At student-led workshops at FIU’s Biscayne Bay Campus, 40 middle-school students who are Haitian or of Haitian descent learned about Haiti’s ties to African culture, its history and recent diplomatic developments with the Dominican Republic. The two-week program helped them reconnect or in some cases connect for the first time with their Haitian roots. “We focus on their identity because…we don’t fit in with the Haitian culture because Haitians see us as people of privilege. We don’t fit in American culture because of various stigmas and stereotypes associated with being Haitian” said Taisha Gauthier, the director and founder of the mentorship program. The workshop was developed and run by FIU students from the Haitian Student Organization. The program was supported by LACC and FIU’s Office of Global Learning Initiatives. Click here to view article.
