Black PR Wire Power Profiler on Marleine Bastien

Fighting for the rights of women and children, Marleine Bastien has not only proven to be a prominent voice in the Haitian American community, but a phenomenal national leader.

Bastien is the third of eight children born in Petite Riviere de L'Artibonite, Haiti where both of her parents were persecuted for teaching Haitian adults and children to read. "My parents instilled the importance of fighting for the powerless," she said. Her father built the first school in the vicinity and her mother ran a mini-social work center at their residence. Unfortunately, these actions were considered subversive by the Duvalier regime, and consequently, her father was frequently arrested. In the 1980's, after Haiti's political climate grew intolerable, the Bastien family moved to the United States.

In 1981,Bastien came to Miami to begin her college education at Miami-Dade Community College (MDCC) where she earned an Associate of Arts degree in Social Work. While in college, Bastien started working full-time as a paralegal and interpreter at the Haitian Refugee Center, a nationally recognized program that provides free legal services to newly arriving Haitians. Every day for five years she accompanied the center's lawyers to the Krome detention center, where thousands of Haitians refugees were held awaiting their immigration hearings. She eventually furthered her education in social work at Florida International University and received both undergraduate and graduate degrees.

After graduating in 1987, she worked at Jackson Memorial Hospital as a clinical social worker. Bastien credits her supervisors for allowing her to travel on advocacy missions to Tallahassee, FL, Washington, DC and Guantanamo, Cuba. She realized that she wanted to impact the lives of more people, and in 1991 she created Fanm Aysien Nan Miyami, Inc. (FANM), which translates to The Haitian Women of Miami.

As the founder and Executive Director of FANM, Bastien helps Haitian women adjust to life in the U.S. through family counseling, leadership development, and assistance with language. "I felt that once the women were informed, the benefits would trickle down to the rest of the family," she says. She faced many obstacles when starting FANM. Aside from fighting skepticism, she had to find resources to keep the organization running. "For nine years we did not receive any money. We sold chocolates, organized yard sales and fundraising to provide badly needed services to families in need." However, through consistent leadership and hard work, she is proud to say that today FANM is a force to reckon with. They provide money and technical aid to help women start home-based businesses, and provide breast cancer education and outreach, domestic-violence counseling and education.

Today she continues to demonstrate increasing concern for the future of the south Florida community as well as the political and social climate of Haiti. She fights passionately for the dual citizenship of Haitian Americans. Not only does she serve as the voice of Haitian women, but is also an unofficial spokesperson for the Haitian community. As If that weren't enough she is the vice- chair and co-founder of the Haitian American Grassroots Coalition, and member of the Sosyete Koukouy, Haitian Neighborhoods Center, Sant La.

Bastien played a vital role in the passage of the Haitian Immigration Refugee Fairness Act of 1998. Due to her efforts, more than 50, 000 Haitians have become permanent residents, and have access to employment, healthcare, and other services offered to Americans. She has been recognized for her impressive achievements as the recipient of both the 2002 Ford Foundation Leadership Award and the Sojourner Truth Award.

As the mother of three boys, Bastien urges today's young people to aim high, take charge of their lives, and invest and participate in the community. She hopes to be remembered as a humble woman highly committed to social and economic justice. Among her plans for the future, are mentoring young Haitian American women to become prominent leaders, and learning Spanish so she can also advocate for the rights of Hispanic immigrants

Bastien is a woman who deeply believes that peace cannot be achieved without the complete emancipation of women and their full, equal participation in all spheres of societal life. For more information and FANM, please contact Marleine Bastien at marleine_bastien@hotmail.com or 305-756-8050.