SAN ANTONIO – Togetherness, culture and a path forward were the goals of the 2024 Haitian Culture Festival on the West Side after false claims ran rampant during the election season.
The Haitian Culture Festival included food, dancing, laughter, and education about Haitian culture. Attendees said the festival was fun, but the eventful night came from a need for unity.
Bernadette Williams, organizer of the Haitian Culture Festival, said her community needed each other after months of false claims from political figures. President-elect Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of Haitian migrants eating domesticated animals sparked outrage across the country.
“We’ve heard so many negative things right now about Haiti, and we kind of feel tired,” Williams said.
There was outrage in San Antonio, too, but without knowing the community affected, it was challenging to find support for Haitian migrants in the area.
“I’ve lived here for four years, and I never knew the community,” attendee Bobb Rousseau said.
“I think it’s always a good time to bring communities together,” attendee Clyde Newton said. “Especially a culture and people that don’t know much about it can learn something about it.”
The timing of the festival, which happened on Nov. 16, is significant. The anniversary of the final battle of the Haitian Revolution is on Nov. 18. It’s when Haiti defeated French forces and became its independent nation.
Haiti is now dealing with gang violence that is pushing people out of the country. Festival attendees said the path forward in San Antonio is for locals to understand better what the Haitian community has to offer.
“To show them that we are people, that we are community and that we are strong,” Rousseau said. “We are united to do great things for America, for San Antonio, and for Haiti.”