TAPARITi Ayiti Preparedness & Relief
About TAPARI

A South Florida nonprofit rooted in community leadership.

Ti Ayiti Preparedness and Relief Institute is dedicated to providing direct aid, preserving culture, and strengthening community in Little Haiti and beyond. While our roots are grounded in Haitian heritage, our mission embraces all people—regardless of background—who live, work, and gather in our community. Guided by the vision of our late founder, Michael Clarkson, we believe resilience is built through solidarity, shared culture, and collective action, empowering everyone to contribute to a stronger, more equitable future.

Mission

Empower underserved communities through climate resilience, opportunity, and justice.

Vision

A resilient, equitable South Florida where every neighborhood can thrive.

Values

Community leadership, transparency, equity, sustainability.

Approach

Partnership-first. Data-informed. Locally led.

Cleanup volunteers in safety vests posing with trash bags in front of a City of Miami Solid Waste truckStreet cleanup volunteers holding litter grabbers and filled trash bags on a sidewalk
Two volunteers loading packaged meal containers from a van

Rooted in community.

Built for lasting resilience.

About our history

The story behind TAPARI.

Ti Ayiti Preparedness and Relief Institute was founded in 2017 in the wake of Hurricane Irma. What began as an emergency response effort to provide food, supplies, and support to residents of Little Haiti quickly grew into an ongoing commitment to community preparedness and relief. Our late founder, Michael Clarkson, a former member of the Black Panther Party, brought with him a lifelong dedication to grassroots organizing and community defense. He envisioned Ti Ayiti as more than a relief organization: a place where culture, solidarity, and self-determination could thrive. Since then, the Institute has expanded its work from crisis response to long-term community building. In honor of Clarkson’s legacy, we continue to address both urgent needs—such as food insecurity and disaster readiness—and future goals, including cultivating a strong youth presence and building inclusive leadership for generations to come.

Our leadership

Meet Our Team.

TAPARI is guided by leaders committed to service, accountability, and stronger South Florida communities.