Negative Portrayals of Haitians in the Media
and our response...Guy Antoine
March 23, 1998The impact of the incessantly bad images from the foreign news and entertainment media about Haitians is a source of consternation, anxiety, inhibition, shame, and anger for Haitians, and particularly so in the communities abroad where there is a dearth of positive news to counteract such onslaught.
We have to be able to cope, in spite of these negative images: they should even spur us to thrive! We can start to counterattack the negative stereotypes by challenging them in our daily lives, by educating our children about our incomparable History (the suffering has been constant, but that's only one aspect of it), and by showing pride in our Haitian culture and origin.
Education is a powerful key when combating prejudices, and so is solidarity. We have to express our outrage, not only when Haitians are unjustly attacked, but any Haitian in particular, rich or poor, but any Caribbean person, but any descendant of Africa, but any ethnic minority anywhere, but any of the recognized majority as well, any Caucasian. Surely our voices will sound stronger when defending one closer to our own personal origins, but we should remember that they surely would sound self-interested and hollow, if they only rise when WE are the victims, if we do not care about the victimization of others.
The anti-Haitian prejudices run deep in popular culture. Even seemingly all-around good guys casually express them. I remember reading an interview with Karl Malone, the Utah Jazz player, who has been one of the few and the most positive role models for young men in the basketball world. In an otherwise pleasant interview, he said of Charles Barkley: "This guy speaks like a crazy Haitian". The reference seemed to come out of nowhere and left me flabbergasted. No, I am not going to sue Karl Malone, or boycott the Utah Jazz. I even hope that this year, he will finally get the NBA Championship ring that he so richly deserves. But, if I ever meet him, even twenty years from now, I will surely remind him of what he said, and challenge him to demonstrate what is crazy about us, Haitians. Surely, he would find it infinitely easier to grab another rebound or put the ball through the hoop once more.
Only when we Haitians are ready to come out, and look at any other person dead in the eye, and think: "Let us collaborate. My input can be as valuable as yours, because I come from a deep, complex, and rich background. If I am not as good as you in one particular discipline, then I surely will be better than you in another, and I am educated enough to refer you to other Haitians who do excel at whatever disciplines you may be interested in. As a people, we are intrisically as good as any, because we too are human"... only when we have nurtured that internal fortitude and are ready to demonstrate it to the world, in everyday interactions and private conversations, just as in huge public demonstrations, will the inevitable negative images begin to give way to a preponderance of positive ones, and the prejudices fall by the wayside.