Louijeune calls for solidarity amid hateful rhetoric aimed at Haitians

Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune is calling for solidarity — and a push to get out the vote — after former president Donald Trump and his allies falsely accused Haitian immigrants of eating pets in Springfield, Ohio. 

The daughter of Haitian immigrants and the first Haitian American elected to Boston’s municipal government, Louijeune joined demonstrators last week on Boston Common to rally against the onslaught of hateful, dehumanizing rhetoric. While she said it was “heartwarming” to see more than 150 people turn out for the event, Louijeune added, “It was unfortunate that we even had to rally over something so ridiculous.” 

Trump and his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, have doubled down on their baseless claims about Haitian immigrants eating pets or staying in the country illegally, bringing turmoil and security threats to Springfield and putting a target on Haitian communities nationwide. 

“They’re messing with the wrong people,” Louijeune said, pointing to Haitians’ role in fighting for America’s independence during the Revolutionary War. Louijeune also noted sizable Haitian populations in several key states for the 2024 presidential election, including Florida and Georgia. 

“The response that we need to send is a resounding response on Nov. 5,” she said. “And that’s what their racism distracts us from, the fact that we’re trying to build a more perfect union and that this is a country that is dependent on immigrant labor, and we welcome our immigrant neighbors.”

Louijeune, who campaigned for Vice President Kamala Harris on a trip to Florida earlier this month, emphasized the importance of engaging communities and meeting voter registration deadlines ahead of Election Day. She said she hopes the rallies and speeches in support of Haitian Americans and immigrants underscore the importance of solidarity. 

“Because yesterday, it was the Chinese Exclusion Act going after our Chinese immigrants. It was ‘no Irish need apply’ toward our Irish immigrants. And today it’s the Haitians,” Louijeune said. “We need to know that too often, immigrants are used as scapegoats and that we won’t tolerate it, and we send a stronger message when we stand together as people.” 

In Massachusetts, which has one of the largest Haitian American populations in the U.S., Louijeune said it’s important to support the local community through acts big and small, whether that means teaching English to new arrivals or ordering Haitian food from a local mom-and-pop.

“There’s a lot of similarities between the Haitian community and other communities, and I think once we work to not see each other so much as the ‘other,’ we realize how much we have in common,” Louijeune said.