For the Washington Post, 2020 Emerging Voices Fellow Jesús G. Ruiz writes about Haiti’s past as a “beacon of freedom” for refugees in the Western Hemisphere. His October 6, 2021 article explores the history of white supremacy and anti-Blackness against Haiti and its asylum seekers, in light of ongoing violence against Haitian migrants at the U.S. border.

What’s missing…is a longer history, in which Haiti was not a source of refugees but a haven for them — and in particular for Black people fleeing oppression in the United States and elsewhere in the Americas.

The article is part of the Washington Post “Made by History” blog, which explores parallels between today’s political climate and history. Read the whole piece here.