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Haitian Heritage Museum and Smithsonian Institution Team Up For 'Voting + Voices' Panel

Haitian Heritage Museum Logo
Haitian Heritage Museum
Haitian Heritage Museum Logo

The Haitian Heritage Museum has partnered with the Smithsonian Institution and and the Florida Humanities Council for their 4th "Arts Innovation Talk Series."

The virtual panel, taking place Oct. 29, will discuss the inner workings of the Haitian community as the election season reaches the home stretch.

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Eveline Pierre, co-founder and executive director of the Haitian Heritage Museum, said the panel pays homage to the traveling Smithsonian Institution exhibition "Voices and Votes: Democracy in America."

Pierre said the "Respect + Rebellion: The Story of My Voice + Votes" panel was also inspired by the anniversary of women's voting rights. She said since the United States recently celebrated the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted many — but not all — American women the right to vote, it's important to remind people of the role Black working-class Americans and immigrants played in the women's suffrage movement.

Editor's note: The panel will be moderated by WLRN's Wilkine Brutus.

Disenfranchisement tactics to suppress voter turnout continue today. From threats to the Voting Rights Act of 1965 to voter suppression efforts leading up to the November 2020 presidential election, the fight for the right to vote continues to place a microscope on America’s ideals — it’s “unalienable rights” and it’s quest for “a more perfect union.”

In a record-breaking election season, during a pandemic, Black Americans of Haitian ancestry are casting their ballots to protect their interest here and abroad.

The panel includes: Jane Marcel, a community organizer, pastor Ad Lenoir and Tania Andre, an entrepreneur, who will explore the importance of voting and the role civic engagement plays in the multi-ethnic Black community in South Florida.

Wilkine Brutus is the Palm Beach County Reporter for WLRN. The award-winning journalist produces stories on topics surrounding local news, culture, art, politics and current affairs. Contact Wilkine at wbrutus@wlrnnews.org
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