Haiti and Boston
This Haitian-American state representative, elected in Massachusetts, has been a prominent voice for the Haitian community in Boston.
Who is Marie St. Fleur?
This language, spoken by many Haitian immigrants, is often heard in Boston’s Haitian neighborhoods.
: What is Haitian Creole?
Haitian-Americans in Boston have enriched the city’s food culture with this spicy pickled vegetable condiment.
What is pikliz?
Many Haitian Bostonians celebrate this religious and cultural tradition blending African spirituality with Catholicism.
What is Vodou?
Many Haitian immigrants faced this kind of discrimination when arriving in Boston due to language, race, and immigration status.
What is racism (or xenophobia)?
This U.S. city, known for its rich immigrant history, became a major destination for Haitian migrants starting in the 1960s.
What is Boston?
Boston’s Haitian community has contributed to the city’s culture through this lively genre of music and dance that originated in Haiti.
What is Kompa (or Compas)?
This Boston-based organization provides services and advocacy for the local Haitian community.
What is the Haitian Multi-Service Center?
On New Year’s Day, many Haitian families in Boston eat this traditional soup to celebrate independence.
What is Soup Joumou?
One of the biggest barriers for Haitian immigrants in Boston has been limited access to this important type of care.
What is healthcare?
Many Haitians fled to Boston during the rule of this Haitian dictator, known for his brutal regime in the mid-1900s.
Who is François "Papa Doc" Duvalier?
Boston celebrates Haitian Flag Day on this date each year.
What is May 18?
Haitians have contributed to Boston’s education system, with many serving in this profession that shapes young minds.
What are teachers?
This colorful type of folk art, often made with sequins and beads, reflects Haitian religious and cultural themes.
What is drapo Vodou (Vodou flag art)?
Many Haitian families had to take on these types of jobs when they first arrived, often facing long hours and low pay
What are service jobs (or low-wage jobs)?
Haitian immigrants in Boston often settled in this neighborhood, now known for its strong Haitian-American community and businesses.
What is Mattapan?
This type of small business, often Haitian-owned in Boston, serves traditional foods like griot, rice and beans, and plantains.
What is a Haitian restaurant (or food shop)?
Haitian artists and writers have shared their stories in Boston through galleries, poetry slams, and events at this major university’s Haitian Studies Program.
What is UMass Boston?
Boston’s Haitian community often gathers for parades, cultural shows, and music during this Haitian national holiday in May.
What is Haitian Flag Day?
Despite hardships, Haitian immigrants in Boston built strength through these community-based places of worship and gathering.
What are churches (or community centers)?
This annual celebration, held in May, honors Haitian history, culture, and pride in Boston and beyond.
What is Haitian Heritage Month?
Many Haitian immigrants attend this type of community institution, which also plays a major cultural and social role in Boston’s Haitian neighborhoods.
What is a church (or Haitian church)?
This popular Boston-based Haitian radio station or show helps keep the community informed and connected.
What is Radio Télé Ginen Boston? (Or another local Haitian radio station — this can be updated based on exact station names.)
Traditional Haitian celebrations in Boston often include performances of this drum-centered music rooted in West African traditions.
What is Rara?
This quality, shown by the Haitian community in Boston in the face of poverty, trauma, and natural disasters, means the ability to recover and thrive.
What is resilience?