The KANAVAL Collection: Studio Baboun x Haiti Design Co
Decolonizing: Mental Health
My name is Marjorie Jean. I was born in Haiti (Lopital Saint Francois de salle). My mom and dad both left Haiti when I was almost 4, most of my life was with a village and every one would take turn. I love my mother’s side of the family. There’s Yeye my grandmother who’s a major character in the story of my life, my aunt Raphaelle, my two uncles Jeanjous (nickname I gave him) and Ciano (nickname also). I went to College St Louis de Bourdon and some the people in Haiti I consider part of my family are the friends I met there. I had an interesting childhood filled with play and pain. We moved a lot. My earliest memory was in Fantamara 27 #30. Those days Fantamara was the place to be. A wholesome town, paved and clean streets.
It was safe from what I recall. As things began to change with Aristide, Fantamara slowly began to change. Zenglendo broke into our beautiful home, and it was pretty violent. We moved shortly after. Then I lived in Croix-Des-Mission, Zenglendo broke into our home there too. That one was especially violent. Then I lived in La Plaine, Bon Repos Lilavois 11. Around that time, things were also bad politically so for months, every day before dawn we would head to Damien to sleep. We would set our bed on the floor in a room they used for presentation and the whole family slept. Damien is where my aunt’s husband worked and we were safe there because they had security. In the US, my mom had left my dad for good. My dad wasn’t too happy about it so his way of getting back at my mom was to split us. He decided that he would only subsidize our living (my brother and I) if we moved to his side of the family. At 12, I moved to Route De Freres…whewww. What an experience that was? It was rough. I looked forward to summers in Anse D’Hainault, Jeremie.
Those were the best times of my life. I truly believe that this story has led me exactly where I am today. I live in Washington, DC with my pride and joy, Rami. My office is in College Park, Maryland.
I transitioned into America at 17. In retrospect, it felt like my options were limited. At 17, I was happy to be, and stay in Haiti so the transition here wasn’t as easy. I had never spoken English before so I found it especially difficult, and it took me a year to be fluent. I missed my friends terribly, Anse D’Hainault, the smell, and the sun. I was placed in the lowest grade because I didn’t speak English. I was placed in the 9th grade, however I did all 4 grades in 2 ½ years because I did end up learning English rather quickly and I advocated for myself to anyone who would listen, so they moved me.
Growing up I believed that I wasn’t worthy enough and it showed up through overachievement. There was this part of me that sought to prove these people wrong. At times, the overachievement was at the expense of my mental health. I have had many “Aha!” moments that have propelled my personal decolonization journey, and I continue to have them. More recently, I have been having countless. I used to have a tendency to make excuses for white people based on the relationship I had with my white friends. I think my first “Aha!” moment was realizing that I couldn’t maintain friendship with white people who were color blind. I was simultaneously having this introspective audit asking myself “who are you without this…” and I never stepped foot in a Dominican hair salon to get my bone straight blow dry after that lol.
If I could reiterate one truth to my younger self it would be “Trust your gut Marjorie. Your body’s only goal is to work for you not against you. You are powerful.”
The tragic and untimely death of Nipsey Hustle was a turning point for me, it forced me to look at myself in a way I hadn’t. RAM Counseling was born shortly after that. I wanted to create a legacy that I could enjoy while I am here and the generations after me can continue to benefit from. RAM is short for Recast, Attune, and Maintain and this was the three-ponged process I underwent as I was grappling with being a new mom, the aftermath of a complicated delivery and the feelings that this baby of mine, Rami, was excavating.
When I dream of the future for mental health within Haiti, and Haitian community abroad, I want to see mental health be made available and accessible. We must also educate people, the community about the importance of mental health. Creating opportunities and educating can be done simultaneously. We have to be mindful about how each culture adapts so putting in place a representative for each community who can speak to the specific needs of that community will be vital.
To someone just kicking off their personal decolonization journey, in order to “remove the veil” of taking whiteness as truth I would say that reading is fundamental. We must read and educate ourselves. Bodies of culture cannot free ourselves from the shackles of white supremacy without educating ourselves.
Education is a form of activism. You are not alone. So many of us are going through this, I am going through this. It is a lifelong journey. Be open to learning and asking questions. Avoid making assumptions. Examine the ways you have been a gatekeeper and excavate those roots of internalized racism. There are so many moving parts to the work, you just have to start with one.
Join us Thursday, July 23rd at 5 pm EST for a chat on IG LIVE with Marjorie Jean and Fabiola Coupet over the Decolonization of Mental Health.
D.S. SERIES QUICK DIVE:
What does “decolonization” mean to you personally?
Total cultural ownership, living our truest most organic black lives selves, value ourselves and each other not on the basis of our proximity to whiteness, learning our history not from the perspective of the hunter but the lion.
What are you most proud of when thinking about being Haitian and Haitian culture?
Haitian pride is rooted in unwavering commitment and love for country. I think our founding fathers and mothers had a love that ran deep and that love still permeates within many of us, myself included. It’s a love that I teach my son now. I am intentional about the way he learns and will learn about Haiti.
If you were speaking to a group of elementary students about mental health, what is the message you would most want to share?
Don’t let anyone silence you. You have a story to tell. Your body is a library and it keeps all the stories. You cannot lie to your body. Listen to your body, talk gently to your body and get to know your body’s voice. Your body is innocent, it only manifests the way you feel about yourself. Be intentional and breathe often.
If you were speaking to a white man or woman about the mental health industry, what would you want them to know- what are key things they are probably missing? What can they do to not perpetuate the colonizing mindset and systems within the mental health industry?
If you are serious about being anti racist you first have to start with acknowledging how you have been complicit. Second, you have to do the work that it takes to be anti racist—not just read about it or talk about but be about it. Third, you must make amends without expecting anything in return. Lastly, you have to pave new ways. How will you act differently and that includes actionable steps.
ABOUT RAM COUNSELING:
RAM Counseling for Emotional & Traumatic Stress is helping men and women free themselves from the shackles of generational and attachment trauma, shame and toxic stress. It was founded by Marjorie Jean. Marjorie is a licensed psychotherapist in the District of Columbia, Maryland and New Jersey. She specializes in both attachment trauma, anxiety, depression and binge eating. Her treatment modalities are Brainspotting, DBT, narrative therapy and EMDR.
Click here to learn more about RAM Counseling.
You also can follow Ram on Facebook and Instragram.
Introducing Fabiola Coupet
We are so excited to introduce you to Fabiola Coupet, the moderator of the conversations we will be having throughout this series.
Fabiola Coupet is a Haitian Radio talk show host in Port au Prince. A fresh female voice, she’s taken over Haitian radio airwaves with her afternoon traffic jam show and highly contagious laugh. She is also a communications professional, a seasoned content & copy writer and editor. On the air and in her practice, she is passionate about giving Haitian stories a voice.
Fabiola shared her thoughts on being a part of the series-
“Although Haiti broke free from it’s status as a colony to become the first free black republic in the world, as a people, we’ve got a lot of work to do to untangle the knots of colonization so deeply engrained in our minds. Colonization and slavery may have ended in 1804, but Napoleon sure left some us some heavy baggage to lug around these past 200 years. It’s time to put these old bags down, to peer into them and start peeling away at the complex layers. I’m excited to be a part of these chats with Haiti Design Co community, I hope they will help our friends around the world better understand our story and struggles as a people as much as they will serve our community. It’s time to talk decolonization and we all need to hear it.”
We are honored to have Fabiola with us for these important conversations and can’t wait to dive in.
The Decolonization Series will be kicking off this Thursday, July 16th at 4 pm EST on IG Live in an interview with Christelle Dossous over the Decolonization of Beauty. See you then!
HAITI
Day 4: H A I T I
Today’s feature is written by Faby Billy. If you’ve visited our shop in PAP, you’ve probably met Faby. She is the boutique manager and head of fulfillment for Haiti Design Co. Faby was born and raised in Haiti and is proud to represent her culture and the beauty of Haiti with the world.
“Haiti is a beautiful country even if many people don’t get a chance to see the beautiful side of it. When most people talk about Haiti, they always talk about what is bad, they show the bad places, and talk about poverty and how Haiti isn’t safe. But Haiti has many wonderful things to talk about and show to the world.
Haitian culture is vibrant. We have so many celebrations, like carnival and rara on Easter, where you will find people playing every kind of instrument in the streets. We have Patron Saint’s Feast every summer which Haitians return from all over the world to come back for.
Haitian food is unique and full of flavor. Rice, Acra, Patties, Pumpkin soup, and fruits from the Caribbean; the list is endless. Pikliz is a kind of salad that is spicy and can be eaten with many different kinds of foods. You’ll never go to a celebration in Haiti and not find pikliz.
Haiti is the most mountainous island in the Caribbean. There are white sand beaches, waterfalls, coconut trees, rivers, and beautiful landscapes in every region. There are so many places in Haiti that people from all over the world come to see, like Labadee beach, Bassin Bleu or the great Citadel in the north, which is a huge fortress built on a mountain top, and represents another beautiful side to Haiti, which is our history.
Haiti was the first country to be formed from a successful slave rebellion, and if that isn’t something to be proud of, then I don’t know what is.
At Haiti Design Co, we are working to change how the world views Haiti. We work with artisans from all over the country to create beautiful designs and style products that reflect the beauty of our country. It is our hope that when someone purchases one of our products that they would think of Haiti, and not of its poverty and infrastructure, but of its beauty and it’s talented people.”
Haiti Highlight: Jacmel
Our sweet Caribbean island is home to diverse landscapes and rich beauty, and while we love that our work and home life is centered in the vibrant city of Port au Prince, there is nothing else like a quick beach getaway. That's where the lovely Jacmel comes in.
Located in the Southern part of the island, Jacmel is an old port town originally founded by the Spanish, but repopulated by the French. The French influence is heavy, but most heavily seen in the grand colonial architecture. There are buildings centuries old complete with large pillars, wrought-iron gates, spiral staircases, and intricate designs tiled across the floor.
The colors are just as rich as the history with pops of blues and greens spread across the town. The photo below is from the iconic Hotel Florita, known for its classic gingerbread style architecture and delicious rhum sours.
Beyond its beautiful beaches and preserved architecture, Jacmel has a vibrant arts scene and serves as one of Haiti's most culturally-rich hubs for handmade goods. This especially come to life every year in Carnival season. In February, our team not only got to experience the colorful parade, but we were also able to visit some of our partner artisans, our woodworking team! Boss Jonas and his team live in the mountains and craft beautiful wood pieces completely by hand.
Lastly, Jacmel is home to Bassin Bleu, a series of 3 deep natural pools tucked away in the mountains. Accessible only by a guided hike through lush mountain greens, the pools are a deep, mesmerizing teal. You can spend the afternoon jumping, diving, and swimming with the mermaids.
Oh and did we mention the sunsets?
