Boat People

This poem couldn't be any further from the reality of Haitians longing to start over in the United States. Each of the verses provides some meaningful, yet interesting context on the situtations many of these immigrants had to endure while entering or assimulating into American society. A few verses distinguish the Haitian outlook of the term "Boat people" from the way Americans use it. For example,


"We fight a long time with poverty
On our islands, the sea, everywhere
We never say we are not boat people"


signifies the attitude of most Haitians have on the basis of them being a "boat people" within their rights. In this case, they are fighting for their way of life at home and in America. The 'boat,' in a way, is the metaphor of heading out into the surrounding waters or land in order to achieve that goal. However, when their ancestors in Africa were captured and thrown into the slave ships, the Haitians of African descent didn't see themselves as "boat people" in the sense that they were forced against their wills onto these large boats. The poem continues on justifying that Haitian immigrants are not all drug smugglers or trouble makers, but people who are here with "courage and strength to work." They are in this country for reasons similar to any other American's - freedom and most importantly, to prove to Congress that Haitians are people with the same needs and desires that everyone else has.