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Nobody said her family was poor but they weren't a wealthy family either. Her father was a high school principal before they fled Haiti but I don't believe they were what I'd call an elite family there, which is what I understood the OP to be asking about. And they weren't elites after they came to Canada either, the parents broke up in Canada and the mom moved herself and the girls to a cheap basement suite and raised her daughters all on her own. Everything Michaëlle Jean has accomplished has been by her own merit and personal dedication and hard work. One thing nobody could call her is an elitist.
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In much of North America, a high school principal is regarded as a well respected but modest position in a modest profession but in other parts of the world, being the "headmaster" of a school is certainly elite. In some countries, the government servants are the ones who dress in fancy clothes, drive fancy cars, and send their children to the best schools, not the ones working in private enterprises. I do not know enough about Haiti but that could have certainly been the case at one time.
In much of North America, a high school principal is regarded as a well respected but modest position in a modest profession but in other parts of the world, being the "headmaster" of a school is certainly elite. In some countries, the government servants are the ones who dress in fancy clothes, drive fancy cars, and send their children to the best schools, not the ones working in private enterprises. I do not know enough about Haiti but that could have certainly been the case at one time.
So I know that Principals are called maître by some in Haiti. Always seemed like an esteemed title when they talk about it.
When I was referring to a Haitian elite, I was referring to people who were wealthy in the old country or were favored by previous regimes. It’s been claimed these people are descendants of French plantation owners and their slave mistresses, but that may be an exaggeration.
Do the Quebeckers of Haitian origin who are political figures tend to come from elite families?
The elites from Haiti, like Papa Docs daughter, usually are in New York. But since some version of French is the first language, it's good to see them get involved.
When I was referring to a Haitian elite, I was referring to people who were wealthy in the old country or were favored by previous regimes. It’s been claimed these people are descendants of French plantation owners and their slave mistresses, but that may be an exaggeration.
There is a Haitian elite that comprises all degrees of light skinned folk. Of course, the same exists in all other countries of the Carribean/Antilles.
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