News Americas, PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti, Fri. Nov. 15, 2013: Haiti’s former Foreign Minister Jean Rénald Clérismé and the husband of Dr. Linda Marc of the US Census Bureau, Race and Ethnicity Advisory Committee died on Oct. 29th in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Clérismé, 75, was a former Roman Catholic priest and expert on the plight of Haitian farmers in the Dominican Republic. He reportedly fell ill after a meeting at the Organization of America States on the Dominican Republic’s stripping of the rights of the citizenship rights from Haitians born to undocumented migrants there.
He was rushed to a hospital and later passed away. Clérismé served as minister of foreign affairs and religions as a member of President René Préval 18-member cabinet from 2006 to 2008.
Clérsimé was ambassador of Haiti to the World Trade Organization (WTO), the International Trade Center (ITC), the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2001 to 2003.
Clérsimé completed his B.A. in France, 1967; received a M.A. in Anthropology, from New York University, in 1975, and also a M.A. in Philosophy from Yale University in 1993. In addition he received his Ph.D., in Anthropology from Yale in 1996 as a Fulbright Scholar.
The title of his doctoral dissertation was “Migration and Relations of Production in the Dominican Coffee Economy: Haitian Workers on El Fondo Coffee Plantations.”
He is also the author of other scholarly works on Haitian society.
He is set to be laid to rest following a funeral in Arniquet in southwest Haiti on Friday, Nov. 15th.
In addition to his wife, Clérismé is survived by his son Jean Reginald Clérismé from a previous relationship and seven brothers and sisters.
Dr. Marc is asking that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in his name to a scholarship program at the Yale University on behalf of Caribbean students and others doing research in the region. Contributions may be made to: Department of Anthropology Sociocultural Program, Attn: Jean Rénald Clérismé Memorial Gift, Yale University, 10 Sachem St., New Haven, CT 06520-8277.
