 "American Flag")
The rumors, spread by Trump on social media and during Tuesday’s televised presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, have exacerbated fears of division and anti-immigrant sentiment ahead of the election in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000 people where more than 15,000 Haitians currently live and work.
For many Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, Sunday mornings are a time of joyful worship, singing and praying in their native Creole language. This Sunday, they needed that uplifting comfort more than ever.
Their community is confused, frustrated and hurt by false accusations that they are eating their neighbors’ cats and dogs. Now widespread and highly politicized rumors, fueled by people like former President Donald Trump and his running mate J.D. Vance, have led to violent threats against the community that have upended daily life in their city.
“Jesus is with us in truth and the truth is that Haitians are not eating pets or geese in Springfield,” said the Rev. Carl Ruby, who was preaching at Central Christian Church. He called on community members to join his congregation in prayer and peaceful protest against the false rumors being hurled against their Haitian neighbors.
They also demanded an apology.
“It is true that retracting these rumors will help restore peace in Springfield,” Ruby said. “We respectfully call on all politicians and media members who are spreading these rumors to work together to make Springfield a great and safe place again by telling the truth about our community.”
Viles D’Aussainville, leader of the Haitian Community Outreach and Support Center in Springfield, accepted Ruby’s invitation to worship with him at Central Christian, grateful to be able to rely on his faith.
“We are Christians no matter what, so it’s important for us to be here and worship in good times and bad,” he said. “I feel relieved to be in God’s presence. It’s healing.”
And he told Trump and Vance: “If they have the heart of God, they will think and speak differently.”
The rumors, spread by Trump on social media and during Tuesday’s televised presidential debate with Vice President Kamala Harris, have exacerbated fears of division and anti-immigrant sentiment ahead of the election in the mostly white, blue-collar city of about 59,000 people where more than 15,000 Haitians currently live and work.
Thousands of Haitian immigrants have landed in Springfield legally under the U.S. Temporary Protected Status program in recent years as long-running unrest in their home country gave way to a rise in gang violence and the city became a Haitian enclave.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, a Republican, said the federal government needs to step up to help cities like Springfield handle the influx of migrants. Speaking on ABC’s “This Week,” DeWine called Haitians good, hard-working people who are in the U.S. legally and said the false rumors are internet trash.
Despite the governor and local officials denying the rumors, Governor Vance repeated the conspiracy theory on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday and slammed Governor Harris’ U.S.-Mexico border policies.
At Central Christian Church, Ruby encouraged congregants to help distribute thousands of cards around Springfield printed in Creole and English with messages of support for Haitians: “I’m glad you’re here. Christ loves you. I love you too.”
As the service ended, Pastor Ruby praised his parishioners for a beautiful moment amid what he called a whirlwind of chaos. Looking at the Haitian parishioners in the front row and the rest of the congregation, he asked them to pray with him. “I ask you to prayerfully consider what it is like to be a Haitian parent this week, sending your child to school.”
One such parent is Mia Perez, 35, an immigration lawyer whose 9-year-old daughter had to be evacuated from school twice this week because of bomb threats at a nearby DMV.
Perez described her daughter’s anguish, saying that at school, children are asked by other kids: “What does dog taste like? What does cat taste like?”
“She’s asking, ‘Are we Haitians that eat this stuff? Is that true? What’s going on?’
“This was a conversation I wasn’t ready to have with my daughter,” Perez said. “I felt like our culture was being disrespected.”
On Sunday, Perez attended a service at St. Raphael Catholic Church, with Springfield police officers standing outside providing security. The Haitian attendance was smaller than usual, and after speaking with others who attended, Perez said many in the Haitian community did not attend out of fear for their safety.
“It’s moving,” she said. “They declared that they don’t belong here. The Catholic Haitian people are so religious that not even a hurricane can keep them away, but look at this scene here today.”
Another service was held at the First Haitian Church, located next door to the Haitian Community Center.
“They feel threatened. They feel unwelcome,” one of the pastors, Bernadette Dole, 51, said after the service. Even within the school system, they sometimes feel different because they are Haitian, not because of the color of their skin. But the reality is, we are beautiful and we are blessed.
She worries about the repercussions of false statements, but said coming together to worship with members of the community and feeling the support she has from the people of Springfield gives her hope.
“We are united. Now is the time to stand up for good,” she said. “This time, the city of Springfield and the people of Haiti prayed to the Lord to unite to fight for good…America is a great and loving country, and Americans care about people, Haitian or not. We are against lies.”
After the service, several parishioners gathered at Rose Goute Creole restaurant to eat traditional Haitian food like rice and beans, fried plantains and pork. One of them, Jacob Paen, said the restaurant had been transformed in recent days.
“Although we are a small group, we have many non-Haitian customers in our restaurant who are interested in learning about Haitian culture and cuisine. I feel that we are sending a strong message that they are dining here because they trust us,” he said.
Among those attending the service earlier this week at Central Christian Church was Rose Tamar Joseph, 40, who works at the Haitian Community Center.
“I was praying for peace and protection for the Haitian community and for all of Springfield,” she said. “I just want Springfield to go back to the way it was a few months ago.”
(Only the headline and photo of this report may have been modified by Business Standard staff. The rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
First Published: 16 Sep 2024 | 07:13 AM IST
