What to Say to the Haitian in the Office?

by today Urban Chameleon contributor

Don'tlettheJCrewFoolYa

I know that white people in corporate America can be passive-aggressive and non-confrontational but I didn't realize what lengths they will go to avoid showing compassion for another human being.

I am a first generation American of Haitian decent. So, as you might imagine, the past month and a half has been sureal for me. In the blink of an eye, I watched my beloved Haiti reduced to rubble. Like every Haitian on the planet, I could not sleep the first week. I came into work everyday, only to keep the CNN livestream gonig and continue emailing back and forth with firends and family. At times, I just broke down and cried right there in the office.

The day after the earthquake, I took some time to send an email out to the entire firm letting them know that my family members had been spared and direct my colleagues to websites where they could donate and/or help. I figured, I would keep a step ahead of inquiries by sending out a firm-wide email. Little did I know, there would be NO inquires.

Other than the black folks at my firm, to my surprise, NOT ONE WHITE PERSON responded to my email. And as if the electronic silence was not enough, the face-to-face was mum as well. Day in and Day out, I walked into the office past a couple of dozen white traders on the trading desk and not a word. My manager? Nothing, I could not believe it.

So, finally I was inspired by my cousins and just started rocking a bandana of the Haitian flag straight across my forehead with my corporate suit to work.

Do you know that these white folks still didn't get it!~!!!!!??? Just last week in the conference room, the first thing one of the traders asked me was if I was on my way to the gym for a run. Are you serious?

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Tourists Don't Let Earthquake in Haiti Stop Them from Vacationing in the Devastation

Urban Chameleon news

Royal Caribbean's decision to dock ships at Haitian resort creates controversy

By now, most of us have seen and heard about the profound devastation and suffering wrought upon Haiti last week after a massive earthquake. So you'd probably think there's no way that cruising tourists could have returned to frolicking on Haiti's beaches mere miles from where people are trapped beneath the rubble of a decimated city. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong.

On Sunday, the Guardian reported that Florida-based Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines is docking ships at the "picturesque wooded peninsula" known as Labadee, which it leases on Haiti's northern coast. At Labadee, passengers "enjoy jetski rides, parasailing, and rum cocktails delivered to their hammocks." The British paper also reported that passengers can spend their time "shopping for trinkets at a craft market" while armed guards stand at the entry to the complex to guarantee their safety.

Despite the fact that the ships have delivered relief supplies to the island, some passengers on the ships are reportedly "sickened" over the decision to dock there. One passenger took to an Internet message board to protest the idea of vacationing where "tens of thousands of dead people are being piled up on the streets, with the survivors stunned and looking for food and water."

When Royal Caribbean announced its decision to resume stops at Labadee last week, a company executive cited the economic importance of the resort to the local citizens as well as the opportunity to deliver much-needed supplies.

"We also have tremendous opportunities to use our ships as transport vessels for relief supplies and personnel to Haiti," said associate vice president John Weis. "Simply put, we cannot abandon Haiti now that they need us most."

Still, Royal Caribbean, which recently raised eyebrows when it announced that it's organizing a "cougar cruise" for older single women, has been catching heat from all corners on their decision, prompting company CEO Adam Goldstein to post a defense of the company on their website. Saying that he is "proud of what our people and our ships are doing," Goldstein writes:
The ships going back to Labadee, including Navigator of the Seas today, are obviously making a very valuable contribution to the relief effort by offloading supplies at Labadee. The media understand this and generally have written and spoken about the relief effort in positive terms. But in the last 24 hours, sparked by an article in the Guardian in the UK, a different and more critical view has emerged that questions how our guests can justify having a good time in Labadee when there is such misery less than 100 miles away.
My view is this - it isn't better to replace a visit to Labadee (or for that matter, to stay on the ship while it's docked in Labadee) with a visit to another destination for a vacation. Why? Because being on the island and generating economic activity for the straw market vendors, the hair-braiders and our 230 employees helps with relief while being somewhere else does not help. These 500 people are going to need to support a much larger network of family and friends, including many who are in (or are missing in) the earthquake zone. Also, the north is going to bear a good part of the burden of the agony of the south, and the more economic support there is to the north, the better able the north will be to bear this burden. People enjoying themselves is what we do. People enjoying themselves in Labadee helps with relief. We support our guests who choose to help in this way which is consistent with our nearly 30 year history in Haiti.
- Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News blog

T-Mobile USA Waives Call Charges to and from Haiti

Urban Chameleon news

Doctors and volunteers from all over the world have been putting in their time and efforts providing aid for those in need in Haiti. After the tragic incidents, mobile carriers such as T-Mobile are doing their best to contribute to the cause. Today they have just announced that they are waiving all calls to and from Haiti. “Our company and our employees care deeply for our customers, and we know that many customers have been directly impacted by the disaster in Haiti,” said Robert Dotson, president and CEO, T-Mobile USA. “While our thoughts go out to those in Haiti who are suffering so greatly at this time, our promise is to help people connect with those who matter most. I can think of no better time to demonstrate this commitment.” So whether you have a BlackBerry, or any other phone, as long as you’re on the T-Mobile network, you can make calls to Haiti and receive them absolutely free. Hit the jump for the full press release from T-Mobile including ways on how you can help.

BELLEVUE, Wash. – January 14, 2010 – T-Mobile USA, Inc. today announced that the company is taking a number of steps to provide relief and help unite families in the aftermath the earthquake disaster in Haiti.

For current T-Mobile customers who are trying to connect with loved ones in Haiti during the aftermath of the country’s devastating earthquake, T-Mobile USA is enabling phone calls to Haiti without charges for international long distance through January 31, 2010, and retroactive to the earthquake on January 12, 2010. Additionally, T-Mobile customers who may already be in Haiti will be able to roam on T-Mobile’s partner networks in Haiti (operated locally in Haiti under the names Voila and Digicel) free-of-charge through the end of the month. In both cases, T-Mobile will remove these charges from customer bills accordingly.

read full article on pocketberry.com

Help Haiti Right Now!

Urban Chameleon news

As you may already know Haiti was hit with a massive earthquake yesterday affecting millions.(Read article on yahoo.com) In times like these a little bit can go a long way. Even if you do not have family/ friends affected by this devastation we encourage you to contribute to humanity.

You can so eas send money to help Haiti Right now through your cell phone.

Send $10 to the Red Cross
Text "Haiti" to 90999

Or/and

Send $5.00 to Yele Haiti (Wyclef Jean's Foundation)
Text "Yele" to 501501

That donation will be charged to your phone bill.

Thank you for helping the people of Haiti.

click here for: More Information on the Quake

News week wrap up with Haiti Cherie

by Tickles.Tv

Our favorite "Tell it like is" immigrant Haiti aka Ayiti Cherie is back from Tickles.tv with this weeks news wrap up. WHAT A WEEK PEOPLE!!! WHAT A WEEK



Haiti Cherie part 1, part 2, part 3

Brooklyn Girls and Gunshots

by today's Urban Chameleon contributor

What do Brooklyn, NY and Haiti have in common?











One year ago, I decided to invite my best friend (who is from Brooklyn) to Haiti for the annual Christmas/New Year's festivities. December in Haiti is marked by an endless string of parties, uniquely themed club nights, day time barbeques in the mountains and evening bondfires on the beach ... family dinners and house visits. Bottom line: every year my family and I packing up the countless outfits and gifts to parade around our troubled but still all too proud homeland. Despite the threat of political turmoil, my friend was game to go.

Once in Haiti, we hit the ground running. First stop was the the super market (yes, we have those) to pick up "Piment" (the Haitian version of Time Out) and meet up with my friends at Sushi Night (yes, we have those), to prioritize the next 15 days (Dec 21 - Jan4). What events we "Can't Miss," "Won't Miss," Might Miss," "Will Miss," etc.

So, one night we were out at a rooftop club (yes, we have those) throwing back endless amounts of Barbancourt (Haitian Rhum) punch when next thing you know this dude takes out a gun and begins shooting in the air.

A typical consequence of too much a-a-a-a-a-alchol ... Haitians are used to it by now. Nonetheless, everyone immediately hit the floor in an attempt to avoid the crossfire. When I looked over to make sure my friend was ok I noticed that she was just squating down ... definitely not as low as she could have been and unecessarily leaving herself vulnerable to the crossfire.

So, I shout over to her, "GIRL GET DOWN!!!"

But she yells back, "THIS AS FAR DOWN AS I’M GETTIN’, I HAVE WHITE PANTS ON!!!"

Shortly after, the gunman was escorted out by security and the DJ picked right back up on Carimi's Bang Bang (a popular song about how Haiti's become a cowboy movie ... fitting choice). My friend continued her two step more pleased that nothing got on her white pants rather than just having survived her first Haitian showdown! She was not phased.

This only confirmed for me why so many Haitians end up migrating to Brooklyn ... same shit, different country.

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Ignorance Still Exists...

by today's Urban Chameleon contributor

Last night my aunt called me very upset after returning from a retreat with her company. Apparently everyone had to write a couple of paragraphs on ways they could improve as a company as a team building exercise. As my aunt was giving her presentation two women began to laugh. She stopped reading to ask what was so funny and the two women just shook their heads and said nothing. My aunt continued to read and they continued to laugh. So she stopped again and insisted on knowing what was so funny. One finally replied, “It's just the way you speak. We can't understand with your accent.”

My aunt, replied, “I was born and raised in Haiti, I am also an American citizen and if you could write and speak French even half as well as I speak and write English you should be so lucky.” Ignoring her they continued to laugh and when my aunt looked over to her manager for support he was chuckling his damn self! Inside she withered away in embarrassment as she discontinued reading and sat back down.

It amazed me that my aunt could be at a job 27 years and not have any kind of a support system to handle such childish behavior. I also felt angry that she was more concerned about loosing her job than further addressing the issue but for her it wasn’t worth loosing what she had built with in those 27 years. I began to think further about the sacrifices she, and my mom had made for me by migrating to America just so I can become an Urban Chameleon. I had the luxury of appearing to be a native of either Haiti or America having perfected the accent and culture of both countries…just not to be laughed at I guess. But what made it worse is that the women laughing were Black.

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Trini to the Bone

by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor

There are only five great people in the world and they are Trinidad, Trinidad, Trinidad, Trinidad, Trinidad. This is how uncle, Tony feels about his beloved country so much so that he refuses to travel on vacation to anywhere else from his Brooklyn home where he and my aunt live but to Trinidad. He claims Trinidad is the best place on planet earth, why go anywhere else. However, what I don’t understand is how he ended up together with my aunt who is Jamaican. Why not just marry a Trini instead of trying to convince a Jamaican for over twenty years now how much better Trinidad is? Regardless, Uncle Tony never misses a moment to mess with the Jamaican side of our family.

This past Memorial Day weekend, I came down early one morning for breakfast where uncle, Tony was sipping some coffee and eating a traditional Trini breakfast. He has an entire section in the pantry that is just of his precious Trini products that he brings back from every visit. He says to me. “You want some Trini breakfast?”

“No that’s ok uncle, Tony I’m just going to scramble some eggs.”

He grunts as if to say that I’m missing out. A couple of moments of silence go by until he begins to tell me that he one day saw Bob Marley eating chicken. Incase you aren’t aware Bob Marley eating chicken would be considered Sac religious being that Rastafarians generally believe that touching meat is touching death. However, Uncle Tony swears that Bob was gnawing on a bone.

“Uncle Tony where would you have seen Bob Marley eating chicken?”

“In Trinidad! Where else.”

“He was not.”

“I am telling you, Bob Marley was at Sammy's chicken shack right up the street from where I grew up gnawing on several chicken bones just eatin’ up all dat good chicken. He had on some dark sunglasses trying to hide in disguise but I know it was him. What made me even notice him in da first place is that I sensed someone was in dat chicken shack not from Trinidad only to see Bob Marley himself. ”

“Uncle Tony, I don’t know if I believe you.”

“It’s ok dear, you can't blame Bob. Trinidad’s chicken is the BEST in the world…if I was Bob I would be sneaking off to Sammy's shack too.

Uncle Tony can’t help but to mess with me this morning. He is just Trini to da bone.

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Damn Tiger Woods, How’d You Do It?

by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor

My fabulous Urban Chameleon girlfriends and I call our selves looking to evolve our fabulousity this summer and decided to look into golf- anything to throw white people off with our diverse skill set. Now mind you it’s not like we go looking to throw off white people but if they would stop acting so surprised by our accomplishments then we’ll stop.

Anyhoo hoo to the hoo, the golf obsession started last summer during a trip that my husband and I took with my Jewish best friend and her Jewish husband to the Berkshires. Her husband took us to the driving range to give us a beginner’s lesson. My Jewish girlfriend is not that into golf and much rather go hiking but me being the Urban Chameleon that I am insisted on taking in every note and detail he gave me about perfecting my form just so that I can one day show up on the course in a kente cloth dashiki, Dior shaded and a head wrap and shut’em down. The following day I was ready to get back out there but my Jewish friend insisted on us having a "girls" day sipping Pinot by the pool. As much as I want to expand those skills nothing beats sipping Pinot by the pool so we let the boys have a golf day instead. My husband who is from south west Philly returned at the end of the day after playing 18 holes for the first time to say, “Golf is no bitch ass sport, I’m tired as hell.”

But this year the girls and I are game! (With the exception of the Jewish one who rather watch with Pinot) This past weekend, a Haitian, a Trinidadian, a Jamaican and a Panamanian showed up at Chelsea Piers bright and early ready to start golf lessons except for one tiny problem, THE COST! Not only is golf no bitch ass sport it’s also no cheap ass sport. No wonder there are more brothas playing basketball. Damn Tiger! Much respect and another clear example of how it takes money to make money he clearly is seeing the return on his investment. But we young adult Caribbean Chameleons are currently in the stage of trying to pay off Visa and Mastercard for all that already invested fabulousity before leaping into any additional kind of extreme investment. So trying to prove a point will have to wait. I wonder how much tennis is?

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Haiti Reppin' At the Waldorf Astoria Hotel

by today's Urban Chameleon contributor

A couple of years ago I was just finishing up my last semester in grad school at Harvard University I was interviewing at all the big Wall Street firms and when it came down to the final interviews, one of them flew me to New York and put me up at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. Now, being a native New Yorker (born and raised), I hadn't ever really stayed at a hotel in Manhattan, let alone the Waldorf! So of course, once I told my Haitian mom who lives in Queens she packed her bag and came to live it up with me in the palace for a night on some Coming to America tip.

When my mom arrived later that evening she was decked out head to toe looking like Jackie Kennedy with dark shades, a sun hat, hair done, heels and her Louis Vuitton luggage in tow that she got from the Africans on Jamaica Avenue. The first thing she did was pull out her cell phone and call my aunts in Haiti no less to give them a play by play of the room. To make the experience complete, we ordered room service: a little wine and cheese and changed into the hotel robes like we were waiting for prince Hakeem. Within 15 minutes, the doorbell rang (yes, the doorbell to the room), and my mom jumped up to answer. And if our little "Uh, oh we are living it up" getaway wasn't enough of a reminder of the leaps and bounds that Ivy League education has allowed us to take, the next words I heard exchanged at the door slapped me right back onto Jamaica Avenue in Queens. "Oh! Laurent, sa wap fe la'a?" Translation? "My mother of course knows the room service guy. Not only knows him kinda sorta from around the way, but my grandmother is HIS godmother." LORD JESUS. I done made it all the way to the Waldorf and I'm related to the help.

Well, it didn't stop there. That morning, after my mother had left (at 4am mind you because she needed to make it back to queens in time for work), I headed out to Park Avenue to wait for the company car back to the airport. As I’m waiting I noticed an old Jewish classmate of mine from high school who was in town too visiting her family early for Yom Kippur, we chatted for a couple of seconds (never revealing what I was doing there) before I noticed my black town car pull up and I totally pulled a, “Well this is me girl, it was nice to catch up” and real quick hit her with some Hebrew in recognition of the holiday, "L'shana Tovah" before signaling for the bell hop to bring my things to the driver. As she was grabbing her jaw off the floor putting together that I was checking out of the Waldorf my jaw then dropped as I recognized the driver. "Oh! Sa wap fe la'a?" Translation: You have got to be kidding me. Leslie? Leslie like my aunt's ex-boyfriend? Now a man that could have very well ended up being my uncle if things had worked out with my aunt was my driver!???!!! Talk about being an Urban Chameleon, there is no movin' on up and forgetting where you come from. Well thank god because that's probably why I continue to keep it real.

"Comment vas tu Leslie? JFK Airport."

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