In Memory of our Haitian sister Elirose Pierre-Louis
Posted on Monday, September 24, 2007 at 02:54PM
Last week,Haitian immigrant Elirose Pierre-Louis, one of the janitors who lost her job while fighting for justice at Nova Southeastern University, lost her life to a heart attack that never should have happened.
Elirose's death is a vivid consequence of Nova's callous treatment of its former janitors. If she had not been pushed out of her job at Nova, she would have received the health insurance that she fought for.
Please join leaders within the Haitian community, faith, labor, and other community leaders for funeral services in honor of the struggle to win good jobs with health care for janitors at Nova Southeastern University—and to pay tribute to the inspiration Elirose provided for her coworkers and neighbors.
Show your support for Elirose's Family: Make a Donation
The Elirose Funeral Fund was established by Haitian and community leaders to collect donations towards covering funeral related costs- including bringing her son from haiti to Miami to lay their mother to rest.
You can help ease the burden of this most difficult time for Elirose's family by writing a check to the "elirose Funeral Fund" and sent to:
Elirose Funeral Fund, c/o SEIU Local 11
333 W. 41st Street, 9th Floor, Miami Beach, FL 33140
Elirose Remembered
"Elirose was the best coworker I ever had," -Joseph Louis Read more about what Elirose’s coworkers have to say.
"When organizers tried to bring a union to the janitors and groundskeepers at Nova, Pierre-Louis gathered her courage and joined the campaign. Many of the Nova workers were Haitian and poor. Joining the union drive was an extraordinary act of courage..." Miami Herald, by Ana Menendez, 9/19 Read More (Miami Herald)
" 'Elirose was an intelligent, honest, hardworking and proud lady,' said Marleine Bastien, executive director of Haitian Women of Miami. 'She did not ask for handouts. She did not want to be on welfare ... Although she took care of other people all of her life, she died in the end because she was a poor Haitian woman.'
Pierre-Louis, 56, migrated to the United States in 1985 and settled in Miami's Little Haiti area, according to Bastien and others who are arranging her funeral. She has four children, ages 17 to 36. Two are in Haiti and two in Canada. The Haitian Women of Miami and the SEIU have raised money for the funeral and will fly her two children from Haiti for the funeral, Bastien said." South Florida Sun Sentinel, by Alva James Johnson, 9/22, Read More
(SunSentinel)