Casa Atabex Aché - House of Womyn's Power

February 1st: Solange “Sonia” Pierre

The second anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti recently passed, and just prior, Dominican-Haitian activist Sonia Pierre passed away from a heart attack. Much of Sonia Pierre’s life was lived in revolutionary defiance of the anti-haitianismo prominent throughout much of the Dominican Republic. It is important that Sonia Pierre’s life and mission be remembered because women of color continue to be profoundly impacted by the prejudices and discrimination brought on by whiteness on a daily basis.

“To be a woman, to be a mother, to defend human rights is hard…” – Sonia Pierre

Sonia’s passion for justice cost her a great deal. Because of her relentless pursuit of legal status for Haitians born in the Dominican Republic — the denial of which was upheld by the Dominican Supreme Court two days before she died — Pierre and her family often received death threats and she was at times physically assaulted. Though she was the recipient of awards from Amnesty International and the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights, she was commonly labeled Enemy No. 1 in her birthplace’s media outlets.

— Written by Edwidge Danticat, Haitian Author and MacArthur Fellow

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/12/06/2534218/sonia-pierre-leaves-behind-legacy.html