Editorial: Haitians are latest group to contribute to Pennsylvania

William Penn called America “the best poor man’s country.”

Pennsylvania’s founder saw the opportunities in the colonies as a way for people to build a better life for themselves while building a better community for the betterment of all.

The state itself was born to be a safe haven for those fleeing persecution. At the time, that was the Quakers, a religious group that faced violent opposition in their native England and later in colonies including Massachusetts.

Later, when slaves ran for freedom, they ran for Pennsylvania. Even after the Fugitive Slave Laws made the Keystone State less safe as a final destination, the communities of Pennsylvania were important tracks in the Underground Railroad.

From around the world, people have come to Southwestern Pennsylvania. Some were fleeing the darkness of war and starvation. Some were running toward a chance for things they didn’t have before — the Irish, the Italians, the Poles, Germans and Russians and Jews. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was the story of Europe. In the later parts of the 20th century, it was Asia, Africa, South America, Central America and the Caribbean.

According to the American Immigrant Council, the largest single group coming to Pennsylvania comes from the Dominican Republic. They make up 12.2% of the state’s 995,800 immigrants. But the focus right now is on the other country that shares an island with the Dominican Republican — Haiti.

Haitians have had a contentious history, with the country struggling through occupations, independence and dozens of coups. The Biden administration has given temporary protected status to Haitian refugees in the wake of the 2021 murder of the country’s president and broad gang violence today.

That is how we have gotten to political attention in the U.S. election focusing on Haitian populations. It started with Springfield, Ohio. Now Pennsylvania’s Charleroi is involved, with GOP nominee Donald Trump claiming a 2,000% increase in Haitians bankrupting the municipality. Local leaders push back on that, as they have in Springfield.

Would Charleroi — and Pennsylvania — be better off without the Haitians? It’s a question some — many outside the borough itself — are asking as the community deals with the closing of the Anchor Hocking Corp. glassmaking plant and Quality Pasta factory.

But if we are honest and fair, that’s a question that demands an unflinching look at our history. What would the region be without the first French and English settlers? What would it be without Irish laborers and Italian stonecutters? German beer and Polish pierogies? Black history and Jewish culture?

Haitian immigrants have taken William Penn’s advice and come to the “best poor man’s country” — just like all of the generations that have built Pennsylvania into what it is today.