Haitian Nationals Demonstrate Resilience, Hope in the Face of Immense Oppression

Haitian Nationals Demonstrate Resilience, Hope in the Face of Immense Oppression

By Mike Givens on December 11, 2024

Watch last year's Human Rights Day Webinar!

For 2024's Human Rights Day, UUSC and the UU College of Social Justice hosted an inspiring webinar-Haiti in Crisis: The Urgent Need for Solidarity-uplifting the wisdom of Haitian nationals while discussing the nation's current crisis. Radiating from the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince, are waves of extreme gang violence in the wake of 2021's assassination of former President Jovenel Moïse.

Gangs have shut down major highways, charging exorbitant tolls, kidnapping and raping women, and terrorizing both rural and urban communities. With an impotent national government, an uptick in gang violence, and lawlessness taking deep hold, Haiti's economy, political and social infrastructure, and healthcare system are deeply impacted.

Rural farmers are not able to traffick their goods. An inadequate healthcare system has led to unnecessary deaths. Women and girls are victimized by rape, intimidation, and trafficking.

"We cannot watch it from afar because we are deep in it," said Nixon Boumba, Haitian human rights activist with American Jewish World Service, a UUSC ally and collaborator.

Watch our panel discussion!

Nixon was joined by two other activists-Jetry Dumont, co-founder and director of UUSC partner AyiboPost and Arielle Dominique, executive director of the Haitian American Foundation and co-founder of the Haitian Ladies Network-on the panel.

They share sage reflections on the state of affairs in Haiti-and concrete solutions to move us forward.

Marred By Resistance

According to the Guardian, states with lax gun laws like Arizona, Florida, and Georgia contribute inordinately to the number of illegal guns smuggled into the hands of violent gangs in Haiti.

"It's a problem that goes beyond us as Haitians," said Nixon of America's gun problem. "It's a problem that we alone cannot resolve. It is an American problem that Americans need to address."

On top of the inordinate violence is the sobering fact that Haiti's history is filled with colonization and oppression.

"Haiti was a country built entirely by the Black slaves who decided to live free," Nixon said of the Haitian Revolution. "We are a very young nation that started from nothing."

Since the Haitian Revolution, the people of the nation have consistently struggled against European and American influences for a sense of freedom and self-determination.

"The roots of Haitian people living in Haiti are fundamentally marred by resistance. We are constantly struggling to be free."

A shameful part of this struggle is the ransom Haiti was forced to pay to France after the Revolution. The revolt of enslaved people in Haiti against French rule lasted from 1791 to 1804. At the end of the struggle, France demanded Haiti pay "reparations" back to the European country in exchange for it being acknowledged as an independent republic. Some estimates put the amount Haiti paid to France around $20 billion, a sum that many say is conservative. For the last 200 years, this debt has undoubtedly crippled Haiti's economy and infrastructure. Next year will mark 200 years since Haiti began making these payments; a growing number of civil society organizations are demanding it be paid back.

Between several coups, European and American political interference and resource extraction, the 2010 earthquake, a government often ill-treated by other foreign powers, and a history of elected officials who've abused power, Haiti has experienced incalculable suffering.

Jetry noted that the media and civil society organizations have played a vital role in sharing the truth about the situation on the ground and speaking on behalf of those who cannot.

"[We have been] giving the space to the people who are not usually heard, who are not usually heard by the state or the government," he said of AyiboPost and other media. The press itself in Haiti is in a difficult situation."

"At a moment when the world seems to be on fire, Haiti seems to be really abandoned," said Arielle, noting that grassroots groups on the ground are often poorly funded, not respected, and completely disempowered by those in charge.

"We are concerned, we are affected, and we are involved," she noted, emphasizing that the Haitian diaspora in the United States plays a critical watchdog role in calling attention to human rights abuses happening in real time. She stated that the key to justice was building a stronger diaspora with greater political power and a louder voice; otherwise, we will continue to see dysfunction, violence, and chaos reign supreme.

Despite all of this, optimism remains.

"I am still very hopeful and positive for the future of Haiti," Nixon said. "We tend to forget this because we always compare ourselves to the United States because the first Republic to be freed from European imperialism was the United States."

Solidarity as a Solution

All is not lost. The three panelists described ways we can serve as effective changemakers in supporting Haiti, its people, and the Haitian diaspora, in realizing self-determination.

There are a number of laws in the United States pivotal to the nation's relationship with Haiti. Here are just a few and how you can advocate with elected officials to ensure they fall on the right side of history.

• HOPE/HELP Program: The Haitian Hemispheric Opportunity Through Partnership Encouragement (HOPE) Act of 2006 and 2008 and the Haiti Economic Lift Program (HELP) are a set of trade preferences prioritizing the export of goods from Haiti into the United States. The preferential treatment of Haitian goods in American markets has contributed significantly to Haiti's gross domestic product (GDP), created thousands of jobs, and bolstered the nation's economic vitality. It's set to expire in 2025, but our collective advocacy with legislators could help revive the agreements and keep vital sources of revenue coming into the country, stabilizing the economy, and supporting the livelihoods of thousands of people in the face of myriad economic threats.
• Stop Arming Cartels Act: This law would prevent the manufacturing and sale of dangerous .50-caliber ammunition and slow down the exportation of these rounds into Haiti. With the United States being one of the biggest suppliers of firearms to Haiti-fueling the gang violence that has overtaken the country-this law aims to severely stem the tide of firearms flowing into the Caribbean nation.
• Caribbean Arms Trafficking Causing Harm (CATCH) Act: This legislation would help disrupt the flow of firearms into Caribbean countries with the goal of decreasing gun violence in the region.
• Haiti Criminal Collusion Transparency Act: This bill mandates that an annual report be submitted to Congress detailing the relationship between Haitian elites and violent gangs. Reports like this help inform the government about bad actors among Haiti's elite and discern paths forward for addressing their funding of violence across the country.
• Americas Regional Monitoring of Arms Sales (ARMAS) Act: Proposed by a senator from Texas, this bill aims to stymie gun trafficking out of the United States and into other nations in the Western Hemisphere.

The above pieces of legislation are key to supporting the relationship between the United States and Haiti. They also speak volumes about the role the United States plays not only in Haiti's economy, but in the violence currently spreading across the country.

"Putting pressure on your government can have a positive effect on what's happening in Haiti," said Arielle. "If you are well-informed on what specific bills you can push…that can be impactful."

"It might make you feel better to [charitably] support an organization in Haiti. It might have an impact, but first and foremost is to be involved in policy in the United States."

"An opportunity to change"

The United States has often characterized Haiti as pathetic, a nation to be pitied. Intrinsic to that narrative is a need for paternalism, that Haiti needs countries like the United States to make it whole.

"This narrative was built to isolate Haiti," said Nixon. "Western nations [view] Haiti [as an example of how to] colonize."

According to Arielle, we can capitalize on this moment by leaning into the palpable energy of future generations.

The United Nations Population Fund estimates approximately 51% of the population of Haiti is under 25.

"It's a country of young people," she said. With dreams, with energy, with dynamism. There is always an opportunity when you have a population like that."

"We are living in a moment of opportunity," Nixon said. "An opportunity to change."

The work of supporting the self-determination of Haiti and its people is one that UUSC has committed to for several years. Consider donating to UUSC to continue supporting our partnerships with organizations like AyiboPost and our work to call attention to-and advocate on behalf of-Haiti and its people.

Image credit: AyiboPost

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