McMusing: Consider the Haitians
About History, Culture, and Loving One's Neighbor
I wrote this McMusing before the election but decided to step back from the fray. I was reminded of it when I read a news article about how the Haitians worked to keep Christmas on track at an Amazon warehouse in Ohio.
Ray Martin, the mayor of West Jefferson, which has a population of 4,400 and a large concentration of warehouses, said that “if it wasn’t for the immigrants, they would be hurting for workers.”
I was so taken by the article, that I decided to pull this McMusing out of the drafts file.
And then, I decided to wait and see what would happen after January. Yesterday’s news about revoking the legal status of 530,000 immigrants, including Haitians, reminded me this was piece was still waiting in the wings.
Consider the Haitians: A Short History
The impact of trauma is no more evident on the world stage than when considering the plight of the country of Haiti and all those who have fled the country. The history includes colonization, the impact of slavery, and political turmoil. Outside interventions often caused more harm than good. It is a prime example of a people group trying to get a footing while swimming in generational trauma. And then this (ChatGPT summary):
2010: A devastating earthquake strikes Haiti, killing more than 200,000 people and displacing millions. International aid floods in, but recovery is slow.
2016: Hurricane Matthew causes widespread devastation in Haiti, worsening existing poverty and infrastructure challenges.
2021: Haitian President Jovenel Moïse is assassinated, plunging the country into political chaos.
For most of my life, my knowledge of Haiti has been somewhat like the song “We Don’t Talk about Bruno.” Much like Bruno was misunderstood and sequestered to be there but not there, Haiti is a country that is metaphorically a “stone’s throw” away, and yet aside from humanitarian efforts, the Haitian people seldom crossed our radar—until the 2024 presidential campaign.
Hang with me here, no matter your political bent. Consider this because not all the crazy statements are baseless, but it still harmed people.
I came across an article that provides a very informative overview of the Haitian population in the United States. If you read carefully, you will see that a significant number of Haitians arrived via land—what? They fled to other countries (like Venezuela) and then had to flee from there. So when a politician says he would deport the Springfield Ohio Haitians back to Venezuela, this is the scrap of information that was used without considering the harm the statement would bring. You can also find in the overview the fact there have been immigration policies that enabled Haitians to immigrate if they had family ties with those in the United States that would support them (it was a family reunification program). When was Democrats were blamed for the influx of immigration, this is what it is based on. Got it.
But here is the most interesting thing . . . Why target Haitian immigrants above all others? "Haitians are much more likely to be naturalized U.S. citizens than immigrants overall. In 2022, 63 percent of Haitians were U.S. citizens, compared to 53 percent of the total foreign-born population." (Source)
So when the cry is that immigrants are allowed to vote it is a result of this scrappy population's march toward citizenship—something most of our ancestors did at one point. Remember, it is against the law for non-citizens to vote in a presidential elections.
How tragic that a people group who has suffered so greatly once again found themselves a target of hate in a country that they believed would be a place they could rebuild their lives. The path to citizenship has always been something we took pride in as a nation. We are better than this.
The best way to overcome hate is to become acquainted with a culture and listen to those who actually live in the city; to sit and share a meal with those you fear. Yes, the city needs solutions—no one denies this. Fear never creates healthy solutions.
I asked permission to share the following statement that was posted by a former student:
I work in Springfield. I am there most days and I work in a part of the community that is heavily Haitian. I feel safe . I have not witnessed violence or felt threatened from this specific population . Our governor spoke earlier in the week making clear how welcoming Spfd has been and addressed the real issues, not the lies and memes. The community is feeling stretched very thin to hire more translators for all the kiddos in the school system that can’t speak English . As well as the burden to services like public health, food stamps and housing . I work with the most vulnerable in our community already so I can say that I see these real issues as the ones that need discussing. But in a way that is compassionate and healing with problem solving as its goal… we need so much more help funding housing and health care here . People are losing their food stamps which is so crucial right now with this economy. Women I serve are now seeing two year waitlists on housing that used to have less wait times . I want solutions that house everyone ! And for kiddos to have translators in classrooms! And food assistance for all who need it. I hope and wish this for all the residents in Springfield. it makes my heart so heavy to see how the media has spun this. -Ember
Those of us who cannot be part of the solutions in this city can still change our thinking by realizing that we have been handed biases and need to rethink what we believe we know about a group of people. The best way to overcome hate is to become acquainted with a culture. I leave you with the following cultural tidbit: (Click below to read the article—this unique form of storytelling is at the center of Haitian culture!)
Krik-krak! (and tim-tim!)
”An oral tradition as old as the birth of Haiti, folk storytelling — or tire kont — is one of the pillars at the center of the country’s culture, and must be practiced to survive from generation to generation”