Haitian women’s group holds gala to support mission of helping immigrant families

The Haitian Women of Miami (FANM) will hold its annual fundraising gala Saturday to help support the group’s mission of speaking out on behalf of immigrant families in South Florida.

The event, dubbed Building Strong Communities: One Family at a Time will start at 6 p.m. at the Biscayne Bay Marriott hotel, 1633 N. Bayshore Dr.

“I cannot remember a time when families were in such high level of anxiety and concerns for the future,” said Marleine Bastien, FANM director, in an email. “Low income families are concerned about jobs, affordable housing, the future of public schools, and keeping their businesses. Immigrant families worry about police profiling, exclusion and ICE intimidation tactics, family separation and deportation, discrimination , bigotry, and racism.”

The organization’s event is usually held to coincide with International Women’s Day, which was Wednesday.

This year’s keynote speaker will be U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, who will discuss the issues immigrant children face in Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Former state Rep. Phillip Brutus, former Sen. Dwight Bullard, Green Family Foundation Director Mireille Charles, former HANA president Marjorie Lozama and former HACOFF director Paula Pierre will be honored at the gala.

For information or to purchase tickets — which are $125 a person — call 305-756-8050 or visit www.fanm.org.

This story was originally published March 10, 2017 at 9:18 PM with the headline "Haitian women’s group holds gala to support mission of helping immigrant families."