Abstract
In this paper, we describe the process by which a team of interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate students, together with their faculty, engaged in a semester-long project in which they partnered with and planned a community-facing event with, by, and for the local Haitian immigrant community. The event, Educated and Empowered, consisted of a three-hour long community fair which provided members of the local Haitian community with resources on area social service agencies, opportunities forcivic engagement, and an outlet for building social capital via both intra-culturalbonding and cross-cultural bridging. A discussion of the key take-aways (lessonslearned) and reflections on student learning are provided.
Highlights
Haitian people have a rich cultural history
Haiti is the first colonized country to self-liberate via revolution, and is the world’s first Black republic (Shen, 2015). While this is a source of pride and has fostered a spirit of selfreliance, their history of colonialization, oppression, and exploitation is linked to distrust of outside communities, professionals and those in authority
Shared experiences of racial discrimination can lead some Haitian Americans to feel connected to the African American community (Thornton et al, 2013)
Summary
Haitian people have a rich cultural history. Haiti is the first colonized country to self-liberate via revolution, and is the world’s first Black republic (Shen, 2015). The organizing team consisted of undergraduate psychology students, graduate social work students, Haitian community leaders, and people affiliated with the local cultural center.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Collaborations: A Journal of Community-Based Research and Practice
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
