WE REMEMBER HAITI commemorated the 5th anniversary of the disastrous earthquake on Jan. 12 with an all day tribute at 1199SEIU’s New York headquarters. Over 80 Haitian-American organizations, businesses, and elected officials from Southern Brooklyn to Nassau County partnered for the tribute and candlelight vigil.
“Haiti, a jewel of the Caribbean, suffered an unimaginable tragedy in 2010,” Assemblywoman-elect Rodneyse Bichotte, said. “Much like many of our communities in New York since Hurricane Sandy, Haiti continues to mend its wounds, and struggles to help those victims who lost everything. The 5th annual memorial is a beautiful and necessary event to keep both the victims of the earthquake and the efforts by the larger Haitian-American community at the forefront of our consciousness.”
“WE REMEMBER HAITI looks to not only pay homage to the lives lost in the earthquake, but to also launch a new movement to encourage all Haitian-Americans to make Haiti their social edict for vacationing, tourism and entrepreneurial endeavors,” said Patricia Marthone, organizer of the WE REMEMBER HAITI conference and tribute. “Our goal is to empower Haitian-Americans to be consumers in the Haitian market and helping our beloved country continue to gain sustainability.”
The commemoration was the largest memorial conference for Haiti in the Northeast. WE REMEMBER HAITI featured an entire day of activities including workshops, book signings and special musical performances. Several elected officials including New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer and Haitian-American Nassau County legislator Carrie Solages attended.
“New York City stands with the people of Haiti now as we did five years ago when disaster struck. At that time, I, along with many others in our community, joined together and helped to raise funds for earthquake relief,” Stringer said. “Today, we must continue the work of supporting Haiti by encouraging those in our community to travel and invest in the country. New York City has benefited greatly from the contributions of Haitian-Americans to our communities and I am pleased to be able to do my part to keep giving back to the people of Haiti.”