Haitian political figure visits Elmont Library

About 60 people attended a forum at the Elmont Public Library on Aug. 25 to meet New York’s newly-appointed Consulate-General of Haiti Peter Helder Bernard and discuss issues Haitian-Americans face after immigrating to the U.S.

After speaking in English and Creole for 15 to 20 minutes, Bernard fielded questions and concerns from those in attendance. Most notably, they discussed the troubles Haitian-Americans have with securing visas to return to Haiti.

Assemblywoman Michaelle Solages (D-Valley Stream), who hosted the event, said she often receives calls about this issue from her constituents.

“It was very important because frequently I get not only people who call my office about state issues, but also about immigration and how to access visas to Haiti,” said Solages. “It’s important to know that the people who are handling those issues are accessible and able to come to our community and talk to us.”

Solages said Bernard’s vision is to create a “new experience” for Haitian-Americans, and to be more accessible to hear people’s concerns. His efforts include forums across Long Island and New York City. Bernard also recently made a stop in Brooklyn, which she said has the largest concentration of Haitian-American people in New York.

Solages said she has worked closely with U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) on immigration issues and hopes to have more open forums like the one with Bernard in the future.

“I was pleased with the turnout,” Solages said. “I was very happy to hear the community was very engaged. I was very happy to see the diversity in the crowd. It wasn’t just Haitian-Americans. They were very happy to hear from him and share their issues.”

Astrid Fidelia, who was born in Haiti but now lives in Islip, attended the forum. She said she discussed the possibility of bringing sustainable development to Haiti to combat extreme poverty with Bernard.

“I was looking forward to meeting him, and when he got there, I thought he gave a good speech,” Fidelia said. “I was impressed that he reached out to the community leaders, because it’s all about getting people together and working toward one common goal.

“I feel our culture is at the brink of extinction because we’re disconnected and we’re not united, so we have to keep that hope alive and work together,” she said. “What I always promote to the community is that we have the resources, the contacts, the money, but we just need to unite and be a force and help make a difference to bring sustainable development to Haiti.”