CUNY’s Haitian Studies Institute (HSI) will sponsor a conference on April 28 and 29, 2016. This event is free and open to the public; if you would like to attend both days, you must register for each day separately. See more information below:

The City University of New York’s Haitian Studies Institute (HSI) Planning Committee welcomes you to this two-day conference that is meant to both introduce the proposed CUNY-HSI to the larger academic community as well as to provide a forum to frame and better understand the state of the field of Haitian Studies. Presenters include prominent scholars, writers, intellectuals, and community leaders who have dedicated themselves to the community and this field.

The Conference will be held at Brooklyn College, the proposed home of the CUNY-HSI, on Thursday, April 28, 2016 at 5PM with an opening ceremony and dinner reception.  Special Speaker for the evening will be Dr. C. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University.

There will be a series of concurrent panels on various topics throughout the day on Friday, April 29, 2016. (Institutions are listed for affiliation purposes only.)

The schedule:

9:00 – 10:30 AM   Concurrent Sessions

Session (A) History/Politics & Economy

1. Millery Polyne – New York University
2. Gerald Horne – University of Houston
3. Erica James – Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Session (B) Science & Environment

1. Evens Emmanuel – Université Quisqueya
2. Florence Sergile – University of Florida
3. Roger Dorsinville – City College of New York

10:45 – 12:15 PM    Concurrent Sessions

Session (A) Haiti as a Literary Trope

1. Thomas Spear – Lehman College/The Graduate Center
2. Patrick Sylvain – Brown University
3. Natalie Leger – Queens College

Session (B) Health in Haiti & the Diaspora: Healing the mind & body

1. Guerda Nicolas – University of Miami
2. Fritz Francois – Chief Medical Officer, NYU Langone Medical Center
3. Carol Roye – Pace University
4. Lise Marie Dejean – Medical director, St. Antoine Hospital, Jeremie, Haiti

12:30 – 1:30 PM    Lunch Keynote Speakers

Claudine Michel (University of California, Santa Barbara) and Carole Boyce Davies (Cornell University)

1:45 – 3:15 PM     Concurrent Sessions

Session (A) Education in Haiti & the US

1. Michel Degraff – Massachusetts Institute of Technology
2. Josette Bruffaerts- Thomas – Haiti Futur
3. Berthe Faustin – Principal, P.S. 189

Session (B) Gender/Family/Sexuality

1. Dionne Stephens – Florida International University
2. Marleine Bastien – Director, FANM
3. Lise Marie dejean – Medical Director, St. Antoine Hospital, Jeremie, Haiti
4. Carline Desire – Exexcutive Director, Association of Haitian Women

3:20 – 4:30 PM    Community Based Organizations: Diaspora Community

1. Regine Roumain – Executive Director, Haiti Cultural Exchange
2. Jackson Rockingster – President and CEO, HABNET
3. Samuel M. Pierre – Executive Director, HAC

5:00 PM Opening ceremony and dinner reception. Special Speaker Dr. C. Reynold Verret, President of Xavier University.  

For further information, please contact Jennifer Matisi (College Assistant to the Dean of Humanities & Social Sciences) at hsi@brooklyn.cuny.edu or by phone at (718) 951-3136.

To register, go to https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cuny-haitian-studies-institute-conference-registration-21354426665

For more information, see https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cuny-haitian-studies-institute-conference-registration-21827721302 and http://www.caribbeanstudiesassociation.org/cuny-haitian-studies-institute-conference/

[Photo: Maniche, Haiti (by Blue Skyz Studios, Creative Commons license) from https://voicesofny.org/2015/12/a-haitian-studies-institute-at-brooklyn-college/]