“Hate has no home here”

Acclaimed author Edwidge Danticat published an op-ed in the Washington Post that sets the record straight on both the United States’ long history of racism towards people from Haiti, as well as Haitians’ long history of contributions to culture, freedom, and humanity. The piece ends:

In the past week, I have been speaking with some Haitian Americans in Springfield whom I know through family ties. Two of the families have lived in Springfield for more than 20 years. One longtime resident, Margery, was at the Sept. 10 City Commission meeting where the parents of Aiden Clark, the 11-year-old boy who was tragically killed in a 2023 bus crash involving a Haitian immigrant driver, were also present. Margery was there to speak in support of the Haitian community, which continues to feel under assault. She wanted to stress that the newly arrived Haitians she interprets for and helps fill out paperwork and find places to live are here legally, unlike what has been claimed, and that they are hard workers who want to invest in Springfield. She was also moved by Nathan and Danielle Clark, Aiden’s parents, who, even as they were grieving their son, called for the hate-spewing to stop.

The day after the commission meeting, Margery saw a new sign on her neighbor’s lawn, and she sent me a picture of it. Though she knows there could be very tough days ahead for the Haitian community, the sign gave her a bit of hope. It read, “Hate has no home here.”

Read Danticat’s entire article here.