Mathieu Eugene is a New York City Councilmember. He is an Haitian-American, he was born in Cap-Haïtien

Cap-Haïtien

Cap-Haïtien is a city of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Department of Nord...

 in April 1954. He made history when he won two special elections to become the first Haitian-born elected official in the state of New York. He attended schools in Haiti, Belgium and Mexico. He is a master and black belt

Black belt (martial arts)

In martial arts, the black belt is a way to describe a graduate of a field where a practitioner's level is often marked by the color of the belt. The black belt is commonly the highest belt color used and denotes a degree of competence. It is often associated with a teaching grade though...

 in the martial art of Tae Kwon Do.

Eugene, a physician, attended medical school in Belgium, Dominican Republic and Mexico. He has a medical degree from Universidad Del Noreste

Universidad del Noreste

The Universidad del Noreste , is a private Mexican university founded in 1970; it was the first private institution of higher education established in the state of Tamaulipas. UNE is located in Tampico and is one of the most prestigious universities in the North of Mexico...

 in Mexico but does not practice in the U.S. While he was studying in Belgium, he met the martial art movie superstar Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Van Damme

Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg , professionally known as Jean-Claude Van Damme, is a Belgian martial artist and actor, best known for his martial arts action films, the most successful of which include Bloodsport , Kickboxer , Double Impact , Universal Soldier , Hard Target , Timecop ,...

 and they became friends and have remained so ever since. Before he became Councilmember, he was a community organizer. He is still running a youth program in Brooklyn.

Eugene is a member of the New York City Council

New York City Council

The New York City Council is the lawmaking body of the City of New York. It has 51 members from 51 council districts throughout the five boroughs. The Council serves as a check against the mayor in a "strong" mayor-council government model. The council monitors performance of city agencies and...

 representing District 40 in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

. The district includes parts of Crown Heights

Crown Heights, Brooklyn

Crown Heights is a neighborhood in the central portion of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The main thoroughfare through this neighborhood is Eastern Parkway, a tree-lined boulevard designed by Frederick Law Olmsted extending two miles east-west.Originally, the area was known as Crow Hill....

 and Flatbush

Flatbush, Brooklyn

Flatbush is a community of the Borough of Brooklyn, a part of New York City, consisting of several neighborhoods.The name Flatbush is an Anglicization of the Dutch language Vlacke bos ....

. First elected in a special election on February 20, 2007, Eugene, a Democrat

Democratic Party (United States)

The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...

, is the first Haitian-American member of the New York City Council.

External links

• Official NYC Council Website