On the commemoration of one of Haiti’s most foundational historic milestones, the California-based Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA) has spotlighted the enduring revolutionary legacy of the world’s first independent Black republic, while issuing urgent calls for reparative justice from France, a long-term extension of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian residents in the United States, and equitable systemic change for Haitian people at home and abroad.
Haiti’s path to independence, cemented in 1804 after the only successful large-scale enslaved people’s revolt in modern history, redefined global conversations about liberation and self-governance. Ahead of the annual observance of the 1803 adoption of the Haitian flag during the Arcahaie Congress, HBA Executive Director Guerline Jozef spoke with the Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC) in San Diego, framing the commemoration as both a celebration of resistance and a call to address unresolved historical and contemporary crises.
“Haiti remains a global beacon of Black liberation, resistance, and self-determination,” Jozef said. “As we honor this landmark moment, we are demanding reparative justice from France and an immediate extension of Temporary Protected Status for Haitian nationals living in the United States.”
This year’s observance unfolds against a backdrop of deepening humanitarian catastrophe across Haiti. Jozef highlighted that latest data from the United Nations and leading humanitarian agencies confirms roughly 1.4 million Haitians have been displaced by widespread violence and political instability, while millions more grapple with acute food insecurity and severely limited access to clean water, healthcare, and other basic necessities. More than 2.6 million Haitian children currently require life-saving humanitarian assistance, she added.
Despite the cascading crises facing their home country, Jozef emphasized that Haitian communities in the U.S. — including current TPS holders — make substantial, underrecognized contributions to the American economy and workforce. TPS alone, the temporary protection that prevents deportation and allows work authorization for Haitians unable to return to their unstable home country, has allowed hundreds of thousands of Haitians to fill critical gaps across key U.S. sectors. Jozef noted that Haitian TPS holders contribute an estimated $5.9 billion annually to U.S. gross domestic product, pay roughly $1.5 billion each year in combined federal, state, and local taxes, and around 200,000 Haitian TPS holders are active in the U.S. workforce, holding essential positions in healthcare, elder and childcare, agriculture, transportation, and service industries.
Beyond contributions within U.S. borders, the Haitian diaspora serves as a critical economic lifeline for the country itself. Jozef reported that in 2024, remittances from Haitians living abroad to family in Haiti totaled roughly $4.5 billion, a sum that makes up a large share of Haiti’s overall national economy and sustains millions of households.
A core demand of the Haitian Bridge Alliance this year is renewed pressure for France to pay reparations for the crippling “independence debt” imposed on Haiti immediately after it won its freedom. This historic financial extraction, which required Haiti to pay reparations to French enslavers for lost property (the enslaved people who won their freedom), is widely documented by economists and historians as a root cause of decades of economic underdevelopment that has burdened generations of Haitians.
“Haitian Flag Day is a reminder that Haiti altered the trajectory of world history through its unyielding fight for Black freedom,” Jozef said. “Yet more than two centuries later, Haitians continue to live with the aftermath of centuries-old exploitation, ongoing political instability, anti-Black U.S. immigration policies, and widespread family separation. The international community cannot claim to celebrate Haiti’s revolutionary legacy while turning a blind eye to the conditions force Haitians to flee their homes, and the foreign and domestic policies that continue to destabilize Haitian communities.”
Advocacy led by HBA and its partner organizations has already yielded incremental progress on the TPS extension front. Jozef noted that last month, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation — spearheaded by Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley — that would extend TPS protections for Haitian nationals for an additional three years. HBA is now actively lobbying the U.S. Senate to move forward with a matching bill to cement the extension into law.
The organization continues its advocacy across both legislative chambers and the court system, Jozef added, working not only on behalf of Haitian TPS recipients but also supporting all immigrant communities, with a particular focus on those from marginalized, historically excluded backgrounds.
“On this Haitian Flag Day, the Haitian Bridge Alliance calls for an immediate end to deportations to Haiti, lasting protection for Haitian families in the United States, meaningful international engagement centered on Haitian-led solutions, and serious, good-faith dialogue around reparative justice and long-term stability that allows the Haitian people to thrive and prosper,” Jozef said.
