• Year of immigration: 2011
  • Age at the time: 12
  • Grade at the time: 7th
  • Current Grade (if in college, provide year): 2020
  • Where did you live when you originally came to the US? Brooklyn NY 11236
  • If you moved, where do you live now? (if not, go on to next question)

                    East New York

  • What school did you attend back in your home country?

La Bambinerie (kindergarten), Aux Alizés (primary), and Sainte Thérèse de L’enfant Jesus (secondary)

  • Why did you move to the U.S.? How would you describe your feelings at the time towards having to move? How do you feel looking back at it now?

         I moved because my mother married an American so we came to stay with him. I was scared of the move from the moment I was informed of it. Watching American movies painted the country as a place where people are mean. Six years later, my mind hasn’t changed.

  • Who were you accompanied by when you moved? (Parents, siblings, etc.)

I came with my mother.

  • On a scale of 1-10, how hard would you say it was having to adapt to a new country/environment:

                 8

  • Please describe your pathway to adaption. (Learning a new language, attending a new school, etc.) Do you recall a particular experience or challenge that sticks with you to this day?

                When I was in Haiti, I learned English. So when I came here I was not totally lost. I attended Saint Mark’s School (now Academy) in 8th grade. My accent was very thick. People made fun of it in middle school. I remember praying for the day when my thick accent would go away so my classmates could stop pretending not to understand me. I struggled in 8th grade academically and socially but in the end I graduated with honors and made a best friend who’s still my best friend to this day.

  • Would you say you still feel connected to your home country? In other words, do you still maintain any links or stay informed on what goes on? Why or why not?

                  I’m still connected to my country in my heart mostly. I still talk to some of my friends from Haiti from time to time. I have some knowledge of what’s going on but I’m not fully involved.

  • What are some common public misconceptions/stereotypes you hear about your home country and its people?

It’s a trend now to want to be Haitian. Everyone is “Haitian by association” and whatnot but a few decades ago things were different. I’ve heard stories of Haitian Americans denying their Haitian heritage because “Haitians stink and had AIDS” and also that we’re ugly, which I have been told once. I’ve also been told that I’m too pretty Haitian and I wanted to flip. People often look down on Haiti because it’s a poor country. It’s really crazy to me because when Haiti wasn’t poor it was named La Perle des Antilles (The Pearl of the Caribbean) and we were helping others.

Another stereotype is that we all practice Voodoo. First of all, Haitian Voodoo is a religion like all others and should be respected. Second of all, people who practice voodoo don’t want to hurt you… unless you piss them of. Third of all, no I don’t do voodoo and I cannot put a spell on someone for you. No I won’t curse you. You’re not funny. Yes, I am a Christian. Goodbye.

  • Would you say you look to identify more with the larger black American community or maintain a strong ethnic identity? Please provide ample reasoning as to why. For instance, public misconceptions about one’s home country may lead to them being “embarrassed” to embrace their ethnicity, leading them to identify more with black Americans.

I am very proud of my nationality, my heritage, my history. I am Haitian in everything that I do. There’s no reason to identify with anything. If I’m being honest here, in this country, being Caribbean gives me an advantage over black Americans because we’re “easier to get along with.” An example is in the dating world of my generation. Girls have attitudes sometimes. When a black American girl has an attitude it’s because she’s ghetto. But when I do, it’s because I’m Caribbean and “island girls are crazy and spicy.”

I can identify with black Americans through the struggles that we go through as black. It’s a global struggle, it’s shared pain.

  • If you answered that you still maintain a strong ethnic identity, what do you then appeal to in order to separate yourself from the larger black American community? In other words, what do you think separates you from the larger black American community?

                   I don’t do anything. I don’t try to separate myself from black Americans. I have been mistaken for an African but never black American. It’s because of the accent. No one will ever think I’m black American with that accent.

  • In your opinion, why do some immigrant children attain success when they move while some others do not? How would you qualify your own success in your new environment? What do you attribute to your success or maybe some struggles you’ve faced?

Some immigrant children succeed while others do not because of their environment. I was lucky to attend private schools in this country. I was in a positive atmosphere that allowed me to thrive because I only had to focus on my education. If I, personally, had gone to a public school, I might not have made it. I’m an easy prey. I wasn’t liked by some in high school because I was “Bougie/Bourgeois,” “prissy” and I also apparently thought that I was better than everyone else. I survived my little uppity Catholic school where the girls were “Boujee” (there’s a difference) but I might not have in a public school. I hate to stereotype here, but someone would probably have fought me for being me. I would not have survived in such a negative environment and I would either have graduated with a 1.8 or dropped out altogether.

Many immigrant children find themselves in harsh school conditions, bad neighborhoods, and cannot properly focus on their educations because they have other things to worry about. Yes, it’s great that some girl graduated with a 4.0 and Ivy Leagues acceptance despite being homeless. It’s terrific, really. But do you realize how demanding that is of a child? Immigrant children in conditions as horrific as these might not make it because not everyone can. When mommy and daddy are working two jobs to make ends meet and there’s no adult supervision, it’s either you become a responsible adult at a young age and save yourself or you become an adult with a child’s heart and stray.