Marleine Bastien

Marleine Bastien is a clinical social worker, a crisis counselor, and an advocate for women’s rights and for the empowerment of all women and girls, especially in the Haitian community. Ms. Bastien received her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Florida International University. For more than a decade, she has provided counseling, facilitated support groups and developed educational programs, materials and workshops in Creole for families and victims of Sickle Cell Anemia, AIDS and domestic violence. In addition, Ms. Bastien has become well known in Washington, D.C. for her advocacy on behalf of the Haitian refugees. She is a talented songwriter and dancer who writes often in newspapers and magazines on the conditions of the Haitian refugees and the Haitian culture. Ms. Bastien is founder and President of the Haitian Women of Miami Organization. She is a member of the Boards of Safespace, the Health and Human Services, and the Florida Immi­grant Advocacy Center. Additional affiliations include the National Association of Social Work, the Women’s Interface Network of the American Jewish Committee, Sosyete Koukouy, a well-known cultural and literary group in Miami, and Sanba Lele, also well known musical group. Ms. Bastien has been honored by the American Red Cross, the Haitian Refugee Center the Miami-Dade County Commission, the Dade County Public Schools, the Haitian American Nurses Association and the Green Foundation. More recently, she received the “In the Company of Women Award.”