28 Days of Black Liberation 2025 series
Since its revolution and severance from the colonial forces of France, Haiti had been an inspiration for many anti-imperialist movements around the world; serving as both a symbolic and material force of inspiration especially for Black liberation in the United States. During this time, Haiti had sought positive trade relations with the United States; however the U.S. saw Haiti’s revolution as a threat to its existing slave system and their economy, thus refusing to recognize Haiti’s independence until 1862. In 1915, the U.S. had occupied Haiti, claiming to “aid in restructuring their economy post-revolution,” yet had actually strengthened Haiti’s bourgeoisie class, which lead to precarious and chaotic sociopolitical situations on the island and aiding in strengthening the Duvalier dictatorship.
Migration relationships between Haiti and the U.S. in the mid 20th century were a result of this, and also showed positive cultural exchanges which allowed both U.S. Americans and Haitians to learn and grow from each other in each respective country, especially in New Orleans where Haitians primarily migrated to. This cultural exchange further challenging the imperialist and capitalists’ interests of the United States, all while Haitians experienced rabid anti-black racism in the U.S.
The resentment that the U.S. bore for Haiti became apparent during the era of the Cold War, where the U.S. pursued vehement anticommunist policies and attacks, particularly against Black people, the Caribbean, and Latin America. This framework formulated the structure of the relationship between Haiti and the U.S. to the modern day and saw constant U.S. intervention that disrupted Haiti’s economy and social systems, repressing the latter and resulting in a cyclical subordination that we see today.
Modern immigration from Haiti to the U.S. is a result of imperialist and anticommunist intervention while supporting and empowering violent governments. Since the 20th century, Haitian migrants had experienced violent anti-black racism which still runs rampant today in the Imperial Core.
Attacks, abuse, mistreatment, and deportation of Black Haitian immigrants are regular practices of US imperialism, no matter who is at the White House. The hypocrisy of the Democrats that implement Temporary Protective Status (TPS), which is only for 2 years and only applies to certain Haitian nationals already residing in the United States, with one hand, but keep enforcing deportations of Haitian immigrants with the other hand, imposes a cruel permanent situation of instability and danger for people deported to a country which cannot offer any minimal safety for their people.
Recently, the terrorist and hate rhetoric of Trump toward all immigrants and a special racist hatred against Black Haitian immigrants is despicable. How to forget his lie in front of the US audience at the National Election Debate in November, saying that Haitian people were eating other people’s pets in Springfield, Ohio, a small town of not more than 15,000 local people that kept losing population until it started to receive Haitian immigrants since Covid-19 in huge numbers, around 20,000 to date. After Trump’s hate speeches, harassment against Haitian immigrants popped up everywhere. The neo-Nazi group Blood Tribe began an open racist terrorizing campaign against Haitian immigrants and also threatened immigrant supporters in Springfield.
Despite Haiti is in a new surge of violence orchestrated and fed by US imperialism, Democrats and Republicans send Black Haitian immigrants to this chaos. To what are they being deported? To violence and death? To starvation?
While white supremacism and racist state violence are openly encouraged and celebrated by the ruling class, our people do organize to fight back. Black communities and immigrants are organizing to develop community defense strategies rooted in our resistance history and our anti-imperialist internationalist solidarity. In local communities around the US –neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, health clinics, recreation and sports centers–; Black, Brown, and other working-class people are coming together to protect, defend, and care for each other, as we have always done around the globe. In Lincoln Heights, OH–the first autonomous community established by Black residents north of the Mason-Dixon line- on Feb. 07, a dozen neo-nazis, waving and hanging swastikas flags, were confronted by the Black community who scared them away and burned their flags; after which Back community members came together to create armed patrols to take care of their community against these nazis. In multiple immigrant communities, the multi-racial working class has been revamping Rapid Response to ICE with numerous initiatives for community self-defense and people’s power to break down fear and isolation, multiply solidarity and unity, build liberated zones, and fight back against racism and colonialism as structural US imperialism pillars here at home, while calumniously building international solidarity.