Assembly member Rodneyse Bichotte (D-Flatbush, Ditmas Park), was joined by community board members and local residents of the newly formed Little Haiti section of Flatbush last night, to discuss how to bring forth economic development, tourism, social resources and beautification to the community.
The community forum was held in the Life of Hope Auditorium, 710 East 37th Street. The rectangular section of Flatbush now officially recognized as the Little Haiti Cultural & Business District stretches from Parkside Avenue to Avenue H and from East 16th St. to Brooklyn Avenue.
Because of the large Haitian population in Flatbush, Bichotte and the rest of the Little Haiti committee want to expand the Haitian culture to replicate areas such as Little Italy, Chinatown and Korea town. “Brooklyn’s Little Haiti will showcase an authentic Haitian experience via the food, art, music, language and traditions of residential and commercial stakeholders of the area,” Bichotte said.
Bichotte’s push to name a portion of Flatbush Little Haiti has been controversial in that Flatbush boasts a large number of immigrants from all over the Caribbean, who rightfully could lay claim to their home country’s great world and city contributions. For example, the Trinidadians have been the driving force behind the annual West Indian Labor Day Parade – the largest parade in the city; and Jamaicans and Jamaican-Americans have been trailblazers in both world culture and local city politics.
The issue of Haitian exceptionalism within the context of both the Caribbean and the world came to a point last September, when part of Flatbush was designated Little Caribbean and Bichotte said Little Haiti deserves a designation before a Little Caribbean designation in Flatbush because over 40 percent of the area was Haitian-American.
Bichotte continued to lobby for the designation, eventually wearing down detractors while picking up supporters. The movement began to take form in June 2018 when City Hall approved the official designation of Little Haiti in Brooklyn. It continued in August 2018 when Rodgers Avenue was co-named Jean-Jacques Dessalines Boulevard, who was a Haitian revolutionary leader.
Throughout the seminar many residents voiced their opinions about arts, education, bridging the gap between elders and the new generation, using social media to spread the news and about future business opportunities.
Jackson Rockingster, president of Haitian American Business Network Chamber of Commerce (HABNET), spoke about the opportunities that present themselves for future business owners in the Little Haiti section, “Our mission is quite simple, it’s to support entrepreneurship and invest primarily in the Haitian community,” said Rockingster. HABNET Chamber of Commerce helps connect entrepreneurs with needed resources to succeed.
The next step for the community of Little Haiti will be to form committees that will lead the way to business & economic development, social services, arts & culture, affordable housing and creating a directory of restaurants.
