Opinion: Haitian Americans must battle xenophobia to win freedom and political power

I came to Philadelphia more than 20 years ago, as an immigrant, when my dad and I sought refuge from civil unrest and political strife in our home of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. I was 9 years old. I tell people that Philly raised me, but it was Haiti that made me. 

My early memories of Haiti are shaped by the violent coup that followed our first democratic election in 1991. As a child, I witnessed things no one should ever see: unrest, violence and fear. My mother and I fled our home, constantly on the move, hiding from the terror of the Tonton Macoute – the Haitian secret police force – only to find ourselves in the midst of an American invasion in 1994. It was both a relief and a realization that we were caught in a political storm far beyond our control. 

Now, I’m the executive director of One PA, a grassroots organization centered on Black liberation and building political power by engaging Black people in civic engagement, voter education and rights. My journey from fleeing political turmoil to leading a movement for justice in Philadelphia is deeply tied to my Haitian identity. The same spirit that drove Haitians to defeat the French in 1804 to become the first Black republic in the world fuels my fight today. 

Yet, the battle continues – not just for Haitians but for all Black and brown communities in America. Today, we see the rise of xenophobia being weaponized for political gain. Just recently, former President Donald Trump and his allies spread vicious lies about Haitian immigrants in Ohio, stoking fears and divisions by falsely accusing them of crimes they didn’t commit to 67 million people on the debate stage, at rallies, in social media posts and more. There have been extremely real consequences that have impacted my Haitian siblings in Springfield, Ohio and elsewhere. No city in America should live under terror and constant fear. This is how racism wins. This harmful rhetoric echoes the same racism we’ve fought against for centuries, designed to dehumanize and divide our communities, brimming with brilliant power from people who have been historically disenfranchised. 

As a Haitian American, I have known this pain all too well. After the devastating earthquake in 2010, many of my fellow Haitians sought refuge in the United States under Temporary Protected Status (TPS). In 2017, then-President Trump announced his intention to revoke that status, stripping thousands of Haitians of their safety net. That was the turning point for me. I left my path to law school and dedicated myself to organizing and uplifting my community. 

In Philadelphia’s Little Haiti, I met countless people living with the same fear I once knew – the fear of being uprooted, of being targeted. But within that fear was also a deep strength, a shared resilience that could not be erased by political rhetoric or xenophobia. That resilience is our inheritance as Haitians, but it is also the story of every immigrant community that has fought for a place in America. 

Today, the problems our communities face are structural, rooted in centuries of racism, classism and exclusion. But the solutions are within our reach. We need mass movements in the streets, political power in the hands of the people and direct actions that challenge the very systems designed to keep us marginalized. In Pennsylvania, we have just seen what xenophobia can do to a community. Last week, Trump tried to demonize Haitian immigrants in Charleroi, a small borough of 4,000 people in Washington County. In response to a social media account that uplifted the same misinformation, state Sen. Camera Bartolotta, a Republican, pushed back, saying, “These Haitians are working hard, sending their children to school and opening businesses.” 

Building political power isn’t easy – but we don’t have a choice. Our survival depends on it. Just as Haiti resisted colonization and imperialism, we must resist the forces that seek to divide and dehumanize us now. With less than 50 days until a historic election, I’m empowered to fight for a set of issues that intersect our communities, from climate change to affordable housing for working families. 

Our fight is for more than just survival, it’s for liberation and not to live under the scrutiny and fear based on lies. It’s for every Haitian, every immigrant, every Black and brown person who refuses to be erased or silenced. And that fight continues here, in the streets of Philadelphia, in the halls of power and in every community standing against xenophobia and racism. 

It’s time to rise again. It’s time to build, resist and fight for our liberation. 

Steve Paul is the executive director of One PA.