Joanne Antoine
organizer in Washington, DC
“Politik e pa plas fanm” (politics is no place for a woman); a phrase Ms. Antoine heard all too regularly while growing up. As a first generation Haitian-American, born and raised on the Jersey Shore, she understood early on that those words stuck in the minds of women and that with very few illustrations of women leaders in politics in NJ and within both cultures, it contributed to their lack political ambition. This sparked her interest in building a political career for herself and other prospective women leaders. With a passion for empowering women, love for Haiti and knack for organizing, She hopes to use her skills to help identify, train and campaign for women in Haiti and pro-choice Democratic women of Caribbean descent here in the US.
Ms. Antoine most recently served as the DC Statewide Grassroots Organizer at Hillary for America, the official campaign to elect Hillary Clinton for President in 2016, and Operations Manager at Ready for Hillary PAC, the grassroots organizing effort that persuaded Hillary to run. She worked on the 2013 campaign to elect Cory Booker for Senate and in the 2012 campaign to re-elect President Obama. She has spearheaded numerous voter registration efforts targeting those of Caribbean descent and led multiple clinics encouraging and preparing those from the same community to start on the path to gaining US Citizenship.
Ms. Antoine currently serves as a consultant for a woman candidate’s campaign in Haiti. She also serves as Director of Engagement for the National Alliance for the Advancement of Haitian Professionals (NAAHP), Campaign Co-Chair for the Women’s Information Network (WIN), Case Manager for DCAF and serves on the Board of Directors for Lighthouse LANDS and Haitian-American Leadership Council (HALEC) – NJ Chapter.
Ms. Antoine holds a Master of Arts in Public Policy and Bachelor of Arts in English: Journalism. She is a graduate of American University’s WeLead 2015 class, DST’s Claudia L. McKoin Public Service Leadership Training Academy and PPMW’s Developing Leaders Program