Other General Interest
Responding to the Supreme Court decision on TPS
The Haitian Studies Association condemns the majority decision by the United States Supreme Court allowing the federal government to revoke Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for approximately 350,000 Haitians and 6,000 Syrians. This decision to permit blatantly racist, discriminatory actions against Haitian migrants will have far-reaching effects for them, their families, and communities. Last week, we hosted an important dialogue on the state of immigration for Haitians in the US – the status of which changes regularly, subject to court decisions and inhumane policies. As we collectively ask what we can do in today’s context, we encourage you to watch the public recording of Update on Haitian Immigration in the United States where this unfortunate outcome was discussed by experts: Gabrielle Apollon, Geralde Gabeau, Jesse Hoffnung-Garskof, and Darlène Dubuisson. During this conversation, many resources and calls to action were shared and we share them with you below and on our website. Mobilizing the Senate is all the more critical in the days to come.
New Brief–Racial Profiling & Mass Deportations in the Dominican Republic
I write to share the Global Justice Clinic’s brief, “Racial Profiling & Mass Deportations: Rights Abuses of People of Haitian Descent in the Dominican Republic,” in English and Spanish. GJC authored the brief in consultation with several Dominican and Haitian organizations that advocate for the rights of people of Haitian descent. The brief sheds light on the increased human rights violations that Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent in the Dominican Republic face since the Dominican government announced a new deportation policy in October of 2024 that aimed to deport up to 10,000 people per week. Haitian migrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent are living in terror. Instances of arbitrary detention & collective expulsions, family separation, and violence and inhumane treatment are increasing, and racial profiling is widespread. The brief highlights the policy’s significant impact on vulnerable groups, particularly children, pregnant and nursing women, and human rights defenders.
Call for Papers: ‘The Arm of the State, The Hand of Power: Resistance and Resilience in the Midst of Fear’ (Dec. 6, 2024)
While formal colonial rule may have ended in much of the world, the ‘arm of the state’ and ‘hand of power’ persist, continuing to exert influence in political, economic, and cultural fields. Maintained by state actors and global institutions, dominance over marginalized formerly/currently colonized peoples and nations manifests through terror, oppression, violence, brutality, and censorship. In response, resistance movements have taken various forms, emerging to defy imperial and (neo)colonial power via the arts, performances, cinema, demonstrations, civil disobedience, literary productions, and more.
“To Springfield with Love” project by Tatiana Bacchus
This project, produced by Teaspoon & Pound Media, seeks to address the rise in hate and toxic rhetoric towards newly arrived Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and Charleroi, PA, exacerbated by the current political climate. The digital series, supplemented by a robust social media campaign, will focus on capturing immigration stories, providing words of comfort, and building solidarity with those communities under fire.