‘He made us proud to be Haitian.’ Wyclef Jean to be honored at event in Little Haiti

It’s time to share in some Haitian cuisine and to pass out some accolades.

This year’s annual Chefs of the Caribbean Celebrity Brunch, which has become a staple of Haitian Heritage Month and Flag Day celebrations, is honoring three-time Grammy Award winning musician Wyclef Jean.

Jean, who has been quietly spending more time in Miami and in Little Haiti, in particular, will be joining foodies and culinary experts from Haiti and other Caribbean islands Saturday before jetting off to Phoenix to perform that evening at Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner’s first home game since being freed from a Russian jail.

Jean is being welcomed to Miami by City of Miami Chairwoman Christine King, Miami-Dade County Commissioner Keon Hardemon and Little Haiti Optimist Club as they celebrate Haitian Heritage Month and the musician’s contributions to the culture.

The Haiti-born artist will be receiving two keys: One from Hardemon on behalf of the Miami-Dade County Commission and the other from the Little Haiti Optimist Club to Little Haiti, the neighborhood that for over 50 years has been the first stop for many newly arriving Haitians as they began to make South Florida their home.

Last year, Jean filmed a video in Little Haiti for the first song of his project, Vodou Drill. He released the video alongside Miami-raised singer and “Love & Hip Hop Miami” star Jessie Woo on Haitian Flag Day, May 18, 2022.

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Marie Louissaint, who has been producing the Chefs of the Caribbean since 2016, said while she doesn’t always honor someone at the twice-a-year brunch (another one usually takes place during Miami Art Week), this year, those involved really wanted to show Jean the love that he has shown the community.

“He made us proud to be Haitian,” she said, recalling his famous moment when he redefined the image of Haitian Americans by walking onto the world’s biggest music stage with the bi-color Haitian flag tied around his neck. “He repped us and it was an inspiration.”

While Haiti’s vibrant and sometimes difficult history is filled with many prideful moments, Jean’s last-minute decision at the Grammy Awards in 1997 to grab his flag became a watershed one for the Haitian diaspora. Then a member of the Fugees, he walked onto the stage to accept the prize for their multi-platinum album, The Score, and created a revolution among countless Haitian youths. Being Haitian, his act said, should not be a badge of shame.

“The reason I put that flag on [at the Grammy Awards] was so that 26 years later, another young Wyclef, another youth, can stand proudly with that flag and understand what that means when we say ‘We are the first Black republic’ and be proud of it,” said Jean.

“For me this is an honor,” Jean told the Miami Herald. “I am accepting this key, however, not on my behalf but on behalf of all of these young generation of Haitians who we are proud of.”

One of his heroes is Haiti’s Toussaint Louverture, the Haitian general and leader of the independence movement who ruled over the entire island of Hispaniola, which Haiti shares with the Dominican Republic before he was captured by the French, and died in one of their prisons 200 years ago last month.

“I always remember a quote my dad used to tell me about Toussaint Louverture. It is that ‘You can always understand a human in their most defying time,’ “ Jean said. “He said when Toussaint understood it was over for him, he said, ‘Do what you want to do with me but my seeds have been planted.’ ”

“Giving me the key to the city means that the youth and the community recognize that. But I’ve always wanted them to recognize me through them,” he said. “Haiti is my greatest joy and my greatest weakness in the sense that I would do anything for my country based on the legacy of those who came before and really fought for it.”

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Louissaint said she really wanted to pay homage to Jean and his unprecedented contribution to Haitian culture in the United States through his music and other ventures.

The free but already sold-out celebrity brunch will feature 10 chefs who will be showing off their Caribbean-inspired dishes including island desserts, specialty beverages and spirits. Participating chefs and the countries they represent are: Chef Creole (Haiti/Bahamas), Chef the Rose (Haiti), Ron Duprat (Haiti) of Top Chef fame, Chef Irie (Jamaica), Chef Cat (Trinidad/Jamaica), Chef Danny Penalo (Dominican Republic), Chef Rob (Haiti), Chef Michel France (Haiti), Chef Keith Reed (Bahamas) and Chef Garfield (Jamaica) best spins on some traditional Haitian cuisines.

“It’s a great experience to enjoy food from multiple chefs from the different islands as well as drinks and live music,” Louissaint said.

As a bonus, guests will also get to enjoy the Art Beat Miami Haitian Heritage month art exhibit featuring work by several artists. The exhibit is curated by Lobey Art & Travel. There will also be musical performances and attendees will receive a commemorative poster that reads, “Together for a Better Little Haiti.”