Last week’s Observer featured a city that grandiosely celebrated Dr. King’s legacy. After the multi-faith service at First Parish Universalist (referred in Page 1 of last week’s Observer) and a luncheon dialog that followed the King- Obama tribute, I spent the afternoon with Haitian-American members of the Seventh Day Adventist church on Main Street listening to youth reciting poems and reading thoughtful lines and quotes to conclude their tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

A two-hour Town Hall meeting where Haitians-Americans shared their hopes and visions for the Obama-Biden administration is noteworthy. Young Haitians, children and adults broke into groups to talk, write, and discuss their concerns and needs. A note taker for each small group reported to the larger audience.

The 55 or so who participated in the Town Hall meeting discussed the needs for educational and parent trainings for Haitian-American families. The lack of leadership, mentoring and advocacy in the Haitian-American community was echoed. The youth group expressed the need for recreational center(s), youth leadership trainings and social activities for all young people in the city. The educational gap among Haitian-American you ths was a concern. Some Haitian youths achieve academically and graduate from college, whereas many have not succeeded and ended up in the hands of law enforcement personnel. An analysis that will bring change to the way(s) the school system is educating Haitian-Americans was also proposed.

Being an educator who never leaves the Haitian-American, Black a nd immigrant milieu while interacting with the global world, I have first hand experience of many thoughts and concerns expressed at the Town Hall meeting held at the Philaldelphie SDA church. I have witnessed over two and half decades in the classroom the academic decline of not only Haitians, but other children from underserved populations. Haitian-Americans of Malden are hoping the Obama-Biden’s administration would bring structural and developmental assistance in Haiti and local outr each resources this precarious community needs.

However coming from a country with a plethora of political, social, educational, and economic issues as well as a history of dependence on foreign aids, missionaries, or other NGO’s, Haitians tend to rely a great deal on any person with some appearance of authority. Nevertheless, the reliance on authority figures is not helping the Haitian-American community in becoming productive and contributive members of societ y, specially the youths who were born in this country. Children, youth, and families are not obtaining the resources and the enrichment they need to succeed in school or in this western culture. Hence, the Haitians’ lack of engagement and participation as well as an effective leadership to give them directions is a dversely affecting the youth and the new generation being raised in the United States. Research by Boston Rededevelopment Authority (2007), the Center for Immigration Studies (2005), and Haitian-run Dorchester-based research and health run organization, CCHER (2002), detailed alarming data and information that need to be urgently addressed.

It’s an unfortunate phenomenon because Haitians’ presence in the U.S or in New England for that matter is almost as old as this country herself. The Puritans went to purchase African slaves in the Caribbean and could have brought Haitians as slaves to Massachusetts. The Haitian born father of renowned African-American scholar W.E. B Dubois migrated to Massachusetts in th e 19th century from Haiti. Dubois of paternal Haitian ancestry was born in the Great Barrington in the Berkshires in 1868. Haitians started to build the Creole/French culture of New Orleans since the 18th century.

Thomas Alexandre Dumas, distinguished general in the French Revolution army, and father of playwright and author of Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas Sr. is among many world-famous born in Haiti. Haiti had given birth also to world-renowned naturalist and ornithologist James Audubon. Ironically two first 20 prominent elected Blacks — Gov. Patrick and President Obama arose from Chicago, a city founded by a mixed ancestry Haitian, Jean Baptiste Pointe Du Sable.

To my knowledge, contemporary migrations of Haitians in the Malden area started circa 1956, but for some reason Haitian-Americans are not civically involved and not that much is20being made to help them engaged in the commonwealth or in the city.

On King’s Day, Haitian Americans expressed the same sense of hope for change that undergirds the new Obama-Biden administration — a sense that their community will receive the support it needs to be vibrant and engaging.

Nekita Lamour is an educator and writer who resides in Malden. She holds a theological degree from the Weston Jesuit School of Theology (recently merged with Boston College). Ms. Lamour can be reached at nplamour@aol.com.