Decolonizing: Aid

My name is Regine Theodat, I’m 100% Haitian and 100% American. I grew up in the Cambridge/Everett/Boston MA area. I’m a lawyer by trade and I think like one, but I practiced as a traditional corporate lawyer for less than one year. I’m the oldest of 4 and I’ve been living back in Haiti for 10 years now. I’m obsessed with finding the most creative ways to harness our vast riches.

I didn’t have an educated opinion about aid before entering the sector, so I do think I soaked it all in with an open mind. When I first moved to Haiti, I’d say my general idea of aid was that it was typically done with the intent for good and that unless done with malicious intent, it couldn't truly be *that* harmful. Of course, being a black, woman, lawyer, I did have reservations about public-interest and white saviorism, dead aid, but I don’t think I truly did my research before coming to Haiti. It also didn’t help that I moved to Haiti on a whim, and only intended to spend 3 months here. 

 I moved to Haiti in 2010 to work in Human Rights work in Cite Soleil. I didn’t come to save Haiti, I didn’t come to witness, or create jobs, or do anything special. I came just to do a short term project and go back to working as a corporate lawyer in Boston. 

What I witnessed really rocked my world and started to shift my perspective. I’ve seen a lot of fraud, I’ve seen a lot of waste, and I’ve seen some good.  The aid sector suffers from chronic disorganization and lack of oversight. It seems unimaginable that totally unqualified persons can open up schools and raise money with the mission of educating children without the appropriate pedigree for such, that child predators can own an orphanage without even so much as a background check, or that  true expertise is slighted so that waste can continue. What's even more disturbing is that this waste is so normal. The average Haitian will decry how much NGOs + Aid Organizations steal. That people are constantly “fe kob sou tet yo”

I’ve worked largely in economic development, job creation and now am moving more into tech and general project management. I think my career path thus far, has taken me as far away from toxic aid as possible, because it was such a recoil to me after my first non-profit experience. But I think over the years between my business, my work, consulting, I’ve had experiences in just about every facet of aid in Haiti.

My first “Aha moment” came when I was doing a presentation on human rights and the right to water or vote in Cite Soleil and people at the end asked me for jobs. I made the first error which was telling people what they needed rather than understanding what was needed. I also made the mistake of thinking I could just “fix” away the economic problems by focusing on the justice ones. I laugh now, but I was so ignorant coming into this unexpected Haiti experience. 

One of the biggest misconceptions the international community has about Haiti’s need for aid is that the problems in Haiti can be addressed by sending large quantities of “stuff” here, shoes, medicine,  clothes. That poverty and lack of formal education means that someone is incompetent and unintelligent, thus should be willing to accept anything, especially if its “free.”

One of the biggest disconnects between the goals of NGO’s and the execution of the projects in Haiti is that Haiti is very hard to execute projects in, the learning curve is a solid 5 years for someone who can speak the language and has some level of cultural fluidity. Outside entities have very rigid ways  of grant making + project design. It simply doesn’t work when executed on the ground.

Programming that is holistic in its approach rather than and/or is more successful and beneficial to Haiti. Ones that are job creations + skill developments + justice oriented + social justice leaning NOT job creations without skills training, without sustainability. 

The most toxic types of programming are the ones that don’t answer “ why is this problem here?” and “How can we fix the root?”. I also think cultural competency is major, and that only comes with time. Someone of Haitian descent, may have a leg up, but they aren’t going to “get it’ until they experience it.

The biggest issues that need to be decolonized within the Aid sector are how aid is distributed, who makes the decision, and how programs are developed without the input of the “poor” or the “Service population.”

Far too often in NGO’s and mission organizations, there is a harmful way of thinking that Haitians needs to be saved from themselves, that they need to be evangelized away from their own religion, that a Westernized life style is “best”. This way of thinking if harmful within Haitian communities as well. Largely, the same, we internalize racism right? So we usually just do exactly what a “colonizer” would do, but in addition to doing to others, we are also doing it to ourselves. This is why I say a decolonization is an act of self love and also an act of rebellion.

My first baby, before my human baby was my business.  I poured everything into it. Like so many things in my life, I waited for it to come along. I was moving through the motions of feeling stuck doing things in Haiti that didn’t feel useful. Then I had the aha moment of, if everyone else can have a business, I certainly could. Since then, I’ve been obsessed with job creation. I had two friends starting a restaurant. I came in with way too many opinions and that's how MyaBel was founded. We are a food & beverage company transforming local ingredients into delectable bottled goods, hot sauces, cooking sauces, bottled craft cocktails, and iced teas. With a soon to be launching Kombucha + syrup line. When I resigned we had 18 employees, and 65 farmers in our network. I left MyaBel in December 2019, to pursue other Haitian passions.

If I were speaking to a white man or woman visiting Haiti about the aid industry and what they can do to not perpetuate the colonizing mindset and systems within this industry- I’d probably turn the question back on them, why are they visiting Haiti? What's the purpose, how did they come to this decision, are they aware of the work they need to do? I think we should start putting the onus back on people. 

When I dream about the future of development within Haiti, I see-

1. Enough economic Means for people to make decisions that is best for them 

2. Robust agricultural economy 

3. Massive Export Market 

4. 85% employment

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D.S. Series Quick Dive:

• What does “decolonization” mean to you personally?

Unlearning, deprogramming, reprogramming. An action of self-love and accountability. 

• What are you most proud of when thinking about being Haitian and Haitian culture?

How colorfully magical we are. 

• If you were speaking to a group of elementary school students in Haiti about the best ways to support development in their country- what would you most want to share with them?

Their true and complete history, and the value of the resources we have here. 

• We may have someone reading this who has suffered much pain from the lies they’ve been told and are just kicking off their personal decolonization journey. What encouragement can you give them? Where should they seek sources of truth and inspiration? 

It gets better, to take it one day at a time and make small incremental steps. Lean into your discomfort and work through any culpability you have in the system that exists. Sources of truth and inspiration are abundant in the age of the internet, I’d say look for written materials and read with an open mind. Try and put the burden on yourself rather than others to help explain things to you.

On instagram make sure to check out:

@Rachel.cargle

@TheConsciousKid 

@AmandaSeales

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.

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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.

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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. 

Decolonizing: Beauty

My name is Christelle Dossous. I am 30 years old and grew up in Port au Prince, Haiti. I left Haiti after  graduating from high school  to study in the United States. I moved back to Haiti in 2013 and still live here today. I am the youngest of four children in my family, 3 boys and 1 girl.

Growing up I though I needed to look a certain way in order to be accepted in the society. I thought my hair was too kinky so I had a perm at the age of 11. It wasn’t until I went to University in the US that  I began my decolonization journey. I went to a French school in Haiti where Haitian history was not taught. All I knew was European & US history. I took an anthropology class in college and that’s when I began to see things differently. I realized how much I was blinded and how much work I needed to do to value my own culture, but also myself. 

If I could speak to my younger self, I would want to tell her-

“You are enough just the way you are. Don’t try to meet anybody’s standards but your own.  Your history is rich and you have every reason to be proud of it.”

I launched my company, Onaturall in 2013. Onaturell is an all natural hair and skin care company. Last year we launched Onaturell Hairspa to offer a spa experience to our clients when it comes to taking care of their hair. Onaturell first started as a blog where I wanted to share my experience with natural hair with my followers. It quickly turned into a business when I realized that there was a great opportunity in Haiti because most of the ingredients I was using were not available to my audience.  So that’s pretty much how Onaturell started.

The beauty industry has a lot of work to do as far as decolonization. The beauty industry needs more diversity because those who are in charge of pushing what is fashion or beautiful are not people that look like us. I think a major part of the Haitian population still has the western beauty as their standard of beauty. This explains why you have so many bleaching of their skin, still perming their hair or using extensions . The idea that you can be  “Tet grenn “ and still be beautiful is something that is new to us . The closer you are to being light or having wavy hair, the more beautiful Haitian society thinks you are.

For the future of beauty and self love in Haitian culture- I dream of a Haiti where every color shade is celebrated, from the darkest to the lightest tone. A place where we learn to embrace the traditional styling that our ancestors passed down to us .

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D.S. Series Quick Dive:

• What does “decolonization” mean to you personally?

  No longer using western ideologies to define who we are, or should I say to validate our existence.

• What are you most proud of when thinking about being Haitian and Haitian culture?

Our history and our resilience. 

• If you were speaking to a group of elementary students about beauty, what is the message you would most want to share?

  Beauty starts from within and it is unique. Learn to love yourself first and do not compare it to anybody.

• We may have someone reading this who has suffered much pain from the lies they’ve been told and are just kicking off their personal decolonization journey. What encouragement can you give them? Where should they seek sources of truth and inspiration? 

You are on the right track , just be patient with yourself and take it one day at a time.  Inspiration should start from within. Practice self love first .

About Onaturell:

Onaturell is an all natural hair and skin care brand. All of our products are formulated in-house and we source ingredients from all over the world. Onaturell was founded by Christelle Dossous, a Cosmetic Formulator with a speciality in natural skin & hair products.

We are located at #56 Rue Chavannes in Petionville, Haiti.

You can call us to book an appointment at- +509  4216 2345

Introducing the Decolonization Series

Dear HDC Fam-

I am probably most proud and excited about this project than anything we’ve done in a long time.

After the tragic murder of George Floyd, the world erupted with a long overdue racial awakening that has set the stage for honest & hard conversations around race and racial justice. Some of our network may think that the Black Lives Matter movement is one of controversy and limited to the United States. They may miss how the movement happening right now affects many countries and cultures across the world. The truth of our history is that white supremacy and colonization have formed the world as we know it.  This conversation will inevitably look different for every country and culture. 

In 1804 Haiti became the first Black Republic, as it was home to the first successful slave revolt in the world when she defeated the French. This revolt had a ripple effect as it pushed other nations to fight to end slavery as well. Haiti’s history is a worldwide symbol of Black liberation. 

However, today much of Haiti’s societal norms are entrenched in a mindset enforced by colonization, one of white aspiring, euro-centric ideals. This is not representative of every Haitian experience- because the Haitian experience is one that varies greatly. With that being said, a common experience for many of Haitian descent IS the journey of decolonization, one of unlearning the lies handed down by each generation that were enforced by the oppressor. 

While I am not Haitian, these conversations are ones that are near and dear to my heart. Since making Haiti my home in 2012, I’ve wrestled with the topic of decolonization so much within my personal life. I am thankful for the way that living in Haiti and many amazing friends have pushed me along the way to challenge what I knew to be true and ask the hard questions. On my journey, the work of decolonization, and unlearning a white centered foundation are hand in hand. Unlearning the false narratives and rebuilding with authenticity stronger than before. 

If you are white and follow along through this series, I ask you to engage with an open mind and intent to learn and understand from someone else’s perspective.

If you are Haitian or BIPOC, I hope that you at some point during this series feel seen, heard, and encouraged that you are not alone in your experience, while also knowing that your experience is going to vary from the person sharing. 

During this series you will be hearing from individuals with varying life experiences. Everyone involved is going to have different truths and perspectives. What you will hear is not the experience of myself, of Haiti Design Co, or of anyone else. It is the experience of the person sharing. So if at any time you feel uncomfortable, I ask you to sit in that discomfort before being quick to defend or debunk. This space is a space for unfiltered, honest conversations with Haitians and Haitian Americans. 

Lately we have received some pushback on vocally supporting the movement of Black Lives Matter. We’ve heard things like “You’re a fair trade accessories company, why do you need to talk about this?”. But the thing is, we exist FOR the PEOPLE behind the products. If we are not actively engaging in shifting the moral compass of our society, of breaking the colonial chains of white supremacy, or creating a world where our community can be fully SEEN, HEARD, and FREE, then we are not being true to why we exist at all. 

Thank you for being here! 

N’ap dekole! 

-Chandler Hamilton Busby

Founder, Haiti Design Collective