Statement on the Current Discourse About Haitian Migrants

On a street corner in Haiti, two women hold an infant wrapped in a blanket. A man carrying a large tote bag passes next to them.

Photo © Nadia Todres

This week, false and reprehensible rumors about Haitian migrants circulated throughout the media.

All of us at HEI vehemently denounce this dangerous, harmful, and dehumanizing anti-Haitian and anti-immigrant rhetoric.

We stand in unwavering solidarity with the Haitian diaspora and all people who have fled danger and risked everything in search of a better life for themselves and their families.

And we will never stop fighting for their right to wellness, safety, and peace—basic human rights that all people deserve, no matter who they are and where they are born.

Creating a healthier and more just world is difficult, long-term work. The hardships and real and many. But so, too, is the tremendous and indescribable joy of finding community in others. Of welcoming. Of standing up to hate and division. Of being a resource, a neighbor, a friend.

All of us have a responsibility to affirm human dignity and worth. We are enormously grateful to share this responsibility, the hardships, and also the joy with those in our community. 

Stay strong/kenbe fèm,

The Health Equity International Team