Today is a special day. I just learned this a couple of weeks ago. I was born on the same day as a significant event in Ayiti’s history.
On April 3rd, 1986, 30,000 Haitian women marched through the streets of Port-au-Prince to “claim their place, their human rights, and to make themselves visible in Ayiti’s society.” On that same day, early in the morning, my mother, hundreds of miles away at a hospital in Miami, was in labor. At 3:32 PM, I came into this world.
I also recently learned that on April 10, 1950, Haitian women gathered in Port-au-Prince for five days for the first Haitian Women’s National Congress. It was a pivotal moment in the movement for women's rights, bringing together Haitian and international voices to champion gender equality and social progress.
For me, to be born on the same day as the National Day of the Haitian Women’s Movement, and seven days before the yearly commemoration of the Haitian Women’s Congress, it is no coincidence. It is divine alignment.
As I learn about the remarkable things that Haitian women have done in the past, I feel like I’m coming into something that was already in full swing. Since the revolution, there have been women leading efforts to establish and advance Ayiti. Today, as the Executive Director of the Ayiti Community Trust, I find myself in the story.
All I see is power. When I think of these moments, when I see women lifting their voices, being in their authenticity, standing up for whatever it is that they’re passionate about - it gives me goosebumps. That’s where I want to be. That’s what I was birthed into. That’s where the energy is vibrant - palpable. It shows me what women can do together.
It points to my calling. Today on my 39th birthday, on the day we commemorate the Haitian Women’s Movement, and on the heels of the 75th anniversary of the Haitian Women’s Congress, I am launching my campaign as Executive Director of Ayiti Community Trust. I do so not alone. I stand on the shoulders of the women who fought in the revolution in 1804, who gathered in 1950, who marched in 1986, and who today continue to push boundaries, shift narratives, and lead change. It is with the spirit of these women — the spirit of Konbit Fanm Ayisyèn — that I mark a new chapter of focus and action at the Ayiti Community Trust.
Over the next few seasons, I will be connecting with executive directors of other organizations, artists, community leaders, business owners, members of the Diaspora and more about my leadership and how we can all build a sustainable Ayiti together.
As Executive Director, I vow to lead with:
- Vision that is bold and Black — Ayisyen to the bone.
- Strategy that uplifts community voices, especially women and girls.
- Collaboration that centers indigenous wisdom and collective power.
- And a commitment to building a permanent fund for Ayiti.
My mission is personal. It is cultural. It is ancestral.
In the footsteps of countless other fearless Haitian women, I will continue the work as Executive Director of Ayiti Community Trust. So, I ask you to walk with me, stand with me, stand beside me.
Mèsi anpil. Ann kontinye travay ansanm. Pou Ayiti. Pou fanm. Pou lavni.
Dr. Alyssa Jean
