Congresswoman Frederica S. Wilson proudly represents Florida’s 24th Congressional District. It is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse districts in the nation and includes parts of northwest Miami-Dade and southern Broward counties.
Recognizing her record of service and productivity, in 2010 voters overwhelmingly elected her to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives. As a former educator, elementary school principal, community leader, school board member, state legislator, and founder of the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project, Congresswoman Wilson earned a reputation as a “Voice for the Voiceless.” Her tenure in Congress, now in its fourth term, also has been marked by her signature spirit of unrelenting advocacy on behalf of the less fortunate.
Miami-Dade County—parts of which I am fortunate to represent in Congress—is home to the largest Haitian-American population in the United States, and I am proud to call Haitian-Americans my friends, my constituents, and, yes, my family.
This made the events of January 2010 particularly heart-wrenching for me. Approximately 293,000 homes were destroyed or badly damaged, leaving 1.5 million people in insecure living situations including camps with high levels of violence. Nearly 80 percent of the schools in Port-au-Prince were rendered unusable, leaving young people with limited opportunity and no place to spend their days. Almost 25 percent of civil servants in Port-au-Prince were killed, leaving the nation with a staggering need for government capacity including judicial officers and police.
Haiti is a top priority for me in Congress. I have been a tireless advocate to ensure the continuation of post-earthquake Temporary Protected Status for Haitian immigrants until 2013. With support from more than a dozen Members of the US Congress, I developed a resolution calling on the US Government, the Government of Haiti, and others in the international community to take specific steps to reduce the incidence of gender-based violence in Haiti.