Originally published on Huffington Post. When I was a kid, I remember that the esteemed American Red Cross was the joint for donating and receiving much needed blood that saved lives. When and how did the Red Cross join the transitional shelter and housing construction party? They would probably claim that’s part and parcel of disaster relief work. But by what method did they take in $488 million for Haiti earthquake relief and wind up building six houses in five Read More…

The perilous act of self-examination can be daunting, exhilarating, frightening and complicated, usually all at once.

Last week I was at an event celebrating National Caribbean-American Heritage Month in Los Angeles (I’m from Haiti). At one point, one of the evening’s performers, V.S. Russell, a lively and entertaining storyteller from Jamaica, encouraged guests to participate in a call and response. He entreated us to join in the fun with words to the effect of, “When I say this, you say that.” That was spoken in the patois of his native Jamaica, and was unintelligible to all Read More…

A nefarious disease plagues our nation. With devastating efficiency, and in plain sight, it has infiltrated every aspect of our lives, yet we sit around scratching our bewildered heads at the debilitating social ills now unraveling the fabric of this nation, wondering How can this be? No need to call in experts on infectious illnesses to figure out what it is. I can tell you. It’s called I Don’t Give A Shit Disease (IDGASD). Witness just a few of the Read More…

It’s that time of the year again, when a super-packed schedule of French film premieres reigns at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, where sold-out crowds of cinemaphiles, Francophones and Frenchies delight in macarons, pissaladière and good champagne (on opening night, anyway!). The annual COLCOA French Film Festival continues, and the habitual bonhomie evident among attendees was again on full display, as is the case whenever groups of like-minded people come together. Based on my own, and overheard Read More…