Haitian-Americans reflect on Congresswoman Carrie Meek’s fight for their community

FORT LAUDERDALE — Aude Sicard remembers going to meeting after meeting all around Florida in the early 1990s. She was part of a group of Haitian-Americans who pleaded regularly with officials to add Haitians to the Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act (NACARA) bill that provided immigration benefits. But officials refused, saying adding Haitians would kill the bill, Sicard said. 

Then, the group got help from Congresswoman Carrie Meek, who initiated a bill specifically for Haitians. 

“She fought a lot. Her heart was with helping,” said Sicard, a community advocate who interned at Meeks’s office in 1994. “Her passing moved me.”

To view the full story, please subscribe to The Haitian Times. You can choose a $60 Annual Subscription or a $5 Weekly Pass.

When you join The Haitian Times family, you’ll get unlimited digital access to high-quality journalism about Haiti and Haitians you won’t get anywhere else. We’ve been at this for 20 years and pride ourselves on representing you, our diaspora experience and a holistic view of Haiti that larger media doesn’t show you. 

Join now or renew to get:
— Instant access to one-of-kind stories and special reports 
— Local news from our communities (especially New York and Florida)
— Profiles of Haitians at the top of their fields
— Downloadable lists and resources about Haitian culture 
— Membership merch, perks and special invitations 

First-time subscribers also receive a special welcome gift handmade in Haiti by expert artisans! Do it for the culture and support Black-owned businesses.

If you’re seeing this message but you’re already a subscriber, you can log in for immediate access to this story.

Related