“Both the Haitian community and Springfield community live in my heart”
David DeWitt, the Editor-In-Chief of Ohio Capital Journal, penned a stark rebuke of attacks on Haitian-Americans and the entire Springfield community, led by Ohio politicians. This is a big deal. Ohio Capital Journal is a trusted chronicler of happenings within Ohio state government, a source for unbiased news and transparency of the Ohio Statehouse. Read excerpts from his column below, and the full piece here.
Three generations of my family called Springfield home, and it’s played a huge role in my life. My parents both grew up in Springfield and I’ve been visiting my whole life. Two sets of my great-grandparents raised their families there. I had one grandfather who retired from International Harvester and another who was an insurance agent in Springfield for decades. I had one grandmother who was a librarian at North High School and another who worked for the local bank. Both of my parents (and two of my grandparents) graduated from Wittenberg. Mike and Rosy’s Deli, Cassano’s Pizza, fishing at the C.J. Brown Dam, family parties at the Polo Club, trips down to Young’s Jersey Dairy or Clifton Gorge, these are all staples of my childhood. I have nothing but love for Springfield and the whole area.
Meanwhile, my partner’s parents are Haitian immigrants who moved to America in their teens and have led such impressively successful lives it blows me away. They’ve shown me nothing but love and kindness and have also played a huge role in my life. Haitian food has become something I can’t go without. I have jars of epis and pikliz in my fridge at all times. I am obsessed with diri kole ak pwa and griot and boulette. I have been working on learning both Spanish and Haitian Creole for several years now; I read every book I can find on Haitian history; and have danced the night away with the most kind and loving people I can imagine more times than I can remember. I have nothing but love for them and their whole family.
Even though they’ve never lived in Ohio, this is what makes this conversation about Haitians in Springfield so difficult for me to stomach. Both the Haitian community and Springfield community live in my heart, and I’m disgusted by the politics being played on both of them.
Using people’s lives and communities as a political cudgel to stoke fear and hatred and outrage with lies and innuendo is a low, base, nasty, reckless, destructive thing to do, and I do not understand what is in the hearts of politicians who indulge in it.
