Voter waiting to cast his ballot at a Brooklyn NYC voting site in 2016. Photo Credit: Garry Pierre-Pierre.

By Jonathan Greig

“There has been an evolution of the politics of Haitian Americans, since the Haitian community really started to form in the 1960s. At one time, Haitians had no political power at all, but by the beginning of 2006, we began to have elected officials in New York City, and Florida had them much sooner,” he said.

“We began to have a critical mass of Haitians engaging in local politics and club politics,” Pierre-Louis added, mentioning that Democratic Party political leader and campaign strategist Patrick Gaspard had been able to elevate Haitians beyond local communities and into national politics. Now that officials like Gaspard, who was appointed ambassador to South Africa during Barack Obama’s presidency, have been able to expand upward, politicians like Frontus were able to win in districts without large Haitian populations.

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• About
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Jonathan Greig

Jonathan Greig is a journalist based in New York City working as a contributing writer for CBS Interactive. He recently returned to the United States after reporting from South Africa, Jordan, and Cambodia since 2013.

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