How the Haitian Diaspora can support new Haitian immigrants in America

By Karl A. Valere

My mother made history on April 20, 1990, just three months after she gave birth to me.

More than 150,000 Haitians, including my uncles and her, marched across the Brooklyn Bridge in protest of the FDA’s discriminatory “bad blood” policy. This policy banned Haitians from donating blood, claiming they were at high risk of carrying the HIV-AIDS virus without any credible scientific evidence. In a matter of weeks, the Haitian Diaspora organized one of the largest and most successful immigrant-led demonstrations in New York and the United States history.

To this day, my mother recalls proudly, “We shook the Brooklyn Bridge!”

More than two decades later, the Haitian Diaspora finds itself in the midst of another pivotal moment, where mobilizing and resource sharing will be pivotal in how new Haitian migrants transition to life in the U.S.

Since January 2023, tens of thousands of Haitian families have been reunited as Haitians find safe haven in America through the Biden Administration’s humanitarian parole program.

However, our newly arriving Haitian relatives struggle to find the urgent support they need to adjust and adapt to American life.

According to the American Immigration Council, humanitarian parole does not provide any permanent pathway to remain in the United States and can be revoked or not renewed should the Department of Homeland Security decide that it is no longer warranted or if the beneficiary violates the conditions of the parole.

In other words, Haitian migrants and asylum seekers will continue to be at the mercy of American politics. 

As the Haitian Diaspora, we must be proactive, both before and after Election Day this November, in preparing for a very real scenario where a Trump White House rolls back or attacks the federal policies that benefit Haitian people.

We must collaborate to streamline Haitian-led legal services, language access providers, workforce development, food assistance, healthcare, and mental health support for our new neighbors seeking asylum.

Unfortunately, our Haitian-led human and social services networks are disconnected, disinvested, and disenfranchised. Consequently, the Haitian community remains overlooked and underserved.

That is not to say that credible organizations and their dedicated staff are not working hard to help Haitian people. But with increased investment and government funding to build their capacity, we can do so much more. 

Here in New York, we can count on one hand the number of Haitian-led organizations offering year-round direct services to Haitian people.

The number of Haitian-led organizations in New York that have existed for more than ten years can be counted on fewer fingers.

Rather than bicker online about Haiti’s future, I urge the Haitian Diaspora to find practical ways to support our new Haitian neighbors and organizations here in America.

I argue there are three ways for the Haitian Diaspora to build our civic and political power: 

1. Run for public office
2. Support credible, Haitian-led nonprofit organizations
3. Vote and advocate on behalf of Haitian people before your local elected officials. 

As of 2022, more than 730,000 Haitian immigrants reside in the United States, with roughly 160,000 living in the New York-New York Jersey-Pennsylvania Metro Area, according to the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

The Haitian Diaspora must take up the mantle of leadership in public offices locally and nationally to ensure year-round representation at the decision-making table.

We need more Haitian candidates who are responsive to the plight of Haitian people to run for school boards, town councils, county legislatures, and statewide and federal offices across America.

We must demand of our Congress members the halting of all deportations and expulsions to Haiti; the extension and redesignation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS); the dismantling of gun trafficking networks from the U.S. into Haiti; and their full support of a lawful and democratic transitional government led by the free Haitian civil society. 

Our ancestors were revolutionary, but for too long, the Haitian Diaspora have been reactionary.

“L’union fait la force” is more than just an Independence Day slogan or a footnote on Haiti’s flag — it is the very blueprint for our survival and success. 

It’s time for us to stop the selective outrage and superficial activism, and step up to the plate to uplift our Haitian people here in America, in Haiti, and across the world.

Karl A. Valere is a Chief of Staff and Senior Policy Advisor in the New York State Legislature. As a proud Haitian American, Karl is passionate about civic education, nonprofit capacity building, and mental health awareness in the Haitian community. Karl lives on Long Island with his wife, Erna, and their children, Ethan and Emerie.