Jean-Yves Point-Du-Jour

HLLN Honors and ReMEMBERs Jean Yves Point Du Jour – Yon Gwo Mapou Tonbe

Born February 20, 1952 – died February 3, 2017

Why is it that it’s the good ones who die early?

This is sad news.

I can’t do justice to what I have to say right now.

Bear with me.

Longtime Haitian radio show host, Maryland transportation engineer and well-known Haiti justice activist, Jean-Yves Point-Du-Jour, died yesterday, February 3, 2017, of a massive heart attack.

I spoke to Yves practically everyday.

We were going to stop the colonialism, the quiet genocide and most recent Haiti electoral fraud together. And then one day we’d sit at a Haiti beach, lift up a glass and celebrate making a difference to change the terrible paradigm in Haiti.

He died fighting in the trenches.

I spoke to him early yesterday.
We were going to slay this beast that has our people zombified; have them so mesmerized they idolize someone like Sweet Mickey and his legal bandits.

Yves Point DuJour

He gave voice to the voiceless Haitian majority on his radio show, Konbit Lakay, in Washington D.C. for over 30-years.

He was 63 and talking about retiring back to Haiti, building a home there.

He wanted to write a book about his journey as a Haiti freedom fighter;

He was a Transportation Engineer Manager with the Maryland Department of Transportation Highway Administration. Better known as “Yves Dayiti,” Jean-Yves Point-du-Jour was born and raised in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. He received a scholarship to attend Morgan State University. Eventually he became a transportation engineer and spent his professional career in Maryland while producing and hosting, every Saturday, the popular Haiti radio program, Konbit Lakay in D.C.

He wanted to go back home and work on planning Haiti public transportation, building and fixing roads; do for Haiti what he does in Washington D.C.

Jean-Yves Point-Du-Jour had dreams for Haiti.

He was on the board of the Haitian Lawyers Leadership Network since 2004 and part of the Free Haiti Movement.

Yves Point Du Jour studied transportation engineering at Morgan State University and the University of Maryland. He received many honors for his alumni and community service works from the authorities at Morgan State.

Did I already say, we talked almost every day these last years? He was a good friend.

Yves listened to local Haiti radio all the time and would catch me up on what those ridiculous sell-out Negroes in Haiti local media where talking about. That’s my characterization. We argued about that because he took their analysis seriously and sometimes did not see the puppetmasters behind the local Haiti radio media talking heads.

But on Saturdays, on his Konbit Lakay show on WPFW (89.3 FM), he’d blast them all, bringing a credible analysis to the endless peoples’ struggle in Haiti to live and live free.

Yves Point Du Jour was the respected voice in Washington D.C. for Haiti.

A people’s voice is silent now.

Eugenia called me to tell me at 8:00pm last night.

I looked down at my phone when she gave me the news.

I’d called Yves at 5:25pm that day.

Now, I know why he didn’t answer.

“I don’t have good news” Eugenia Charles said.

But she sounded normal. So I figured it was about the inauguration we were trying to stop.

I braced myself but couldn’t have known the terrible blow to come.

“I got the call around 4 o’clock,” she said

“They found him by his car. He wasn’t breathing. He died of a massive heart attack.”

“But I just talked to him,” I said in shock.

Are we to work all our lives and die before we see a change in Haiti for the people?

Why is it that it’s the good ones that go first?

Life is so fragile, so frail, so quick to be extinguished, I thought, as I sat at my desk thinking after Eugenia said she had to get Yves wife out of the hospital corridor now.

Whatever you have to do, do it now, today.
This tomorrow didn’t come for Yves Point Du Jour.

He was 63, an honorable man who fulfilled his duty to family and community.
He was passionate about justice for Haiti.

Yves Point Du Jour leaves behind his wife, Guerda Point Du Jour, their adult son and his siblings. Sincere condolences to the entire family.

Eugenia calls again when she’s driving back from the hospital after dropping Guerda Point Du Jour back home.

Are you alright she asks me? No, are you alright, I said?

I won’t feel it for awhile, she says.

I know.

In three days or so, it will hit me and I’ll fall out.

Me too.

***

ReMEMEMBERING Èzili HLLN’s Jean-Yves Point Du Jour

Yves, you will be dearly missed.
Condolences to his family, friends and his fans at Konbit Lakay.

Pour libation for Yves Point Du Jour’s journey back to source.
He was a Haitian who loved Haiti and worked his entire life for the people to live better.

Well done Yves.
May you rest in power.

You’ve brought us all honor and a path worthy to follow
Jete dlo, jete dlo, jete dlo

Sing for our beloved Yves Point Du Jour

Here’s our last interview: The last interview with Èzili Dantò and Yves Point Du Jour

Obama Legacy in Haiti: The Swamp For Trump To Drain