TELLING IMMIGRANT STORIES BECAUSE HATEFUL RHETORIC HAS CONSEQUENCES

The BEI stands with those who are treated as political pawns in a game of hate and vitriol. The former President and Senator J.D. Vance have wrongly accused Haitian Immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, of old tropes— casting racist beliefs and hate into a community that has already had its share of racism and violence. This is essentially (or possibly all?) because of their lack of policy, nonexistent empathy, and a grasping-at-straws-ness. A tired, hateful breath of desperation by a few can result in a massive wave of violence cast upon the innocent. 

What does this look like? How do these ill-judged, loathing, racist comments impact the people of Springfield and the Haitian Immigrants who are used unwillingly in a “political” game with real-life consequences? Consequences that are far, far away from a certain Mar-a-Lago Resort…

Fortunately for the BEI, we have a fellow in Springfield, Ohio, doing the rigorous work of undoing hate and sharing the stories of those affected by the former president’s words. Read BEI fellow Marjory Wentworth’s essay on the situation in Springfield, Ohio, here: 

“UPDATE On the situation in Springfield, Ohio 9/26/2024”

“As I write this update about what is happening in my hometown, I am evaluating the
hate mail I have received about a short poem I wrote for Springfield, called “There Are
No Strangers Here.” Charleston City Paper | Former South Carolina Poet Laureate
Marjory Wentworth, now a resident of Springfield, Ohio, recently wrote this poem
(It was published in the Dayton newspapers as well)

Tonight is my book launch for my newest book One River, One Boat, and after weeks of multiple bomb threats and school closings, hate mail and threats are not taken lightly. The team that deals with these threats is comprised of 12 people from various law enforcement agencies, and they are doing a great job. Things are settling down and we all just want to have “normal” days, but the fear is still palpable, especially for our Haitian friends and neighbors.

Because I have been part of the Haitian Coalition here, I can tell you that tensions have been escalating for months now. It got so bad this summer that the NAACP organized public forums to deal with the hate and racism being directed at African Americans as well Haitian immigrants. By now, you are all aware of what Senator Vance and former President Trump have said about the Haitians in Springfield, and their hateful rhetoric has only aggravated tensions here. Part of my family is Haitian, and I have worked with Haitian refugees in both Boston and New York, and I can tell you that racism has always played a role in how this immigrant group has been treated in the US.

I realized last year that we were not hearing the stories of the most recent wave of Haitian immigrants. As a writer, I felt that their experiences were too often left out of the narrative. If people heard their stories, they would have more empathy for their situation, so I began to work with a small group of people to start Journeys: Immigrant Storytelling Through the Arts.

We are working with the folks at The Immigrant Story as we start the project. There is a lot of interest from various groups and institutions in Springfield. There is also great interest in the Haitian community, and we will be building the program around their ideas and suggestions. We were going to launch the storytelling project at Springfield’s Culture Fest on 9/28, which has now been canceled because a neo-Nazi group planned to march in response. City officials decided to cancel this annual event rather than line the streets with National Guard reserves. The tragedy is that we have never needed to hear these stories more than now, so we are regrouping and continuing this vital work.

If you would like to help fund this fledgling project, you can donate to the Nehemiah Foundation, under Flourishing Neighborhoods Initiative under Donate “Areas of
Greatest Need” you will see a category FNI Journeys: Immigrant Storytelling Through
the Arts" as the project to earmark the funds. The direct link is here Donation Form (harnessgiving.org)

Nehemiah also funds The Haitian Community Support Center and many other groups providing services to the Haitian immigrant population. We are all grateful for the love and support coming from all over the world as we come together as a community and show our Haitian friends that they are welcome here, and we remind them as often as possible that love is stronger than hate.” -BEI fellow Marjory Wentworth