Oct 14, 2024

Thoughts from a Haitian Immigrant

There have been recent false claims by prominent politicians, including Vice Presidential candidate, JD Vance, about Haitian immigrants in Ohio. Next door in Michigan at Treetops, we fully understand and celebrate the contributions all refugees and immigrants bring to our community, including the Haitian immigrants we work with daily.

While we recognize that no one person can represent a whole group of people, the Concentric Leader for the Haitian Creole group, Widline, wanted to share these thoughts about her personal experience.

It is extremely sad and unfortunate that the Haitian community continues to be the target of hate. Once again, we find ourselves facing false accusations and baseless stereotypes. This isn’t new, nor is it original. Frankly, it’s just lazy. What makes these accusations especially hurtful is that they target anyone who looks or could be perceived to be Haitian, making them even more dangerous. While some may think it’s just about targeting the Haitian community, the reality is much broader—it affects anyone who is Black.

Growing up in the late 1990s and early 2000s, I remember being ridiculed and picked on for being Haitian. I remember the dread I felt about going to school, about being around people who only saw me through a lens of hate, stripping away my identity and trying to force another one upon me. That’s what hate does. As a mother of three, I never want my children to experience that—to be hated for something beyond their control.

Communities that have faced this kind of hatred know the toll it takes: being targeted, racially profiled, and labeled something you are not. It’s exhausting, constantly having to defend yourself or prove your worth in the face of bias. The burden of carrying these stereotypes is heavy.

I urge everyone to take a moment to reflect—to think and analyze the situation from the perspective of someone in our community. Consider how this hatred can have lasting psychological effects. I am calling on us all to stand together, especially in support of the Haitian community as it faces yet another round of false accusations and harmful stereotypes. From the moment Haiti gained independence, a target was placed on our backs, and though we didn’t know how long it would last, we are still living with its consequences today. There are people who continue to push a harmful narrative about Haitians, but we will no longer stand for it. We will push back and rewrite the narrative, one that speaks the truth about who we are and the significant role we have played in shaping the American dream and in liberating other nations.

We are still being punished because we dared to fight against oppression, against injustice, against what was wrong. And not only did we fight, but we won—and that victory is something we are still paying for today.

As a Haitian immigrant, I have always been proud of who I am and where I come from. I will never allow someone’s bias or stereotypes to make me feel inferior or less than. It’s sad and unfortunate that we must endure another wave of hate due to narrow-minded ideologies, but we will not be silenced or diminished.