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Exploring Haitian culture and the American Dream with 'American Street' by Ibi Zoboi - Velshi - MSNBC
Set on the corner of American Street and Joy Road in Detroit’s west side, “American Street” centers on 16-year-old Fabiola Toussaint, her Matant Jo, and three cousins. Born in Detroit but raised in Haiti’s capital city Port-au-Prince, Fabiola emigrates back to the U.S. with her mother to reunite with her extended family, finish high school, and live “on this side of the good life”.
When Fab’s mother is detained by U.S. immigration, she is left to find herself in the streets of Detroit without a parent. Soon Fab faces gang violence, drug use, first love, and an untimely death that force her to question who she is and where she belongs. Author Ibi Zoboi’s story is similar to Fab’s, immigrating to Brooklyn from Haiti in the 1980s. “We discard certain things, and we hold on to certain things,” when we immigrate, says Zoboi. When it comes to Haiti especially, “We have to tell the full story. - Aired on 03/16/2024.