April 4, 2023
Dear Friend,
We are proud to announce that Karl Racine, former Attorney General for the District of Columbia and 2021 Max Pulgar-Vidal award recipient, has joined Roots of Development’s Board of Directors!
A Message from our Board Leadership
District of Columbia’s first elected Attorney General, Karl Racine, began serving on Roots’ board of directors on April 1st. At this significant time, we, the current and immediate past chairpersons of Roots’ Board of Directors, found it vital to write directly to you, our committed base of donors. It is your support of the organization that has allowed us to reach what we believe is a watershed moment for Roots this year.
In recent years, the successes of Roots and its collaborations with its Haitian sister organization, Rasin Devlopman, have provided an extraordinary example of the power of development without dependency.
As evidenced by Mr. Racine’s commitment to board service and Roots’ tighter collaborations with the Movement for Community-Led Development, this expansion in the scope and impact of Roots and Rasin’s programs has begun to turn the heads of prominent philanthropists and economic development professionals alike.
It is in this context that we encourage you to continue to prioritize your financial support for Roots of Development especially in the midst of continued economic challenges and civil unrest in Haiti. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment to further engage with Roots of Development, this is it.
With our thanks,
Rudy N. Brioché, J.D.
Vice President & Counsel
Comcast Corporation
Chairman, Board of Directors
Roots of Development
Christopher J. Wells, M.P.A.
Senior Vice President, Public Affairs
Personalized Medicine Coalition
Vice-Chairman, Board of Directors
Roots of Development
About Karl Racine
Karl Racine is a Haitian American political and legal leader who served as the first independently elected Attorney General for the District of Columbia from 2015 to 2023 and has recently joined the elite global law firm, Hogan Lovells, as a litigation partner in their Washington, DC, office, leading its State AG practice.
He attended the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Virginia School of Law, and, with his mother, produced the first-ever Haitian Creole/English legal dictionary. In addition to becoming the first Black managing partner of a top-100 law firm, he served as a Public Defender for the District of Columbia and as associate White House counsel under the Clinton administration. During his tenure as DC Attorney General, Karl became a national figure, using his office to pursue juvenile justice reform, protect consumers from unfair business practices, advance democracy, and preserve tenant rights.
Spring to Action: Little by Little!
This month, teams led by our top supporters are competing to raise the most money for the La Gonave Community Leadership & Development Center! We’ve already raised over $15,000, but we need your help to reach our goal of $36,000.
This week, as part of “Little by Little,” ALL donations through Global Giving that are $50 or less will be MATCHED 50%! Even if you can only give a little, you can make a big impact today!
The La Gonave Community Leadership & Development Center will help us take our work in Haiti and beyond to the next level. Give between now and Friday, April 7th, to take advantage of the small donation match!