Mildred Trouillot
Encyclopedia
Mildred Trouillot-Aristide (born 1963) is an American lawyer who married Jean-Bertrand Aristide
, the former President of Haïti
, in 1996.
Mildred Trouillot grew up in the Bronx. Both her father, Emile, and mother, Carmelle, were natives of Haïti. He left Haïti in 1958, she in 1960. They found work in New York
, where Emile worked in a steel factory. Carmelle worked as a laboratory technician.
Mildred graduated from St. Barnabas High School
, City College of New York
, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School
. She practiced commercial litigation for the Manhattan
law firm of Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn, and Berman
. She met Aristide at a lecture he gave in 1992. In 1994, she went to work for Aristide's government in exile in Washington, D.C. as a speechwriter, as well as doing legal work.
They married on January 20, 1996, in a simple ceremony in Port-au-Prince
. It was a controversial marriage in Haïti. Aristide was elected President while he was a Catholic
priest, and had given up the priesthood by the time he married Mildred.
The couple have two daughters, Christine Aristide, born in November 1996, and Michaelle Aristide, born in 1998.
Jean-Bertrand Aristide
Jean-Bertrand Aristide is a Haitian former Catholic priest and politician who served as Haiti's first democratically elected president. A proponent of liberation theology, Aristide was appointed to a parish in Port-au-Prince in 1982 after completing his studies...
, the former President of Haïti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
, in 1996.
Mildred Trouillot grew up in the Bronx. Both her father, Emile, and mother, Carmelle, were natives of Haïti. He left Haïti in 1958, she in 1960. They found work in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, where Emile worked in a steel factory. Carmelle worked as a laboratory technician.
Mildred graduated from St. Barnabas High School
St. Barnabas High School
St. Barnabas High School is an all-girls, private, Roman Catholic high school located in the Woodlawn section of the The Bronx, New York. It is located within the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York.-History:...
, City College of New York
City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York is a senior college of the City University of New York , in New York City. It is also the oldest of the City University's twenty-three institutions of higher learning...
, and the University of Pennsylvania Law School
University of Pennsylvania Law School
The University of Pennsylvania Law School, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the law school of the University of Pennsylvania. A member of the Ivy League, it is among the oldest and most selective law schools in the nation. It is currently ranked 7th overall by U.S. News & World Report,...
. She practiced commercial litigation for the Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
law firm of Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn, and Berman
Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn, and Berman
Robinson, Silverman, Pearce, Aronsohn, and Berman was a New York law firm which practiced from 1950-2002. At its height, the firm employed 170 attorneys. In July 2002, it merged with St. Louis-based Bryan Cave LLP to become Bryan Cave Robinson Silverman. In January 2003, the firm's name officially...
. She met Aristide at a lecture he gave in 1992. In 1994, she went to work for Aristide's government in exile in Washington, D.C. as a speechwriter, as well as doing legal work.
They married on January 20, 1996, in a simple ceremony in Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince
Port-au-Prince is the capital and largest city of the Caribbean nation of Haiti. The city's population was 704,776 as of the 2003 census, and was officially estimated to have reached 897,859 in 2009....
. It was a controversial marriage in Haïti. Aristide was elected President while he was a Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
priest, and had given up the priesthood by the time he married Mildred.
The couple have two daughters, Christine Aristide, born in November 1996, and Michaelle Aristide, born in 1998.
Controversy
As reported in the New York Times, controversy arose in Haiti over Aristide's marrying Mildred Trouillot (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C07E0D81139F931A35751C1A963958260):... Aristide's choice of a light-skinned wife has also aroused concerns among some followers. For much of Haiti's nearly 200-year history as a republic, a rigid social and economic caste system has been based largely on the lightness of one's skin. To some, the marriage of the dark-skinned Aristide to the light-skinned Ms. Trouillot comes as a disappointment, almost a betrayal... Aristide was already married to the Haitian people, said Olrich Charles, a sports instructor in Port-au-Prince, the capital. This is like a divorce, only three times: first from his supporters, then from his class and finally from the church.