What started as a simple digital map to help East Flatbush residents navigate their neighborhood with deeper appreciation has evolved into a comprehensive information system housing the history of Haitian social action movements in East Flatbush. As a first-generation Haitian-American born and raised in the County of Kings, I've found that reclaiming Haitian identity through historical exploration comes with significant challenges: faded memories, lost documents, language barriers, and copyright restrictions among the greatest of them. Beyond these practical obstacles, the question of being "Haitian enough" as a first-generation American with limited Kreyòl speaking ability and partial knowledge of Haitian history and culture can conjure feelings of alienation and otherness when attempting to engage with Haitian culture. 

Roots to Routes is my attempt to creatively remedy this issue by retelling these stories through a Haitian American perspective. By making cross-cultural connections between Haitian and American culture, I've created a more accessible path to this information. This project recognizes that these moments aren't merely stories—they're events of collective trauma and resilience that honor the long history of social action among Haitians in New York. It crystallizes my experience of living between worlds: my parents' Haiti that lived in our meals and in the Kreyòl that filled our apartment, juxtaposed with the Brooklyn streets that raised me. It preserves memories from this liminal space—memories that, while historic, have succumbed to erasure due to gentrification, inadequate information systems, and fractured relationships.