engaging ❘
empowering ❘
enlightening
MM MEERR 22001122 SSUUM
Tips to
achieve your dreams
Smartest Lessons from Caribbean Parents get to know
Olivier Duret on stage and on his own
Modern Manners Not Your Grandma’s Rules
Haitian Stigma,
Is it over?
When Marriage Isn’t
50/50
2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid
818/981.2000 w w w . c a s a c a r s . c o m
Our home is your home...
in the 2009 Cadillac CTS
CASA 14401
DE
CADILLAC
Ventura Sher man
Boulevard, Oaks
summer 2012
Olivier Duret Making The Cover
summer 2012 â?˜
Amour Creole
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contents Summer 2012
Cover Stories
FASHION
52
16
On stage and on his own
This designer’s shoes aren’t petite, and neither are her achievements
Olivier Duret
Stepping into success
24 34
When Marriage Isn’t 50/50
59
Modern Manners
74
Haitian Stigma, Is it over
86
MAMA ALWAYS SAID
Not your grandma’s rules
Smartest lessons from Caribbean parents
14
18
Two Collections, One Set of Twins
11 WHAT’S HAPPENING?
BEAUTY 10
Top-Notch Twins Ron-n-Ron know dapper and debonair
Latest on movies, books, music and more
Exfoliation Survival Guide Your quest for smooth, soft skin ends here Is Sunscreen Really Necessary? Amour Creole explores the dark-skinned debate
50 In the New Orleans Streets
Mystery series reads like a travelogue
RELATIONSHIPS 30
12
Nighttime Looks
Festive hair is easier than ever
Creative (and practically free) Date Ideas
32
are you my Husband?
4
Amour Creole ❘
summer 2012
TRAVEL
health & Wellness
38
66
Caribbean vacation hot spots
Stick with your diet without pouring out the brew
Eat, Play, Sleep
40 Gritty Chaos amidst beauty
The Color of Bogotá, Colombia
CHARiTY
44
Sharing the Knowledge
Designer flies 12 lucky Haitians to Brooklyn for unique jewelry-crafting internship 46 Village opens for orphaned
children and elderly in Haiti 48 Concert of the Year Offers
Big Help to Haiti
SELF HELP
62
Make your dreams come true
60 Life Skills:
Teaching Kids Tools to Resolve Conflict
No more beer belly
64 Sleeping on the Job? 68 Off the Couch and on
the playground Sweating off childhood obesity this summer
MONEY
72
7 Entrepreneurial Time Stealers
70 Happily ever after for your wallet
17 tips to prevent a costly divorce
CULTURE 76 Caribbeans in the U.S. and
Canada share their thoughts 78 Cambria Heights Why it’s one of the richest black neighborhoods in the U.S.
FOOD 80 Kaz An Nou
Hands-on restaurateurs welcome guests to “our house” summer 2012 ❘
Amour Creole
5
summ e r 2 0 1 2 I ssu e 4 Esther Lafontant - Founder/Publisher Melissa St. Giles - Creative Director Maribeth Conway - Editorial Director Karl-Lydie Jean-Baptiste - Managing Editor Vice President of Marketing
Fannie Rosario Marketing Director
Lindsay Firmin-Louis
Contributing writers
Jason Brick Chrissy Callahan Jacqui D. Marie Yolaine Eusebe Mona Harris Jessita Herriott
Ivy Hughes Husband Hunter Marie-Renee Malvoisin Rusty O’Connor Sharon Secor Fred W. Wright Jr.
Editorial Assistant
Vania Andre
Copy Editor
James Dryden
Contributing Makeup Artists
Amy Wadford Fashion Stylist
Rowshana Jackson Fashion Assistant
Dramion Combs Photographer
Joi Ong
Food Stylist
Brian Samuels © Copyright 2012 by Amour Creole Media Group, Inc. Amour Creole is published quarterly. Reproduction in whole or part without permission is prohibited. Amour Creole Magazine is a registered trademark of Amour Creole Media Group, Inc. For subscription inquiries, please visit us at www.amourcreole.com, Write to Amour Creole Magazine, P.O. Box 9 61666, Boston MA 02196. Phone: (617) 286-4994
6
Amour Creole ❘
summer 2012
A not e from th e publish e r
Hitting newsstands, spreading hope
W
e’re hitting national newsstands for the first time with this issue of Amour Creole. In fact, we are the first Caribbean-American publication to hit national newsstands. This is a significant achievement for our community and our people, who have struggled to be recognized for who we really are: strong, resilient, vibrant and with a past that can never be bought. This issue represents hope. We know how invaluable hope is to our community right now, and as I read the stories in this issue, I am given more and more reasons to be hopeful. For example, in the story “Proud To Be Haitian,” we talk about bullying of Haitian-American students during the 1970s and 1980s and how this seldom happens any longer. I remember being chased out of school, which didn’t make sense to me because the students who were chasing me were black. This kind of bullying continued for years, from middle school all the way through my junior year of high school. We were called boat people and disease carriers. Children said “we smelled” and shouted “go back to your country.” The name-calling wasn’t the main issue; what disturbed me more was that the bullies looked just like me and shared similar struggles. Our experiences were different, but our ancestors fought for the same common goal: FREEDOM. I remember seeing Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have A Dream” speech for the first
time and then reading about Malcolm X and Rosa Parks. Their stories sent chills down my spine and reminded me of those of Jean Jacques Dessalines, Toussaint Louverture and Anacaona. How different could I be from those other black children when our histories were so similar? Today is a new day—African Americans are showing an increasing interest in Caribbean culture. Kids from my high school days are now married to Haitians. It’s satisfying to know they want their children to understand not only American but Haitian culture as well. Caribbean Americans are becoming more and more respected in the U.S.,
“We were called boat people and disease carriers. Children said ‘we smelled’ and shouted ‘go back to your country.’” and the story “Proud To Be Haitian” is evidence of this progress. This, too, gives me hope. The story about Cambria Heights, one of the richest black neighborhoods in the country and one comprised of a large Haitian-American population, also demonstrates how we are making our mark in the United States. Now younger generations of Haitian Americans are proud of who they are and where they are from. They are not ashamed to say out loud “I AM HAITIAN!”
Amour Creole is an outlet to continue that Caribbean pride by telling our stories and showing the many sides of Caribbean people. Yes, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. You hear that every time someone mentions Haiti or a foreigner is being interviewed about Haiti. But I have hope. As our voice gets louder and stronger, people will understand how we reached that level of poverty and how we’re moving far, far beyond it. By reading about our past and learning about our present, I see the future and that future gives me hope. Amour Creole gives me hope. I’d love to hear from you! Email me at publisher@amourcreole.com.
Esther Lafontant Founder/Publisher
Want to share your opinions for the next issue of Amour Creole? “Like” us on Facebook and look out for our polls.
summer 2012 ❘
Amour Creole
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Amour â?˜ C H A R I T Y
Village opens for orphaned children and elderly in Haiti U.S. company proves successful NGO partnerships can happen By Vania Andre and Marie-Renee Malvoisin
46
Amour Creole â?˜
summer 2012
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JimmyDawn A Richard Jean-Louis
Katia Ca det: Grammy - nominated our writer steps out on brothers her own &sisters
Relationship:
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Talks about her Haitian roots and whether she will go solo
Manouschka Guerrier: Chef to the stars cooking
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