Prominent Community Leader Marleine Bastien enters race for Miami-Dade County Commission District 2!

MIAMI DADE COUNTY— Longtime Community Leader Marleine Bastien joined the race for Miami-Dade County Commission District 2, which includes part of Little Haiti, Liberty City, Hialeah, North Miami Beach, and North Miami.

Bastien has worked for decades to strengthen families and small businesses in South Florida. In 1991, she founded Family Action Network Movement (formerly FANM-Haitian Women of Miami) after13 years of distinguished services as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at Jackson Memorial Hospital, and five years as a Paralegal\Advocate at the now defunct Haitian Refugee Center.

Under her leadership, FANM has provided a wide array of social services to thousands of low- to moderate-income South Florida residents while also leading successful campaigns for economic development, education reform, equity in disaster response, increased access to health care, affordable housing, and immigration fairness.

A recipient of numerous awards and accolades, Bastien has been instrumental in shaping many of the most important programs and agencies that serve low- to moderate-income residents in Miami-Dade County and the wider region. She is a co-founder and twice past board chair of the Florida Immigrant Coalition (60-member statewide organization), a co-founding member of the Miami Climate Alliance (80 member organizations in Miami-Dade County), Haitian Neighborhood Center (Sant La), a founding board member of Human Services Coalition (now Catalyst Miami), American for Immigrants Justice, a former board member and outspoken advocate for the Kristi House, the Health Foundation of South Florida, the Miami-Dade County Commission on The Status of Women, Treasurer and Community Outreach Volunteer for the Children’s Trust Campaigns — to name just a few.

Bastien has also been honored with countless awards, including most notably: Social Worker of the Year Award, Miami-Dade County (2000), Human Rights Award, Amnesty International (2000), Women of the Year Award by Ms. Magazine (2001), Leadership for a Changing World Award, Ford Foundation (2002), In 2005, Bastien was named “One of the 35 Most Remarkable Women in the World” by Essence Magazine, U.S. Human Rights Movement Builders Award from the (U.S. Human Rights Network, 2013), In 2015, Bastien received the “Stanley Milledge Lifetime Achievement Award” from the ACLU, NAACP Leadership Awards (2002 and 2018), League of Women Voters Women Who Shine Award (2019)--- to name a few. Bastien has been invited to testify before Congress, the OAS Human Rights Committee in Washington, D.C., the United Nations Human Rights Committee during the World Immigration Forum in Manila (2009), during the review of the U.S. Human Rights Records in Geneva (2013) Additionally, she received congressional recognitions from Senator Bill Nelson (2005), Congresswoman Corinne Brown (2008), and Congresswoman Frederica Wilson (2012).

When asked why she is running, Bastien said: “It is time that we elect leaders who truly stand up for our hardworking families and communities.” And she added: “For the past 38 years, I’ve provided quality, lifesaving services that strengthen families and improve their quality of life. As commissioner, I will put my passion and my years of experience to work for all residents of Miami Dade County. Together, we can ensure that our communities have the housing, jobs, pay equity, and safe neighborhoods we need to thrive. It’s time.”