‘Rebuilding for a better tomorrow’
Queens community leaders band together to hold vigil for victims of Haiti earthquake
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
Queens community leaders,
clergy members and a host
of elected officials on Thursday,
Aug. 19, held a candlelight
vigil outside the headquarters
of Haitian Americans United
for Progress, Inc. (HAUP) in
Queens Village for victims of
the devastating earthquake in
Haiti.
Eleven years after a magnitude
7.0 temblor devastated
Haiti, killing more than
200,000 people, a 7.2-magnitude
earthquake struck the Caribbean
island on the morning
of Saturday, Aug. 14, causing
widespread destruction. As
of press time, the death toll
had climbed to nearly 2,200
and more than 9,000 Haitians
have been injured, with tens
of thousands of Haitians left
homeless.
Furthermore, on Tuesday,
Aug. 17, Tropical Depression
Grace caused flooding in parts
of the country, hampering rescue
efforts in the country that
is also reeling with the COVID
19 crisis.
The earthquake is the second
catastrophe for the island
in just over a month — in July,
President Jovenel Moïse was
assassinated, leaving the country
in political turmoil.
Queens Borough President
Donovan Richards, whose
office organized the vigil,
pointed to the resilience of
the Haitian people born out of
their strong belief in God — a
sentiment that was shared
by speakers throughout the
evening.
“The Haitian community
is resilient. They are more
resilient than any other community
that I’ve ever met,”
Richards said. “When I went
to Haiti, I remember going into
villages, going into a church.
The church had no roof. It was
raining, but the people of Haiti
were still praying to God.”
He assured the Haitian
community that they would
get all the assistance they need
during this crisis. Richards
also emphasized that helping
Haiti shouldn’t mean taking
over the country and practicing
colonialism.
“We know one of the reasons
Haiti continues to suffer is
because freedom is not free,” he
said. “We need to ensure that
the assistance they get is the
assistance they get, but there
are no strings attached. And as
things are rebuilt, that does not
mean coming in and gentrifying
Haiti as well. The people of
Haiti must control their economy,
their government and their
political destination.”
Richards stressed that it
was important to make sure
that supplies and donations
were getting into the right
hands.
“There are organizations
on the ground doing the work.
Follow those organizations,”
Richards urged. “They should
be Haitian-led organizations.
Support organizations with
a track record of doing work
within Haiti, and not folks who
just sprung up overnight.”
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer,
who, as senator from New York,
represents the largest Haitian
diaspora in the world, shared
that he had already spoken with
President Biden asking for aid.
He urged him not to repeat the
mistakes of 2010 “when Haiti
had another tragedy, and no one
paid much attention.”
“But because of gatherings
like this, and people like you,
great elected officials here
with me. We know that we will
not forget,” Schumer said.
Schumer also promised
that he would do anything in
his power as Senate majority
leader and leave “no stone
unturned” to continue fighting
for Temporary Protected
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.2 COM | AUG. 27 - SEPT. 2, 2021
Status (TPS).
“I think we’ll need to do
that again for the new group
of Haitians,” Schumer said.
“We’ve been able to do it three
times, even once when youknow
who president, who
was not friends to the Haitian
people, was.”
Elsie Saint-Louis, president
and CEO of HAUP, reminded
everyone that Haiti is a resilient
country despite the crises
it has endured. She rejected
the “poor Haiti model,” pointing
to the strength, intelligence
and determination of the
Haitian people.
“We are nowhere near
poor,” Saint-Louis stressed.
“We may not have the resources
to pull out our resources,
and other people with no resources
enjoy our resources.
We’re nowhere near poor, not
mentally, not intellectually,
not even with our resources.”
Assemblyman Clyde Vanel,
who represents the neighborhoods
of Cambria Heights, St.
Albans, Hollis, Queens Village,
Bellerose and parts of
Floral Park, described himself
as a “child of Haiti” and
was visibly moved to see the
community come together in
the face of tragedy. He was encouraged
to see that everyone
worked together and trying
to avoid the mistakes made in
2010. “We have to make sure
that it’s not about the charity,”
Vanel said. “It’s about rebuilding,
and rebuilding a better tomorrow
for Haiti.”
Assemblywoman Alicia
Hyndman emphasized that everyone
already knows how resilient
and strong Haiti is, and
now, it is all about good wishes
and the actions people put behind
those wishes ensuring a
sound infrastructure.
“Are you going to go back
to Haiti and make sure you
volunteer to be the architects
and the engineers that make
sure that if this happens again,
those homes are resilient?”
Hyndman asked.
For Councilwoman Adrienne
Adams, the earthquake
was very personal — her
daughter-in-law is Haitian
— and said while the Haitian
people were mourning,
they also maintained their
resiliency and pride.
“We stand in the power of
unity and unification for a
people that stood up for their
land when no other people
would stand up for their land,”
Adams declared. “Out of this
tragedy, once again, will come
triumph. Haiti does not need
our prayers to rise. Haiti has
risen.”
Assemblyman Khaleel
Anderson acknowledged the
vigil was a solemn occasion
and said that this was also a
moment to recognize the rich,
revolutionary past, history
and independence of the Haitian
American people. He also
pledged his commitment to
making sure that the Haitian
community recovers from this
crisis by sending resources.
“After this candlelight vigil,
we have to make sure that
we maintain a commitment to
our Haitian brothers and sisters,
and there’s no better way
to do that and to send support
and be in community with our
Haitian brothers and sisters,”
Anderson said.
Councilwoman Selvena
Brooks-Powers echoed the sentiments
that were shared earlier
by some of her colleagues.
“I sit in awe at how resilient
the people of Haiti continue
to be. Every time something
catastrophic happens to try
and tear down the people, they
stand with them, their shoulders
back, their heads high,”
she said.
Sabine French, who is
Haitian-American, grew up
in Cambria Heights, which is
also known as Little Haiti. She
said that while she was proud
to be an American, she was extremely
proud of her Haitian
descent. Through tears, she
said she was extremely thankful
to see so many supporters
and allies.
“Oftentimes, though it’s
with good intentions, when
they speak of Haiti, they speak
of tragedy,” French said. “But
guess what? My parents moved
past the tragedy, so that I may
stand here with all of these
great individuals in government.
And I’m so thankful, so
thankful.”
For those who wish to donate
financially, they can
chose between four different
organizations, as identified by
the Mayor’s Fund to Advance
New York City. They are Ayiti
Community Trust, Capracare
Haiti, Hope for Haitiand
Partners in Health.
Further, the Queens
borough president’s office
will accept donations of
bottled water, non-perishable
food, personal care
products, toiletries and
feminine hygiene products
at Queens Borough Hall,
located at 120-55 Queens Blvd.
in Kew Gardens.
Donations can be dropped
off in a box located in the lobby
of Borough Hall next to the security
desk, just inside the building’s
main entrance through
Sept. 22. The lobby is open 24
hours a day.
Community members joined elected officials, including Senator Chuck Schumer (middle) at a candlelight
vigil for the Haitian earthquake victims. Photo by Gabriele Holtermann
BAYSIDE TIMES (USPS#025088) is published weekly by Queens CNG LLC, 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY.11361, (718) 229-0300. The entire contents of this publication are copyright 2021. All rights reserved. The newspaper will
not be liable for errors appearing in any advertising beyond the cost of the space occupied by the error. Periodicals postage paid at Flushing, N.Y. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to the Bayside Times C/O Queens CNG
LLC. 41-02 Bell Boulevard, Bayside, N.Y. 11361.