These women suffered without knowledge that other Haitians were experiencing similar problems and without a trusted recourse for getting help. First, they set out to raise awareness of this issue in the Haitian community so that women could feel comfortable breaking their silence.

The prevention of and intervention in domestic violence became a “cornerstone of work” after the women in the group realized how prevalent the issue was in their community and even among themselves.Īs immigrants subject to cultural differences and unfamiliar with the available legal protections in the United States, Boston’s growing community of Haitian women in the late 20th century were particularly vulnerable to entrapment in abusive relationships. They operate from an office located on the corner of Fuller and Morton Streets in Dorchester, identified by a sign reading “KAFANM.” One meaning of this Haitian Kreyol phrase is “the condition of Haitian women.” Since its founding in 1988, AFAB’s primary focus in bettering the condition of Haitian women in Massachusetts centered around domestic violence.

The Association of Haitian Women in Boston chose to work in the heart of Boston’s Haitian community, serving the residents of Dorchester/Mattapan. Those experiences and concerns were reflected in the ambitious mission of the association–that is, “to help empower women” in every way. She worked against South African apartheid in high school and later focused her activism on three separate Haitian organizations while a student at Boston University.īy 1988, when she first invited those five women to her parents’ basement, she was a recent college graduate with a wealth of organizing experience and growing concerns about Boston’s Haitian community. This did not stop Desire from becoming involved in her various communities.

While the journey to Massachusetts was a relatively simple one because of the fortunate economic situation of her parents, Desire and her brother faced challenges with racism and anti-Haitian sentiments as they settled into their new home and schools in Boston. Similar to many Haitians immigrating to the United States in the latter half of the 20th century, Carline Desire followed her parents to Boston in 1975 after a political incident in Haiti compromised the safety of her family. With this small basement meeting in 1988, the Association of Haitian Women in Boston, otherwise known as the Asosiyayon Fanm Ayisyen nan Boston (AFAB), was born. The young Haitian women gathered called themselves the group Etid Fanm Ayisyen, or Haitian Women’s Study Group, and the basement became a space for them to voice concerns about their communities as well as specific issues relating to women. As they continued to meet and talk, the study group grew into an association dedicated to aiding Haitian women in Boston. “We were in these meetings when we felt as if there was a need for us to have our own space,” recalls Carline Desire, the central organizer of the group’s first meeting.

The women, ranging from recent college graduates to working professionals, had noticed a dismissive attitude toward young women involved with community organizations in their social and political circles. One evening in 1988, several Haitian women gathered in a Hyde Park basement to form a women’s study group.

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