Third of a three-part series

MANCHESTER

When Jean Jeudy and his young family first came to Manchester in the early 1980s, he couldn't speak English.

The city seemed like an alien and hostile place.

"I looked around me. I think I am in a different world, a different planet when it was snowing or we were having freezing rain. In Haiti, you don't have those," Jeudy said.

Lucky for him, the French-Canadians had already made their mark in Manchester; he found a job working for Caron Box and Lumber. The owner's nephew was Gene Caron, Jeudy's supervisor.

"I used to be a machine operator at that time. He spoke Canadian French. I didn't understand all the words when I spoke to him, but I tried hard to make him understand. We communicated. I worked for him for six years," said Jeudy, who said he speaks Parisian French.

Today, Jeudy, a Democrat, is 50 years old and serving as a third-term state representative. He and his wife, Elvire, whom he calls "my backbone," work with constituents of all backgrounds, including immigrants getting started, the way he and Elvire did years ago.

Early on, they both took English courses, worked hard and raised two sons.

"I bought my house, saved some money, changed jobs. I used to work at Velcro USA. My wife still works there," he said, adding he left because of a disabling back injury.

It was state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro who inspired Jeudy to enter public service.

"I always followed him on TV. He used to have a show. I liked his ideas and said one day, 'I have to become a state rep,"' Jeudy said.

D'Allesandro, a Manchester Democrat with Italian roots in East Boston, has been a friend to the Jeudys.

"When (Jeudy) came here, he brought all of the warmth, perspective, what I would call the Mediterranean influence. He wants to get involved. He wanted to do something for his community and was willing to put his name on the ballot.

"He also introduced me to Haitian food," D'Allesandro said.

Jeudy's friend, Rev. Renaud Dumont, pastor of the First Haitian Baptist Church in Manchester, is a man who believes in the power of prayer.

The new French speakers are from Africa, the Caribbean, and Haiti, although many people from Haiti also speak Creole, he said. There are about 50 people in Dumont's French-speaking congregation.

"The goal is to try to keep the faith alive, try to maintain the focus on the word of God and make sure the people get some help if they need some information," Dumont said. "It's a growing community."

He believes the newcomers have much in common with the French-Canadians.

"It's the same story. They came here to work in the mills, for a better living than in Canada. It's the same thing, just to work and make a living, but me as a pastor, I'm interested in helping them focus on God, to have a godly life."

Rep. Jeudy originally planned to return to Haiti when his children were grown, but, he said, "Haiti is bad right now. People killing each other. I've become a state rep here. I love Manchester."

Jeudy said he believes as a black man, the color of his skin has been a barrier that Canadian immigrants didn't have to face.

Manchester resident Joseph Casseus, left, from Haiti, has been helped by Elvire and Jean Jeudy, (THOMAS ROY)

"When somebody sees a Canadian person and sees the Haitians, that's two different things. They might serve them before they serve me or Africans. We have discrimination here, so definitely coming here you find more difficulty than Canadians," Jeudy said.

The discrimination is subtle, he said.

"When you are on the street, when I dress up like a state rep, people are nice to me. If I wear jeans and sneakers, it's not the same."

With a limited vocabulary early on, it was tough to communicate.

"It was difficult for me to express myself when somebody hurt my feelings. I tried to look for words. I used to pray a lot. I always asked God to change those people's hearts," Jeudy said.

He still hears occasional complaints from Haitians who believe they bear the brunt of racism.

►Haitian man works to improve English, become U.S. citizen (2)
►Part One: Parlez-vous Francais? Probably not
►Part Two: 'We are one piece in the great American mosaic'

"To tell the truth, there are so many wonderful and beautiful people in New Hampshire who really like me, if people don't like me for the color of my skin, I don't give a damn. Here I feel proud of myself," Jeudy said.