Who Owns Haiti? Edited Volume Published

We are proud to announce that Who Owns Haiti? People, Power, and Sovereignty, edited by Robert Maguire and Scott Freeman, has been published by the University Press of Florida. The edited volume builds off of the Focus On Haiti Initiative’s 2014 conference, Who ‘Owns’ Haiti? Sovereignty in a Fragile State, including chapters by speakers at the event and from across disciplines. The…

HRA Expo on GW’s Campus

The Haiti Renewal Alliance, in partnership with the George Washington University Center for International Business Education Research (GWU-CIBER), hosted the 7th Annual HRA Business Investment Expo & Conference on GW’s campus June 14-15, 2016. The Focus On Haiti Initiative previously partnered with the HRA in September of 2015, co-hosting the Haiti Presidential Townhall meeting, available online.

Liberated Haiti: Thirty Years After Duvalier

By Robert Maguire, originally posted by Latin America Goes Global. February 7, 2016 marks the 30th anniversary of the ouster of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier as President of Haiti, ending the 29 year Duvalier family dictatorship. When Baby Doc fled the country in 1986 for exile in France, massive street celebrations burst out, calling his departure…

Pepper Water and Protests in Haiti

Pepper Water and Protests in Haiti Scott Freeman Tear gas is not uncommon in Port au Prince. Over the past decade, whether it has been protests over food shortages, controlling political demonstrations, or ‘peacekeeping’ actions by the infamous MINUSTAH UN forces, tear gas and other methods of crowd control have been a reality of the…

Martelly at Howard University: A Concerning View on Poverty and Education?

Martelly’s speech last Wednesday at Howard University drew attention to his administration’s focus on free and universal education.  But while promoting both his education agenda and a nascent collaboration with Howard University, the President of Haiti also portrayed a disturbing depiction of the Haitian people. Both Martelly and the Howard University administration discussed planned educational…

Streaming video: (Un)Making a Dominican: The Context for Denationalization

“The Price of Sugar” screening was well attended, and for those who weren’t able to come, the film sparked a rather intense discussion about Dominican citizenship, and the current judicial and executive decisions affecting the country. As a follow up  to these discussions, we wanted to draw attention to an event occurring this evening (December…

“Conquering Cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic” – Panel Discussion

By Nic Johnson, Undergraduate Research Assistant On October 24, 2013, Representative Barbara Lee (CA) and the Global Health Caucus hosted “Conquering Cholera in Haiti and the Dominican Republic: The Untold Story of Progress” at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. The briefing featured representatives of public health organizations and advocacy groups to discuss new…