Viles Dorsainvil on experiencing “the best and worst” of U.S.

In The New Yorker, Viles Dorsainvil of the Haitian Community Help and Support Center responded to questions like “Can you tell me a little bit about what the last few weeks have been like for you and your community?”

Overwhelming, shocking, sad. It creates so much anxiety and fear, all of this. You asked me how the experience has been. I’ve been experiencing the worst of America, in terms of how a leader, through his speech, can denigrate or marginalize or divide a community and create harm to a vulnerable group of people by firing up his base for his own political ends.

That’s what I’ve been experiencing. But, at the same time, I’ve been experiencing the best of America where there is solidarity, where there is love. Last Sunday, in an English class that I had with some Haitian students, some Americans from the community came with candy, with flowers, and some kids came with drawings, with words of love and encouragement. The people were saying, “We love you. We welcome you here. We stand with you.”

Dorsainvil explained what it was like for Haitians living in Springfield before their city became international news, debunked additional myths some U.S.-born people have been spreading, and the difference between “asking legitimate questions, with no bad intentions” and KKK-level hate.

“We have to keep our heads high as we move forward, and we know that we are resilient people. We have been through a lot of situations. So if we pull up together, we will be able to get through this,” said Dorsainvil.

Read the full interview here.