On 9/11, a note to (and for) our Haitian community

I can’t take away the hurt and pain caused by Donald Trump and JD Vance spreading racist lies about the Haitian community. I really wish I could. I wish I could make the hate that Trump has emboldened go away, and erase Trump from our collective consciousness and the American narrative. But here we are, talking not about policies outlined in last night’s debate, but instead about the vile conspiracy theories spread.

What is even more depressing is that we have to talk about Trump and Vance’s hate on a day that should be spent on reflection, mourning, and community building - 9/11.

I had a hard time going to sleep last night, in large part from excitement about Kamala Harris’ commanding performance. From the moment she walked on that stage, stuck out her hand, looked him in the eye, and informed him how to pronounce her name, she owned him. Talk about stepping into your power, and Kamala did that in heels. It was truly gratifying to see.

But I also couldn’t sleep because I was horrified, my heart hurt. There was a lot of horrifying stuff coming out of King George, I mean Donald Trump’s mouth (cue “You’ll Be Back” from Hamilton), but that moment when he first started spewing the lie about Haitian immigrants eating pets. Whoa. If there had been a live audience, I can only imagine the collective gasp we would have heard. We know there is no bottom for that awful man. But to share such a blatantly racist, blatantly false story from the stage of presidential debate? Whoa.

People are quick to write off hyperbolic or offensive language, and they do so for many reasons - including their own racism. Too many people actively condone or have become numb to his dehumanizing rhetoric. But I want folks to remember that dehumanizing language harms human beings. Real people - people that I love - were hurt by this vile conspiracy theory. And they were hurt that a candidate for the highest office in the land would repeat such a thing on national television. I was holding that hurt when I went to bed, and woke up with that hurt this morning.

This morning being September 11th.

So I was curious. Clearly immigrants were impacted by 9/11 and its aftermath. But I didn’t know how many immigrants died that day. I am glad that the information wasn’t hard to find, that the National 9/11 Memorial website acknowledged that immigrants were lost too:

“It is estimated that of the 2,977 people killed on 9/11, 67 were undocumented immigrants – the majority having been workers at the Windows on the World restaurant atop the North Tower.”

Immigrants hard at work providing services - literally providing nourishment - died that morning. They died right along American citizens during the attack on our country. Their families were traumatized along with American born families. Their names now memorialized along with everyone else who was lost.

And then I thought, on this day of mourning, Trump and Vance better not utter a single word vilifying immigrants. Immigrants who have come here seeking safety and opportunity. Immigrants who are fleeing horrific violence in their home countries, violence that is too often fueled by American made guns - which is an awful irony. Immigrants like the ones who died the morning of 9/11.

These vile conspiracy theories serve to break us apart, to make us forget each other’s humanity. But immigrants are part of what makes us… us.

If we do nothing else on 9/11 we should remember the lives lost, the stories cut short, the real human beings taken from us. We should see each other’s humanity. It pains me that so many people woke up this morning feeling the hurt of being dehumanized. It pains me that we have a modern day version of a blood libel being spread by people who have a real chance of being elected this November. And it pains me to reflect on what happened to my own ancestors not so many years ago as a result of a blood libel like this.

To my Haitian friends, I am deeply sorry you have been targeted by Trump’s racist rantings. May you always be safe here, be celebrated here, and know that you belong.