Elmont Activist honored as Trailblazer

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“Wherever you go, you’re supposed to make a difference,” said Mimi Pierre-Johnson, who has been working to make a difference in Elmont — and all of Nassau County — for more than 20 years.

On March 16, County Legislator Carrié Solages (D-Elmont) honored Pierre-Johnson at the 16th Annual Trailblazer Awards ceremony for her community activism. The awards, which recognize notable women, were instituted by the Legislature 17 years ago, Pierre-Johnson said. “I suppose Legislator Carrié Solages felt I was involved in the community,” Pierre-Johnson said.

“Mimi is a real coalition-builder who works to bring the people of the community together,” Solages said in a press release. “Through her work in her many organizations, she affects the lives of so many of our local residents. Mimi Pierre-Johnson is a true trailblazer for Elmont and all of Nassau County.”

Pierre-Johnson immigrated to the U.S. from Haiti in 1970, and has lived in Elmont since 1995. In the years since she has sought improvements for her community, one of which was the construction of a community center. Though she has been fighting for a center for the past 20 years, she said, it has not yet happened. And she is working for other changes as well.

In her time in Elmont, she has been president and CEO of the Elmont Cultural Center and president of the Haitian American Political Action Committee of New York. She has also directed the children’s church at the Church of the Harvest Ministry.

In 2010, she ran — unsuccessfully — for a seat in the State Assembly, she said, because often, “Politicians don’t know what the community needs.” She added, “I tend to have a big mouth, and I want to say what I want to say.”

She said she believed that as an active resident of Elmont, she knew what the people wanted and needed. She lost, she said, due to the political landscape. She said she has no desire to run another campaign of her own in the future, but she enjoys working on those of other local politicians.

Last year, she played a part in reforming the Hempstead Board of Education, where, she said, there was corruption, high taxes, graduation rates of 35 percent, and limited resources. She headed the successful campaigns of Maribel Tourè and running mate Ricky Cook.

She now works for New York Communities for Change. “Ultimately,” she said, “when you make someone else’s life better, your life gets better.” She plans to continue to seek change locally — “I really don’t see myself doing anything else other than fighting the injustices on Long Island,” she said — and is still hoping there will be an Elmont community center one day.