Jessy Bernard - "The Unity Between Us"

I was happy when Jessy Bernard and I were able to record this episode because her bubbly energy was infectious from the moment that I met her. Jessie is a Haitian American who grew up and lived in several cities in the US as well as spent time in Haiti. Jessy’s definitely a third culture kid, even if we don’t use the term explicitly. She does use the term “go-between” and that characterizes the weaving between her American identity and her Haitian one.

Today she’s a marketing professional and content creator who lives in Accra, Ghana. Like previous guests, Dana Saxon and Lori Tharps, she decided and executed her move in the middle of the pandemic. And like Dana and Lori, she found an opportunity and seized on it.

In this episode, you’ll hear her reflections about growing up between her Black, Caribbean and American identities. We discussed the long-standing and challenging stereotypes about Haiti, and this leads to a greater conversation about the media depictions of black countries. She talks about living in a country where you don’t have to think about being Black, and she also gives some insight as to how she’s been able to maintain her career and work remotely.

“I was originally learning Haitian history and learning about Toussaint, who was our person who brought us to freedom and finding out about characters like [Kwame ]Nkrumah and [Ahmed Sekou]Toure and all those people. I read a lot about them and I loved his vision as a Pan-Africanist. We had so many different people come together in Haiti and still overtake one of the world's most powerful colonial powers and keep them out of Haiti. And when I saw his [Nkrumah’s] vision, I was like, you're talking to the right person.”
Jessy Bernard