His American dream turns into a nightmare

SPRINGFIELD | The American dream of a young Haitian mother turned into a nightmare after Donald Trump turned part of the United States population against this community.

“I was threatened with a gun, in the street people are making signs to me that I am going to die, I pray before going out with my children,” confides a 35-year-old young woman, miming the signs of slitting her throat. what some residents of Springfield where she has lived for two years do to her.

Fearing for her safety and that of her children, the one who comes from Port-au-Prince asked to keep her identity secret.

“It’s really difficult,” she said, bursting into tears.

Around her home, the majority of houses display flags and signs in support of former President Donald Trump. And like her, many members of the Haitian community of Springfield confided to Journal and other American media afraid to leave their homes.

“When I say hello to my neighbor, I never get a response. It’s like I’m transparent. All this because I am black,” explains in French the woman who worked for the Haitian government before leaving her country six years ago, settling first in Chile.

Not welcome

In this small town located west of Columbus, she sees clearly that she and the people in her community are not welcome.

“People are very racist here. But we just want to work to have a better life and to send money to our family who are still in Haiti,” insists the one who works for an online company.

Since the billionaire wrongly accused the community of killing and eating the pets of Americans in Springfield, the mother of two has been directly targeted.

“When I go to the market, people look at me and laugh and say that I have to eat cats and dogs,” she says.

The fear of being discriminated against is such that she no longer dares to go to the hospital when she or her children are sick.

“I don’t dare. I prefer to call my mother who is in the Dominican Republic so that she can tell me how to treat myself,” she says.

And even for children in the community, integration is difficult.

“My child has been a victim of violence from other children, no one wants to sit with him or play with him. He is afraid, my son is very afraid,” continues the woman who is legally in the United States.

Not a life

While awaiting the results of the presidential election on Tuesday, the woman who has two children is preparing for the worst, but without knowing what she could do with her husband and children.

“Here, for Haitians there is no life, there is only existence. We are seen as animals who are only there to work. As if we were only slaves,” she denounces.

“We are thinking about leaving, but where to go? We need to be able to have legal status and work elsewhere,” she reflects, adding that she would like Quebec, but that the cold scares her.