Radio Concorde celebrated its 33rd anniversary Saturday, July 18, with a festive ceremony at the Irish Cultural Centre of New England in Canton that drew a capacity crowd despite heavy rain, filling the hall to its last seat.
Founded in Boston in 1993, the station has grown into a leading voice for Massachusetts’ Haitian community, and Saturday’s program turned into a night of tribute from some of the elected officials that community has since sent to city halls and the State House.
Governor’s Councilor Tamisha Civil, who represents the 2nd District and became the first woman of color to hold that seat since the council was established in 1780, made a point of honoring the station.
Civil, a daughter of Haitian immigrants whose district includes Canton, told the audience that without Radio Concorde, the Haitian community in Massachusetts would not have the representation it now holds at multiple levels of government, from the state to the municipalities.
Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, herself of Haitian descent and the first Haitian American ever elected to the Boston City Council, served as the evening’s keynote speaker and echoed that theme. Louijeune, an at-large councilor who later served as the council’s first Haitian-American president from 2024 to 2026, credited the station with a direct role in her own rise.
“The fight that Radio Concorde has waged has an extremely positive impact within the Haitian community of Massachusetts,” she said.
She recalled the part the station played in the campaign that carried her, in 2021, to become the first Haitian American to win a seat on the Boston City Council.
Though the evening was devoted to the station’s 33 years, Louijeune also turned to the pressures facing Haitian immigrants who hold Temporary Protected Status (TPS), a designation now under threat of expiration. “If you are a TPS beneficiary, you should file your asylum application as soon as possible,” she urged the room.
Editor’s note: This article reports remarks made at a public event and does not constitute legal advice. Anyone holding TPS should consult a licensed attorney or a representative accredited by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) before pursuing an asylum claim.
Randolph Town Councilor-at-Large Natacha Clerger, also of Haitian descent and the first Haitian American elected to that body, was among the guests, alongside other community figures who answered Radio Concorde’s call.
The program was punctuated by dance performances and the presentation of honorary plaques, and closed on music with legendary Haitian guitarist Ralph Condé, who electrified the crowd, and master Haitian drummer Yvon Gérome, now based in Boston. Throughout the ceremony, Radio Concorde’s leadership recognized several individuals for their contributions to the Haitian community in Massachusetts.
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This article was originally written in English. Other language versions are produced using AI translation software, and errors are possible — the English version is authoritative. CTN also uses AI to convert text into audio.
