Brooklyn's Eastern Parkway will be alive with the sounds of steel drums and the sights of flag-draped floats on Monday as hundreds of thousands gather for the annual West Indian Day Parade, a significant celebration of Caribbean culture. This year, however, the event takes on a more somber tone for the Haitian community, which is navigating increased federal immigration enforcement and the loss of Temporary Protected Status (TPS).
Organizers describe the parade as both a defiant display of pride and a rare moment of joy during a challenging year. "There’s a somber cloud over it with everything that has happened from last year to this year with TPS... what’s happening in detention centers, and those who are being sent back with no valid way of living or supporting themselves," said Natalie Lafontant, a Brooklyn native and organizer for Lespri Ayiti, or "Spirit of Haiti," the largest Haitian masquerade group participating in the parade.
Despite these difficulties, Lafontant emphasized the enduring spirit of the Caribbean, particularly Haiti. "But if you know anything about the Caribbean, especially about Haiti, we use music, dance, art, to continue to strive and push through," she stated while preparing parade costumes at a community center.
The Supreme Court's 6-3 ruling in June in Mullin v. Doe, which found federal courts cannot review the Trump administration's decision to end TPS for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, paved the way for approximately 350,000 Haitians to lose this protection. A federal judge finalized the order in early August, and work permits associated with Haitian TPS expired on July 27.
Lafontant's group, comprised of about 180 artists, designers, musicians, and residents, is participating for the second year. They faced difficulties securing float sponsorships this year, highlighting the financial strain of organizing such a display. "All the insurances that we’ve got to cover, the people who walk, you’ve got to take care of them, the costumes, the designers. You add that all up, it’s a very hefty bill. But we continue to do it because we love our country," Lafontant said.
The Haitian community in the New York metropolitan area numbers around 163,000, making it the second-largest in the U.S. after Miami, according to the Migration Policy Institute. Many Haitian migrants have settled in Brooklyn neighborhoods such as Flatbush, East Flatbush, and Crown Heights.
Historical migration waves from Haiti to New York began during the dictatorship of Jean-Claude “Baby Doc” Duvalier in the 1970s and 1980s due to repression and economic instability, continuing after his ouster in 1986. This history of migration is rooted in Haiti's deeper legacy of resistance, notably the Haitian Revolution, where enslaved and free Black individuals overthrew French colonial rule, culminating in the Battle of Vertières in 1803 and Haiti's independence the following year.
This legacy of resistance remains a source of pride for Haitians globally. Edwina Paul, founder of SPM, or "Fanm Se Poto Mitan" — "Women Are the Pillar of Society” — left Haiti in 1993, seeking safety and opportunity. "It’s not safe there. Coming here is like an umbrella for us to be safe from that," she said, referencing the gang violence and instability in Haiti. "We don’t come here to sin, we don’t come here to kill. We come here to work, to have a better education."
SPM's costumes this year reflect this resilience. Clara Poteau, a fashion designer, created royal blue robes depicting Jean-Jacques Dessalines, a leader of the Haitian Revolution. Six designers and one painter spent a month hand-painting costumes that celebrate Haitian achievements, including dresses adorned with miniature Haitian flags and skirts featuring the faces of national football record-holders Duckens Nazon and Emmanuel Sanon. Another design, the "Freedom" tee, displays the flags of nations liberated with Haitian support, such as Venezuela, Colombia, and Greece.
The parade's music, a key element of the masquerade experience, is curated by Jesus Luc, Lespri Ayiti's band manager. The lineup focuses on "Raboday," a popular Haitian and Caribbean genre, and Kompa, Haiti's signature dance music. DJ Comix of Team Madada is set to headline, representing a new generation of Haitian artists. "It’s electrifying. It’s music that will touch your soul. Between the music and the costumes... it’s the heart of the people that’s going to be there," Luc described.