Thousands turned out for the Haitian Unity Parade, which made its way from Mattapan Square to Harambee Park. The parade was canceled for the last two years.
Members of the Mattahunt School community march in the Haitian Unity Day parade.
Miss Massachusetts 2021 Elizabeth Pierre.
Parade participants.
Mayor Michelle Wu and state Rep. Elizabeth Miranda.
Atmosphere of jubilation after two-year hiatus
On a hot and humid Sunday afternoon, thousands came out to enjoy the annual Haitian Unity Parade celebrating the Caribbean nation’s 219th Flag Day with music, food and an opportunity for the community to access health services amid the ongoing pandemic.
The May 15 parade, which spanned a nearly mile-and-a-half route down Blue Hill Avenue starting in Mattapan Square and ending at Harambee Park in Dorchester, was the first in-person event after a two-year pandemic hiatus. Its participants were clearly joyful as floats blared upbeat music and dance groups showed off choreography in bright costumes.
Notable floats included Miss Massachusetts 2021 Elizabeth Pierre, the first winner of Haitian descent, on a display created by the General Consulate of Haiti in Boston and vehicles trailed by dancers from the Area 51 Dance Company and South End Dynamite.
“To see your people celebrating … it’s a nice thing,” said parade watcher Maradia Rene, who said she’s been looking forward to the event since her first one in 2019. A Haitian immigrant, Rene said she loves celebrating her people.
Since
2001 the event has been put on by Haitian Americans United (HAU), a
nonprofit organization founded in the Commonwealth “to improve the
quality of life for Haitians and Haitian-Americans through education,
community empowerment and cultural development,” according to the HAU
website. Boston is home to the third-largest Haitian diaspora in the
country.
Other
organizations co-sponsoring the event included Immigrant Family Service
Institute (IFSI-USA), True Alliance Center (TAC), African Community
Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE), Haitian Artists Assembly
of Massachusetts (HAAM) and the Everett Haitian Community Center.
Pastor
Dieufort J Fleurissaint, TAC president and executive director as well
as co-founder of the Total Health Christian Ministries, said after more
than a decade of misfortune facing Haiti in the form of poverty, natural
disasters and political upheaval, as well as the mistreatment of
Haitian migrants by the United States, he was thrilled to take part in
the event.
“We are so
grateful,” he said. “It’s a family event … people are rejoicing. It
seems that it is time for them to gather together as a nation, not only
to celebrate but to reflect upon the sacrifices our ancestors made to
allow us to be free at this time.”
In
recent months, the U.S. Border Patrol has made headlines for the brutal
treatment of Haitian migrants turned away from the country on the basis
of Title 42, which allows the United States to deny migrants entry to
prevent the spread of diseases.
Fleurissaint said despite the challenges, Haitians both in Boston and across the world share resilience, faith and strength.
“This community has endurance, because we have been enduring so many hurdles,” he said.
“It’s
a different culture. We got the language barriers, also the lack of
access to opportunities for Haitians. But despite that, they remain so
faithful, and remain so resilient, and also remain so hopeful things
would get better in the future.”
The
original Flag Day, May 18, 1803, marked one of the best examples of
Haitian resilience when military leaders from across the country, with
cultural differences, united against French colonists. Together, led by
Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a former slave, and Alexandre Pétion, a free
Black man, the newly united front created its flag emblazoned with the
words “L’Union Fait La Force,” which means “Unity is strength.” Less
than a year later, the country gained its independence.
Following
the actual parade on Sunday, Fleurissaint emceed as encore performances
by the dance groups took place as well as musical performances from the
Haitian marching band and speeches from Haitian community advocates and
politicians.
Parade
Grand Marshal Ashley Louis, owner and operator of Forever Young Adult
Day Health Center in Hyde Park, gave remarks to the crowd and thanked
all those who helped put the event together.
“We
are stronger as Haitians. We are stronger when we work together. As a
leader in the community, my motto is not only to work hard, but to lead
as I climb,” she said. “We are stronger as one, and I will continue to
work with our Haitian community, with my elders and youth, to work
towards a better tomorrow.”
Louis
told the Banner that “to be able to come together again, after so long,
it means a lot. It means that, hopefully, things are coming back to
normal. And we’re still here, the Haitian population — we have
struggled, we were fighting a war, but we’re here to stand strong, and we will continue to do that.”
Among
the politicians who addressed the crowd was City Councilor Ruthzee
Louijeune, who made history this year as the first Haitian American to
be elected to Boston city government. She said the parade for her is a
family tradition, made even more special by her election.
“It was so much fun,” she told the Banner.
Louijeune
added that while the Haitian community is not a monolith, “we’re
resilient, we’re joy-filled and we’re God-fearing,” and that in Boston,
“we are one community, we’re a big family, you know, and families have
fights at times. But we all do look out for each other and support each
other.”
Asked about
what she can do as a city councilor for Haitians, the councilor said,
“One of the first things that I did as a city councilor was to pressure
the Biden administration to end its racist Title 42 policy that’s
expelled Haitian migrants at the border, and really organized other city
councils around Massachusetts and around the country to do similarly.”
She
continued, “And I think that we need to extend our family reunification
to Haitian families [and] we need to make sure that we’re extending
Temporary Protected Status (TPS) so that folks have the ability to
work.”
Other elected
officials who took part in Sunday’s festivities were City Councilors
Tania Fernandez Anderson, Riccardo Arroyo, state Rep. Liz Miranda and
Mayor Michelle Wu. Several candidates for office like Sandy Zamor
Calixte, who is running for Suffolk County Sheriff, and legislative
candidates Rev. Miniard Culpepper, Tamisha Civil and Eunice Zeigler also
carried signs and made small speeches.
For
the entirety of the event, several local health care organizations,
including Boston Medical Center, Whittier Street Health Center,
Massachusetts Department of Health, Harvard Street Neighborhood Health
Center, Carney Hospital and Health Care were present Sunday afternoon
offering cholesterol, diabetes, blood pressure, vision, dental and
mammogram screenings as well as COVID-19 vaccination and testing.
The
official programming wrapped up at 5:30, with the weather staying warm
and communal spirits remaining lifted. While Flag Day recognizes just
one day of Haitian heritage, Haitian Heritage Month spans all of May.