Death of Herby Moreau: “He allowed me to say to myself: I too can do it,” explains journalist of Haitian origin Anne-Lovely Etienne

For the journalist and columnist of Haitian origin Anne-Lovely Etienne, the late Herby Moreau represented a world of possibilities by becoming one of the first figures of the black community to have covered – and to have been part of – the star system Quebecois. “It allowed me to say to myself: I too can do it,” she confides.

“Representativeness is very important. With Herby Moreau, we saw it as “normal”, a black man on television,” continues the 37-year-old young woman who is recognized for being very involved in her community.

While a university student, it was by seeing columnists like Herby Moreau and Isabelle Racicot on screen that she had a deep desire to follow in their footsteps in the cultural world.

“For the Haitian community, he was the one who managed to go into an area where there are many called and few chosen. For us, Herby symbolized something larger than life, because he was so successful in Quebec,” continues the woman who experienced quite a shock when she learned of the presenter’s death.

She highlights the work ethic, passion, discretion and rigor of the one who once gave her advice to continue working hard. The very important relationship with his son Julien as well.

“There are few black people in the industry, and even though he wasn’t really involved in the community, he still represented someone who could do anything: the Oscars, the Cannes Film Festival, Las Vegas, even an interview with the great Sidney Poitier,” she remembers.

Testimony of Isabelle Racicot

In an interview on - on Monday morning, host Isabelle Racicot recounted her beginnings in the industry, the moment when she met Herby Moreau, who would become her friend.

She also highlighted the beautiful relationship between Herby and her son, who recently celebrated his 19th birthday. “He was an extraordinary dad. He reserved his sensitivity for certain people, including himself,” she explained, adding that her friend Herby “embraced life and took full advantage of it.”

She described her sidekick from the cultural show Flash like a field journalist who was afraid of nothing and who always managed to find the best news, which often made his colleagues envious.