been paying the consequences for this revolutionary act.
I am writing this message from Haiti… Today I shared my soup joumou and also had some of my friends’. Now I want to reflect on the past year, both to thank you for your contributions and to update you on H.S.A. matters for the upcoming year.
As you are hearing in the news, the situation here is serious. Very. The country is in lockdown again, but it’s not because the people support the movements. Even if people risk their lives during a wave of kidnapping to go out in the streets, there are few cars available as there was a gas shortage for several days. Even the far-away Grandans isn’t spared. The future remains uncertain. There’s no parliament. The president is ruling by decree… One of the last executive orders turned protesting into a “terrorist” act, and 944 demonstraters were killed in the first nine months of 2020. In a month, on February 7, the president’s term is supposed to expire. But no one knows what will happen, how this next chapter will turn out.
2020 was catastrophic everywhere, certainly for the United States, where the majority of HSA members live. In addition to 164 Black people killed by police in the first eight months, the coronavirus killed almost 350,000 people and about 45 million people lost their jobs. COVID’s impact on colleges and universities has been very challenging and it’s still too early to know just how deep the crisis in higher education will become. We need to struggle everywhere. It is in this context that I became president for the faculty union at my university.
The Haitian Studies Association made a very valiant effort last year as we succeeded in meeting online, via Zoom. In addition, there were four well-attended Emerging Scholars webinars and five Working Session webinars. Thanks to many of you who made a financial contribution, our finances are in better shape now, ready for us to advance.
And we must advance.
In 2021, following H.S.A. members’ stated interest, we will continue to organize regular Zoom activities. On January 1, we organized a screening and discussion of Etant Dupain’s (2020) documentary, Madan Sara released in October. The next activity will be on February 6, a screening of the documentary Chèche Lavi¸ on the migration route through Brazil. And stay tuned for a relaunch of the Emerging Scholars workshop series.
Because we’re still in the midst of the pandemic, we can’t yet plan our annual conference just yet… We are using this time to reinforce the organization itself. The committees will consolidate our work. And everyone has been waiting for the next phase of the Working Groups, communities that will be more permanent. Stay tuned for the announcement in the coming weeks!!! If you would like to be part of the organizing team, please let us know. Finally, we will launch our membership directory…
I am writing as president still… because of COVID we had to extend the Executive terms by a year. I will continue to give 100% to the organization, and recommit my time and energy, as I have always done. Thank you for entrusting me to serve as your president… it’s a great honor for me. In addition to the institutional reinforcement and the Working Groups, my priority this year is to support our members who live in Haiti. We will organize a team and a mini-conference in Haiti, even if it’s on Zoom. Despite our success in having the 2020 conference, we clearly saw that most people who couldn’t attend live in Haiti. It’s past time that we correct this.
H.S.A. would like to thank three outgoing Board members, Marlene Daut, Régine Jean-Charles and Andrew Tarter. Thank you so very much for your service to H.S.A.!
This year we welcome three newly elected members who are just beginning their service as Board members, Mamyrah Dougé-Prosper, Ayanna Legros, and Petrouchka Moïse. Ayanna is our student/ emerging scholar representative. Please give them your hearty applause! Welcome! We would also like to thank all the Board members and the secretariat for their hard work over this challenging year.
And thank you to all our members or all the time, energy, funds, and good will you all continue to give the Haitian Studies Association. H.S.A. is for all of us.
Until later.
This year, nou la pi rèd toujou!!
With love, solidarity, and humility,
Mark Schuller,
President