Wed, Jul 21, 2010

The Haitian Identity Struggle

We are foster children of the world and for many of us America has become home. However, at what cost? Haitian immigrants and Haitian-Americans are under lots of pressure and it is not something new or unique to just our group.  First generation immigrants and children of immigrants experience this pressure to succeed more so than others. The “American Dream” is a human dream that many of us work hard to achieve either as a personal goal, a replication of our own childhood and upbringing, for our offsprings, or a validation to our parents and ancestors for their sacrifices and even shortcomings.  Pressure to overcome stereotypes and stigmas, and be the best that we can be as human beings, Haitians and Haitian-Americans and achieve the “American Dream.” Although ethnic separatism must definitely be avoided as we cannot integrate and fully prosper with it, we struggle with this fear of acculturation and resist assimilation. We want to fit-in but still remain quintessential Haitians. We want to be versatile with the English language but love our accent that stands us apart, at least I do. For those of us with children, we struggle and worry about raising them to live as Americans with Haitian values and maintain the languages.  We live in fear of the consequence of the identity that they will adopt at the expense of their own.  Young entrepreneurs struggle with wanting to cater to the needs of their group with its lack of professionalism and the financial success that often awaits them outside the community. At what point are we too Haitian or not Haitian enough? Whatever category one falls into there are both positive and negative stereotypes to deal with. Who truly represents the Haitian community? When it is all said and done, we are all self-serving with the community as a mean to an end. However, if somewhere deep in our heart there still remains this love of Haiti and pride of being from that land, we must respect and reach out to each other through our businesses and various skills in order to structure, nurture and maintain this community despite its politics, division, and unprofessionalism. We must because we owe it to ourselves and to the many families for whom this fragile community is the only link left to Haiti.

This struggle to uphold our identity in America while embracing all that this country has to offer is something that we deal with continuously while navigating through our daily lives.  We want to be one of the tasteful and noticeable ingredients that make this wonderful salad that is America: a salad bowl where we all bring our unique flavors to enhance and complement the whole while nurturing our identity. To my fellow Haitians and Haitian-Americans whether by birth, chance, or choice, let us be proud of our flavor as a group and as individuals within that group. Let us strive to make greater contributions to the world and be positive forces to be reckoned with. Let us become this new flavor, this Haitian-American flavor that embodies the best of both cultures. Let us not be so absorbed by life in America that we forget or forfeit who we are.  Our ethnicity is a legacy to which we have a responsibility.  Its very survival depends on us.  Let us not resign ourselves to be just another black face in America. Let us embrace our ethnicity and culture in order for us and our surroundings to draw strength, different perspectives, and a better sense of self to achieve our goals. We are not misplaced individuals but citizens of the world and citizens of America by birth, chance, or choice.

By experience and association it is not easy for us to sustain and maintain our cultural traits while raising offsprings or just struggling to be successful in America. We need to strive for and maintain positive ethnic identity. It seems that “Successfully assimilated” ethnics in the United States have become so by paying the high cost of burying languages, customs, and cultures:  a sacrifice much too great for some of us to bear. While we are looking to fit into the social order of the United States, let us not lose our sense of self but embrace and contribute to both cultures. Let us add our own flavor to this salad bowl that is the United States of America and be proud to be Haitians.

May-Lissa Coty

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