Marjorie Villefranche, general manager of the Maison d’Haïti and specialist in the history of the Haitian community, carried out with her team a major construction project for a new Maison d’Haïti.
I first met her about fifteen years ago when she received the prestigious Women of Distinction Award from the YWCA Foundation. This passionate woman is dedicated to the education and civic participation of immigrant populations and to the struggles of social and feminist movements, and against racism and discrimination.
Recently, she was proclaimed an honorary citizen of Montreal. This title was given to him by the mayoress of Montreal, Valérie Plante. Let’s share with her her youth in Haiti, Trois-Rivières and Montreal.
You are from Haiti.
My father, Fenelon Villefranche, an accountant for the oil company Shell, my mother, Lucienne Stines, secretary, my brother, Robert, and I lived in Port-au-Prince, the country’s capital.
What influence did your parents have on you?
The joy of living, the music, the dance and the pursuit of my dreams so that they become a reality, without ever being afraid to defend my ideas.
How would you describe your family vacation?
We used to go to the mountains until one day my parents bought a house by the water, which then allowed us to go there to spend our weekends.
Your life was spent outside the home.
Without a doubt, we were playing outside. We had fun in the gardens and we played different games. Home was for eating and sleeping.
You liked movies and dancing the tango.
American and Italian films were popular, however, Latin music even more so. I loved dancing the tango, but Haitian music was my joie de vivre. Today, I really like Robert Charlebois.
Suddenly your life has taken a devastating turn.
I was barely 8 years old, playing outside waiting for mom to come home. It was only several days later that she arrived.
The police arrested her at work.
Suddenly, the police entered her workplace to arrest her and violently put her in a police van.
Your mother was beaten and imprisoned for no reason
In prison, dictator Duvalier’s men beat my mother for no reason. She was neither a revolutionary nor a member of an anti-Duvalier party. They released her and stopped beating her without ever telling her why they had committed such acts.
Was mom’s return home difficult for you?
Even today, this image of my mother beaten and manhandled by Duvalier’s men is impregnated in my head. It was incompressible for an 8-year-old girl to see her mother suffer so much.
You had to flee the Duvalier dictatorship.
At 12, I left Haiti alone for Trois-Rivières with stopovers in New York and Montreal, before my aunt sent me to the Ursuline Sisters in Trois-Rivières. My parents sent money to my aunt to pay for my brother’s studies and mine.
You were part of a choir.
My brother left Haiti before me. We didn’t go to the same school so, to see each other, we had to join a Sunday choir.
A few years later, your parents came to join you.
They couldn’t leave before, because their lives were in danger because of the Duvalier regime.
You were too young to understand their decision.
I felt abandoned by my parents. Several years later, I realized that it was for my best, however, still today, I feel a lot of pain.
Your parents were entrepreneurs.
My parents owned a convenience store at the corner of Esplanade and Bernard streets before buying a pharmacy in Saint-Lambert, where I worked when I was a student.
You went to Cégep du Vieux Montréal, UQAM and the University of Montreal.
I didn’t like studying, because I felt locked up like in a prison. Don’t forget, I told you that I was living outside in Haiti. Nevertheless, my perseverance allowed me to be a graduate of UQAM.
At what age did you get your first car?
When I was 19, I spoiled myself with the purchase of a used Beatle VW car. I was so happy. However, when the salesman handed me my keys, I realized that it was a manual driving car.
Did you learn to drive in a mall?
At night, the mall was empty, so to learn how to drive a manual car, I spent the night behind the wheel. Oh ! it was spectacular, forward, stop and reverse, but not necessarily in the right order.
At 18, you wondered who you were.
I didn’t understand if I was Haitian or Quebecer. I was missing a piece of the puzzle to find my balance. I finally understood that I am a Quebecer of Haitian origin.
The Maison d’Haiti saved you.
In the past, before I managed this house, I was a young girl who went to the Maison d’Haiti. The leaders instilled in me an understanding of the fight against racism and discrimination. Otherwise, I would have been a revolutionary.
You have two beautiful daughters and a good husband.
I have two wonderful daughters, Judith and Myriam Bres, and five wonderful grandchildren. When my two daughters and I are together, it’s incredible when the singing, the music, the dancing are there. My partner for 20 years, Manuel Rollandin, is undoubtedly the one who brings balance to the family.
In closing, tell us about the Maison d’Haïti
The Maison’s mission is to welcome, educate, integrate and improve the living conditions of people of Haitian, Afro-descendant and immigrant origins. It is a wonderful place to discover.