Embedded Files
Keyla Cabrera
Keyla Cabrera
10/1/2020
My team has the task of creating 4 short documentaries on AFAB, specifically their goals/objectives, their domestic violence program, the ESL/Education program, and their response to COVID-19. We are more than excited to have the opportunity to visit AFAB in person this weekend. We will conduct interviews and capture some visuals while there and include footage of AFAB distributing food to their clients. After our visit, we should have most of the resources needed to then begin the editing process. I'm excited for what my team will achieve and hope to truly convey the importance of AFAB's work for the community they serve.
11/30/2020
Since my last blog post, my group has completed several tasks. I had the opportunity of visiting AFAB with some of my group members and we got to interview Carlene and Regine. It was interesting to see the location of AFAB and how it’s right in the community, allowing for easier access. That day we went to visit, they were holding a food drive in which they provided essentials for survivors and their families. It was amazing to get to see the work they do. Inside the building, there was a room set up like a classroom and there were children paintings and empowering messages on the walls. Using footage and pictures from our visit, our group was able to compile 4 mini documentaries and a slide show showcasing AFAB and all the work they’ve done for Haitian women. My video focused on AFAB’s goals and how they’ve strived to achieve them, through the implementation of several programs and services aimed to help survivors and raise awareness of the domestic violence issue at hand. During the editing process, there was some difficulty with the audio, as we conducted the interviews outside due to bad lighting inside the building. The wind and car sounds did make it hard to hear Carlene, so that was a major obstacle I faced because despite lowering the background sound, you could still hear it. Additionally, my raw footage was about 30 minutes so cutting that all down to 5 minutes was a lengthy process but still very enjoyable as I loved adding the transitions and background music. I ended my video with a very impactful statement from Carlene, in which she showed the beauty of the work that AFAB does, in that women come in scared and with little hope left, but after the process and support they are given, they become empowered, allowing for them have a better future for themselves and their families. Carlene also talked about the impact that AFAB has had not only in the Haitain community but in the Boston area, and this shows how extensive and powerful their work is. This entire process made me realize the importance of such organizations for survivors.
For the second part of the semester, my group was researching bystander training and we have found great resources that focus on preventing sexual assault. We have now put these resources on a flyer to allow for easy access to these sites.
Griffin Coates
Griffin Coates
10/6/2020
Our first week of working with AFAB has been very exciting! Our group, which is helping with the technology and broadcasting, met with AFAB earlier this week to get an idea of how we can help them with their events. We have since started our research of local clubs and organizations within Boston schools to invite them to attend the events AFAB are putting on. Personally, I have never worked with a non-profit, so its a very fresh and exciting experience to not only work under the confines of a service program, but instead be on the inside, helping with the logistics and planning of an event. If this first week has been any indication, this will be a very exciting and thought provoking experience as we aid AFAB, Carline, and Regine with both the 32nd Annual Celebration and Survivor Forum.
11/30/2020
This week, my team is working on getting our website page ready for our practice presentation on Thursday morning. To do this, we are finishing up our document on how the pandemic has effected domestic and sexual violence. The last few weeks we're spent doing research and finding specific data for this document. My job, specifically, this week is to work on the script for our presentation and get everything wrapped up well for our final presentation. We have done a lot of interesting work, and it has been a cool experience going back through everything we have done and realizing just how much group 2 has accomplished over the course of this semester!
Ainsley Grady
Ainsley Grady
10/8/2020
These past few weeks, our group has been meeting and scheduling appointments with faculty, graduate students and classmates to learn how to gather information for our presentation. As of Tuesday evening, we do not have a clear outline for our presentation, so we have been focusing on where we can get information and gathering ideas on how to present the information we find. We met with a librarian over Zoom, and she went over different resources that are available to us. Upon her recommendation, we scheduled an appointment with a graduate student to go over different ways to present our information. Due to COVID19, only one member of our group was allowed to meet with the graduate student, so this Thursday we are going to discuss the advice the graduate student offered. We have also connected with another group in our class, so that we can share sources. Lastly, we have connected with Carline. We will officially meet with her after October 17th in order to get a better understanding of what she is looking for.
11/17/2020
In recent weeks our group has been able to meet more with AFAB. We got a late start due to AFAB’s focus on other events and initially, we were unable to get a solid grasp on what they were looking for because of not being able to discuss what they were looking for, but now we have a more clear path of what research they want us to do. Unfortunately, we will no longer be able to create a full report for them due to the lack of time we have left in the semester. We are now working with them on the first phase of the project which is developing crafting a survey for them to send to their sister organizations. We have conducted some research and have come up with questions that could potentially be used for the survey, however it is hard to come up with correctly worded questions, as coming up with survey questions is something that I have not had much experience in. Personally, I have struggled to come up with non research based questions. AFAB has also put us in touch with a woman from the organization who will be able to help us through constructing this survey, and Professor Gross will also be a great source of help when trying to develop and refine these questions.
Fiona Sarvis
Fiona Sarvis
10/8/2020
This past Saturday, members of my group were able to go to AFAB to take videos and have interviews with Carline and Regine. Unfortunately, I had conflicts on Saturday so I was not able to go, but it has been so amazing watching the videos and interviews in order to put together the mini documentaries. Specifically, I am working on the documentary that has to do with AFAB’s response to Covid-19 and how they have been able to adapt to the pandemic and reach their clients who are survivors of domestic violence. This work has been so powerful because it has given me a perspective to see how AFAB is able to connect with the Haitian community and give so much support even though they are still a small organization. It has been great to be able to use the readings and lectures from the class when we have talked about how different communities and cultures respond to sexual assault and domestic violence and be able to apply this new knowledge with the work of AFAB. It has been so interesting for me to learn about how AFAB worked to adapt the ways they reach their clients who are still living with their abusers through strategic phone calls or emails. This has put into perspective the idea of “total institutions,” that outlines the variety of reasons someone is not able to leave a situation of abuse, such as finances, cultural expectations, or lack of support. Our group is almost finished with our mini documentaries and I am so excited for the event October 17th to see them all put together!
10/22/2020
AFAB just had their two events this past week! My group just finished working on the mini documentaries and I am happy with how they turned out! Both events went really well and I am happy that we were able to be a part of them. Now my group is starting research on virtual trainings for survivors and bystanders of domestic violence. I am really excited to start this research because it will definitely give me more insight into how these types of trainings are created and the methodology behind how to be a better bystander or the healing process for survivors. I think that by doing this research on the trainings, I will also learn how to become a better bystander which is an important skill that will follow me throughout my life.
Tess Blaylock
Tess Blaylock
10/19/2020
This past week, AFAB hosted both of their events, one being a Domestic Violence Forum and the other being their 32nd Annual Celebration. Our group was responsible for managing the technology of these two events, and we were all given specific roles to do on the zoom calls. I was in charge of spotlighting the speakers, as well as signing on from a different device as a participant to make sure everything was running smoothly. For the event on Wednesday, October 14th, our group met in person so that we could communicate while the event was going on in case anything went wrong. The event went extremely well, with a total of 60 participants and no technology errors. This forum was a great way of helping form the connection of learning about sexual violence in class to how it’s impacted by the corona virus. It also was incredible to have Professor Jean-Charles as one of the panelists in this forum, for she helped form this bridge. That next day, our group had a rehearsal with AFAB from 7-8:30 for their Annual Celebration, since this event was a lot more complex and would have more people attending. The rehearsal had a lot of complications, some of which was technology, but we were able to talk through all the problems and figure out ways to ensure they would not happen during the actual event. That Saturday, our group got together in person again for the final event and were again pleased at how well it went. It was an overall incredible experience to be able to see how AFAB adapted and adjusted their events to the limitations of the pandemic, and still managed to have supporters attend and donate to their cause.
11/28/2020
This week, our group continued to work on our report on how Covid-19 has influenced domestic violence, as well as began preparations for the final presentation. For the report, each of us found five sources on the topic and took detailed notes on them. We then compiled all of the information into groups, which helped us to form a basic outline of it. The next steps for this are to create a basic rough draft of the report, which we will be doing on Canva, and then to complete the final one by the time of the presentation. Through my research, I learned a lot about how the pandemic has influenced domestic violence. Before taking this class, I had not considered how sheltering-in-place could be extremely harmful and dangerous for those in abusive relationships. In addition, while I have thought about the stress that parents must be under because kids are doing online-learning, I never thought about how that could lead to child abuse. Reading about how this also disproportionately impacts minorities and people of poverty helped me form a connection between the lectures and current events. I read from one of my sources that black people are already less likely to report domestic violence because they have an untrusting relationship with the police, which reflects the police brutality that we discuss in class.
Sophia Serratore
Sophia Serratore
11/2/2020
For the first half of the semester, I was a part of Team 1 who was in charge of the four mini-documentaries as well as a PowerPoint presentation. My group collaborated very well together and communicated often over text and zoom. Luckily, the dispersion of our work was quite simple and we were each able to take on one of the tasks assigned to the group. I took on a short documentary about domestic violence. Members of my group traveled to AFAB and filmed very insightful interviews. During the editing process, I tried to incorporate all of the most significant pieces of information so that the audience could understand the seriousness of the issue and how AFAB is making a large impact on survivors’ lives. The initial audio of the video was not ideal due to outside factors that were occurring while filming was happening. Leadership members of AFAB were very quick to provide us additional audio to produce the best film possible. Looking back at the film now, I believe the most impactful part was when Regine discussed the story of one of the survivors that AFAB had recently helped. Too often survivors are quantified down and the significance of their individual stories is forgotten. Overall, the projects were successful, and I am looking forward to researching similar societal issues for the second half of the semester.
11/16/2020
Currently, my group and I are in the process of researching bystander training. We have found some great options that universities around the world have been utilizing. In particular, I found the organization Bringing in the Bystander which focuses on preventing campus sexual assault. Their services are used at over 500 campuses and have made a significant impact on various communities. The organization is also developing a sector for high schools to help them prevent sexual assault among youth. My group has decided that once we cultivate an abundance of helpful resources, we will use Canva to create informative flyers with helpful links that people can use to access sites. We are going to try to put these links in the form of a QR code, so it will be easy for people to quickly scan and go with the information. The main goal of this project is to create a collection of useful resources that people can have quick access to. I hope my group's research will aid others who do not have the time or possibly resources to find them on their own. Especially during these times, it is essential to have contactless methods to spread significant information to people. I am very excited to see how the flyers turn out!
Erin Sudbey
Erin Sudbey
11/5/2020
I think I went into this project with a lot of expectations and pressure. We certainly started off our brainstorming with big dreams and excitement and I think there have been some moments where I have felt as though I’m not doing enough. The last week or so I think I finally took the pressure off myself and learned that the more flexible and open minded our plans are, the better. When I get caught up trying to make everything exactly perfect, it makes the task I’m trying to complete that much harder to even start. We ran into some miscommunication/lack of communication issues in the beginning so we didn’t get the chance to really get started for a while, but that is okay. I have a lot of respect and admiration for AFAB and the relentless work they put into their cause every day. You can tell that there’s a lot of love, togetherness, and hope.
I really appreciated the forum on domestic violence hosted by AFAB because of how it brought our readings to light in a very concrete way. Lorraine Lafata, a clinical consultant and therapist (who also has experience in social work), spoke about self-care and the many forms it can exist and flourish. Specifically during these present times it is critical to practice self-care, as Audre Lorde said, “...caring for oneself is not self-indulgent, it is self-preservation, that is an act of political warfare.” The tasks that I need to complete for this week are my way of practicing self-care, though they may be small. Working with an organization that recognizes injustices, seeks to solve it, and that is run by such passionate and intelligent people gives me a lot of strength to get through this election week.
On a very separate note: I didn’t realize how much I would enjoy making all these little posters and things. I have never considered myself to be creative or artistic, so this experience has allowed me to explore that part of myself; this exploration has been very fulfilling.
11/9/2020
I am really excited to get the ball rolling on the website, and I have enjoyed collaborating with the other teams like Team 2 on getting information together to send out in the newsletter. Hopefully we will be sending out the November newsletter very soon! Some of the posters we made AFAB will be holding onto for next year to use which is really exciting!
As we take a look back and dive into the history of the Black Lives Matter movement, I am reminded that these large scale, groundbreaking, and transformative movements start from the ground up. I am specifically thinking of how we are looking at the history of BLM through a Black feminist lens, with Black woman at the forefront. It is a very powerful experience to read about powerful Black women in history, and then work with such an impactful organization with Black women at the forefront in 2020.
Sophia Riordan
Sophia Riordan
11/6/2020
Our initial project was to create a formal report on the impact of policing on immigrants. In the first few weeks of school, we met with the librarian to get familiar with our research tools here at Boston College. We used the library resources and archives to begin our preliminary research about the Haitian immigrant population in Boston, policing of immigrants, and the experience of immigrants with the justice system. Prior to our first meeting, we struggled to receive a sense of direction from AFAB about their plan for our report. We also began some research on how to format official reports.
Last week, our group was finally able to meet with AFAB for the first time to discuss our project. Since we are working with a shorter timeline, we had to work to adjust our project and we are now planning on creating a questionnaire about Haitian immigrant's experience with police, ICE, the court system, and a focus specifically on how domestic violence and sexual assault plays into this. We have begun to divide work up between our group as we continue to research these topics and brainstorm questions. We are planning to meet as a group early next week to assess our progress, and we will have our first questionnaire draft by 10/13. We will be sharing our work with AFAB, and meeting with them again to check-in.
12/2/2020
In the past 2 weeks, our team has had some increased progress with our project. We've still been having some communication issues with AFAB, but we've made some decisions on our own in order to move ahead with our project due to the lack of direction from AFAB.
We have created a new draft of our survey, and we decided to make an online version along with an in-person interview-style questionnaire. We are hoping this flexibility for AFAB will make for the most beneficial contribution by our group. We also have a draft of our research paper, which prefaces the importance of our survey and a little background on the topic. The research paper was a little difficult for me because there is very little research and data about sexual assault and Haitian immigrants. Nonetheless, this lack of research is exactly why our questionnaire is so important.
We are conducting an interview with Lunine, an associate of AFAB's, on Friday. We will be using some of this information to supplement our research paper, as it will be super helpful to have a first-hand account of the experiences of a Haitian immigrant.
We haven't heard back from AFAB recently, but we are planning on sending the next version of our survey and research paper shortly.
Miles Hester
Miles Hester
11/6/2020
This week was an exciting week for Team Stallion because we finally heard back from AFAB. After two months of waiting for AFAB to provide us some guidance on our statistical analysis report, our group got the gears moving this week with a new objective. Given the limited number of weeks we have left to complete this group project, we compromised with AFAB (with the help of Professor Gross) and will now get started with a questionnaire that will provide AFAB with new statistics they can use to adjust their programs. We plan on finalizing our first draft of our questions by the end of next week and are excited to keep moving forward with the project!
11/16/2020
These past few weeks, we have been able to receive more information AFAB. Although we still don't have a lot of information to work with, my team and I have made strides with constructing our survey questions and introductory paper. I am proud to have worked with them and can't wait to present our final product to the whole class.
Sofia Gillespie
Sofia Gillespie
10/12/2020
Upon visiting AFAB this past weekend to conduct interviews for a small documentary, a few quotes from AFAB’s director Carline Desire particularly stood out to me. When we asked how her work helping Haitian women who have been victim to domestic violence is related to the goals of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo, she responded with several minutes of passionate dialogue. Her work as an activist began in college, although the group of Black women she was working with labeled themselves as a study group at the time as to not cause disruption to the status quos of “submissive Black women stereotypes,” as she put it. This initial introduction to activism sparked a lifelong dedication, resulting in improving the lives of countless Black women through her work at AFAB and beyond. She explained that her convictions to dismantle patriarchy and white supremacy has been a devotion that will persist for her entire life.
Following the interview as we packed up our bags of film equipment, Carline began to ask us what we expect our individual life courses to look like, especially with respect to the movements of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo. I explained to her how I see myself pursuing a potential career in journalism or psychiatry and how those paths may intersect with these movements. Ayana Henry, another member of my group, went on to explain how her life will as well intersect with these movements. Carline responded to what we had to say simply, “You guys give me hope.”
11/16/2020
As my group begins to compile the footage from our interviews into our documentary, I am reflecting upon what those interviews revealed. Although we have not entirely translated the footage from the Creole-speaking clients, I am still able to get an understanding of their strength.
The first client we interviewed from AFAB described her story of physical, emotional, and financial abuse from two different partners. With both partners, her immigration status and four children were used to manipulate her into withstanding the abuse. Though I could only understand fragments of words here and there, I was able to get the most from the interview by focusing on her expressions and mannerisms. She expressed such passion in both her voice and in her eyes. With a fiery tone of voice, I could sense her strength in thoughtfully sharing her story.
The second woman we interviewed explained her story of abuse from a partner who, again, used her immigration status and two children in order to manipulate her. As her two children sat in the other room eating Cheetos and giggling together, she described her experience in a slow, pensive way. Though more reserved in her expressions than the first women we interviewed, her strength was still very much detectable even with the language barrier.
I feel as though the differences between the way each woman shared her individual story demonstrates the ways in which victims/survivors heal from their traumas in ways that feel right to them.
Jilliana Tumangan
Jilliana Tumangan
10/19/2020
Our group is extremely excited to begin working directly with AFAB to produce a documentary for them! We have eagerly been working in preparation for our first visit next Saturday by testing out different filming equipment and drafting some of the scripted portions of the documentary (such as the introduction). We’ve also done some independent research as well with the help of Professor Gross on the intricacies in the art of creating documentaries that we believe will be helpful in our work. We have been allowing other groups to work more directly with AFAB due to the nature of their assignments and their accompanying deadlines and have, in result, delayed our own work. However, we believe that with adequate communication with AFAB and diligent work, we will be able to produce an effective documentary for them. Our group is extremely eager to be working with AFAB and are excited to produce for them the best output possible!
10/26/2020
My group just held our first initial meeting with AFAB! We left campus eagerly, expecting to immediately begin filming interviews for the documentaries; however, the AFAB team decided that it would be best if we used our initial meeting to communicate more on the goals and expectations for the documentary. The meeting was extremely helpful in allowing our team to understand AFAB’s vision for the film and for us to ensure that we are on the same page. For the first time, our group had a shared, clear vision for the documentary and had some form of assurance from AFAB themselves that what we were doing aligned with what they wanted from us.
During our visit, we got to speak with Regine and Carline about AFAB and some of the different clients that they get to help. The stories they shared were unimaginable. The survivors that AFAB gets to help go through so much, and AFAB does such great and meaningful work for them. Hearing these cases made me so excited to have this documentary as a platform to promote AFAB—to spread awareness of domestic violence against Haitian women and to share more about AFAB’s noble and beautiful work.
Visiting AFAB for the first time was a great experience! Regine and Carline were extremely welcoming, and I look forward to working more with them throughout the rest of the semester!
Immanuel Ochuko-Kivie
Immanuel Ochuko-Kivie
10/03/2020
Today a couple members of my group and I went to meet with Carline and Regine at AFAB! Yesterday I collected the cameras and tripods, and did a little trial and error with the system, since I had never used cameras like these before. Back to today, I took the T for the first time, and although the trip was a little tumultuous (we may or may not have gotten lost), but it was completely worth it. Once we got to their office, we saw AFAB's principles in action, as Regine was giving out food to some members of the community. After that, we began the interview and did a little trial and error with the camera system, but everything turned out great. We interviewed Regine first and I was so intrigued to see how they worked with sexual assault survivors and other members of the Haitian community, I forgot to move out of the frame when my reflection was in the mirror. She spoke about the different ways they help survivors with escaping violent domestic situations, how they offer them community resources to deal with the trauma, and how Covid-19 impacted the way AFAB operates. One quote that stuck out to me was when Regine said they had to be strategic about reaching out to someone who was experiencing domestic violence, so that it could be discreet and they could find ways to help them in the situation. I was happy to see how seriously and passionately they took their work, and I can't wait to see the finished product.
11/12/2020
It has been a about month since my last blog post and a lot has happened since then. My group members completed the mini-documentaries about AFAB's response to Covid, their ESL program, and their methods for supporting people who are experiencing or have experienced domestic violence. I think they did an amazing job, especially with the time constraints, and I am glad everything went smoothly, even after some communication issues. I completed a slideshow for their anniversary program over zoom, which took me a long time to edit and compile, but the end result clearly depicted the different programs that AFAB orchestrates. I attended their 32nd anniversary over zoom, and seeing the love and appreciation everyone has for each other's efforts really improved my understanding of the impact that their work has. Although the work that they do is strenuous and tiring, it is worthwhile and vital to helping immigrants, children, and survivors of sexual assault, specifically in the Haitian community. I am extremely grateful that I was able to interview and work with AFAB, as it gave me greater insight to how domestic violence is being fought against and how grassroots organizations grow and help those in need. It really put a spotlight on what we have been learning in class. AFAB is a physical manifestation of putting black women at the center of the sexual violence narrative and despite times of uncertainty, they are still fighting for a better world where everyone is supported. They are a network of people that have been contributing to their communities to relieve the epidemic that is sexual violence, and that branches into helping other aspects of the community. While they are targeted towards the Haitian community, they are inclusive of people of all backgrounds. It's empowering just to be adjacent to this non-profit organization, which has worked its way from the ground up with almost nothing and is still on the rise. I thoroughly enjoyed this great opportunity and I hope to do more work like this in the future.
Christie Louis
Christie Louis
10/19/2020
First and foremost, I wanted to mention how incredibly grateful I am to be given the opportunity to work with an organization like AFAB. As a Haitian woman living in Boston, it can be extremely difficult to find a place where you are freed from the bounds of traditional gender reaffirming stereotypes that traumatize Black women in the community. With the establishment of an organization like AFAB, I sleep better knowing that there is an organization created by a group of resilient women who work tirelessly to provide a safe space for Haitian women, and specifically survivors of sexual violence. From the beginning, we were told by Dr. Gross and Professor Jean-Charles that it can be challenging working with a non-profit organization. While there is so much that we want to be done, it is critical to acknowledge that due to the organization’s small size and lack of necessary resources, it can unrealistic to make all the immediate changes that we could’ve wanted. Also, it is extremely easy to provide them with short-term tools, but I quickly realized that doing so is counterproductive and leaves the organization overwhelmed and short-staffed. Our first mission for AFAB is to create an October newsletter that highlights the two upcoming events they have for this month and that brings awareness to the fact that this month is Domestic Violence Awareness Month and Creole Month. While we are unable to release the newsletter in time for the first event, we hope to release it prior to the next event. Above all, we want to make sure that we are supporting AFAB in whatever way we can. Right now, it is challenging to create a flowing communication stream with them because of COVID and their busy schedules, however, we hope to continue to tighten the relationship we have with them.
10/26/2020
Before diving into the visions that Erin and I had for AFAB, it is important to note that in true 2020 fashion, it is incredibly difficult to have the impact that we wanted to because of COVID restrictions. While zoom is a lifesaver, communication has been difficult because of our inability to visit their office in person and their limited staff at the office. Our group specifically is tasked with not only creating the class blog but working with AFAB on the release of their newsletters and the creation of a blog on their website. However, we quickly realized that while we wanted to take complete control, it is very damaging to come into an organization and immediately want to take over the roles that had been occupied by someone. After communicating with their social media coordinator, we decided that it was best to primarily focus on their newsletter and providing them with posters that they could use in the future.
We had hoped to release the first newsletter earlier this week, in hopes of advertising for the event that took place on the 17th, but due to the urgency to perfect the planned program, we’ve decided to push the release of the newsletter to the end of October. In all honesty, it has been a bit tough because we are constantly feeling as though we are not doing enough. We personally feel as though we are a bit bothersome is always asking for information and wanting to stay in contact but we also it has been a learning experience in learning that due to the nature of a small nonprofit organization, it is inherently difficult to attempt to do everything that we wanted with the limited resources. No matter how difficult it has been to communicate, I feel honored to have this opportunity and I hope that we are able to stay in close contact in the future.
Srina Lacet
Srina Lacet
11/16/2020
This past week, the “Keeping It Reel” group concluded our filming process at AFAB/KAFANM. We were able to observe the hands-on work and have intimate conversations about the experience of working for a local nonprofit organization. We were inspired by the clients that we interviewed, Haitian victims/survivors of domestic violence influenced by the immigrant experience. It was wonderful to see firsthand how AFAB’s work has positively impacted women in the community. The filming process went very smoothly thanks to the joint preparation of the group with the help of equipment provided by Boston College’s Media Technology Services department. We were meticulous in our planning for shots and paying attention to what we wanted to capture from each participant. It was a successful few trips to AFAB and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with them in-person. All of our efforts will go toward a strong short documentary film. This has personally prompted me to look into more potential documentary filmmaking opportunities for the future.
11/23/2020
The “Keeping It Reel” group is excited to begin the formatting and editing process for our documentary project. We have an outline of the order of events for the film and will use that for guidance when reviewing and transcribing the footage that we have collected over the past few weeks. We want to make sure to focus on the experience of each domestic violence victim/survivor as well as highlight AFAB’s efforts in improving their lives along with the rest of their clients. It has been a difficult few weeks with the increase of COVID-19 cases on campus and around the country, as well as the workload of our various classes during the holiday season. The editing process for our upcoming presentation will be interesting considering those circumstances. However, we are as motivated as ever to put together a great documentary for AFAB to use as an informational and promotional tool so that they may continue to do this important work. My group has had many discussions about the timeline of our project and I have agreed to continue the documentary work through Winter Break.
Emily Popielec
Emily Popielec
09/24/20
We’re so excited to begin filming our short documentaries about AFAB’s work! We’ll be focusing on documentaries about the Domestic Violence Program, and the Covid-19 response. These will include portions of interviews with Carline and other organization staff, and we hope to offer these films with subtitles in English, French, and Creole! We’ll also be making short films about AFAB’s mission, ESL education during Covid, and a slideshow presentation for the annual celebration, which will be held virtually on October 17.
10/01/2020
This weekend on October 3, we plan to go visit AFAB! We’ll be getting in-person interviews with staff for all four of our documentaries. These documentaries will feature AFAB’s work with ESL education, their response to COVID-19, domestic violence training, AFAB’s mission. This week we also started making an introductory powerpoint to welcome everyone to their Annual Celebration on October 17. The powerpoint will be full of photos showing their work with the community!
Ayana Henry
Ayana Henry
09/24/20
My team and I had the opportunity to make a documentary for AFAB.
Because AFAB did not wish to record the interviews during the first meeting, we used the visit to discuss AFAB’s expectations and hopes for the documentary. I believe that the meeting was helpful because my team and I were able to have some of or questions answered. I also believe that the initial in-person meeting helped my team and I to have a better sense of AFAB’s expectations.
Clear communication with AFAB was sometimes a challenge because the staff were not available for interviews for several weeks after the date that my team and I had planned to start filming. Although we could not conduct interviews for a while, we were able to collect a substantial amount of B-roll footage of locations in the community that AFAB stressed were important. We also continued to research the history of Haitian immigration to the United States and how Haitian immigrant women experience gender-based violence in the United States. We then constructed a transcript for the documentary and discussed what length AFAB would like the documentary to be.
On the first day that my team and I conducted the interviews with AFAB, a victim/survivor shared her story of intimate partner violence. Because she was speaking Haitian Creole during the interview, a junior staff member from AFAB translated her account. We were also able to conduct an interview with Ms. Carmelle Bonhomètre as well as meet some of the other staff members. The next time my team and I visited AFAB, we conducted the last set of interviews and finalized the transcript for the documentary.
Overall, my experience working with AFAB was a rewarding. Despite some initial difficulty with communication, we all were able to work together to collect and prepare the necessary material.
Kaylee Arzu
Kaylee Arzu
11/24/20
Overall we learned about the reality of what it’s like to partner with a non-profit, and the various aspects of the work it takes to do their important jobs. There is no specific start and end to your work day, your work, especially in the case of AFAB, becomes a huge part of your life. Unlike our own scheduled lives, our clear cut times for everything doesn’t work for the non-profit timeline.
We learned how essential donations and funding was to small non-profit because any amount of money can dictate whether or not this org can provide resources and help for their community.
We learned just how underrepresented Haitian immigrants, especially those in the Boston area, are in the areas of research that we were looking into. When looking for Haitian communities in Boston and their experiences with policing as well as with sexual violence, it was difficult to find any recent and clear sources that would help us form our research project, so we were left to do interviews on our own. Many of the sources that did talk about immigrants in Boston mainly talked about the Irish specifically or Black immigrants in general, which goes to say whose story gets to be documented, researched, and talked about. Outside help, like the one we’re offering, can mean the world to AFAB and their success. Although we can end this semester and move on with our lives, AFAB’s work never ends, and their need for help, especially because of the pandemic, is always there as well.
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