Black History Month: Haitian Americans—from the American Revolution to Temporary Protected Status
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When we talk about the early black history of the U.S and black ancestry, we often discuss it in reference to those African Americans who are descendants of enslaved people who were dragged to these shores directly from the African continent. In discussionsBlack History Month: Haitian Americans—from the American Revolution to Temporary Protected Status
When we talk about the early black history of the U.S and black ancestry, we often discuss it in reference to those African Americans who are descendants of enslaved people who were dragged to these shores directly from the African continent. In discussions of reparations for slavery, right wing-supported anti-immigrant groups such as the American Descendants of Slaves (ADOS) act as if slavery was not part of Atlantic Triangular Trade, and have even dubbed themselves the “original black Americans.” They exclude Haitians and other Caribbean Americans from that discourse, exposing a complete ignorance of history and sowing seeds of discord. In media coverage of Trumpian attacks against migrants on our southern border—whether it’s separating families, putting kids in cages, or brutal ICE roundups—far too often those who are undocumented are portrayed only as Latinos. We should not forget that anti-immigrant hysteria also includes attacks on Haitian Americans, who have been stigmatized for many decades. The current occupant of the White House has frothed and foamed at the mouth with vulgar anti-Haitian rhetoric, which echoes the faux-Christian spews of Pat Robertson, who blamed the earthquake of 2010 on a “Haitian pact with the devil.” Media coverage, like the ADOS “movement,” leaves out a crucial fact: Haitian ties to the United States run deep. Read more