"It's Better in the Bahamas" the Stigma of Being Haitian, Citizenship and Identity Choices Among Second-Generation Haitians in the Bahamas
Date of Publication
1-1-2023 12:00 AM
Security Theme
Political Stability
Keywords
Haitians in the Bahamas, immigration, citizenship, stigmas, political stability
Description
“It hurts you to be a nobody….This community is here because of discrimination. When you’ve been treated so bad, so long, you don’t feel for the Bahamas. I don’t know why the Bahamians hate us so much.”Living in a one room house made of plywood with no running water and no electricity, Marc Sedione talks about his experiences as a “nobody,” as a child of Haitian descent born in the Bahamas to undocumented Haitian immigrants. The community he is referring to are second-generation Haitians in the Bahamas who struggle to obtain citizenship and become a part of Bahamian society. Due to Bahamian citizenship laws, which are by blood and not birthright, Sedione is not a Bahamian citizen, and Sedione is not a Haitian citizen. In fact, he has never been to Haiti. Sedione has spent $4,500 trying three times to achieve Bahamian citizenship, but his efforts have been in vain. As a result, Sedione believes there is no future for him in the Bahamas. Because of this, he intends to travel to the United States in hope of a better life. Yet, his lack of citizenship means that he does not have a passport. This means that he will be making a dangerous, undocumented trip to West Palm Beach, Florida. Sedione knows a guy who owns a boat, and he will be paying $2,500 for a trip that may not even be successful. How do we understand Marc Sedione’s plight? How do we understand the plight of thousands of second-generation Haitians who are marginalized in the country of their birth? In this dissertation, I will examine the experiences of second-generation Haitians living in the Bahamas with a specific focus on the stigma associated with being Haitian, the road to citizenship, and identity. This research revolved around two main research questions: What does it mean to be a person of Haitian descent born and/or raised in the Bahamas? How do persons of Haitian descent define themselves and construct their identities in the Bahamas? The answers to these research questions, as this dissertation will demonstrate, reveal that Sedione’s experiences are not isolated. His struggles with discrimination, the lack of citizenship, feelings of exclusion and not belonging, and feelings of hopelessness are recurring themes discussed by participants inmy study. My research shows that many young adults of Haitian descent go through life in the Bahamas experiencing exclusion, discrimination, and stigma because of their Haitian heritage. Many also find the road to citizenship to be long and frustrating. Additionally, many reveal that the stigma associated with their Haitian heritage still impacts them even after receiving citizenship, suggesting a social hierarchy in Bahamian citizenship. These experiences shape their lives in profound ways and impact the construction of their identities as people of Haitian heritage born in the Bahamas.
"It's Better in the Bahamas" the Stigma of Being Haitian, Citizenship and Identity Choices Among Second-Generation Haitians in the Bahamas
“It hurts you to be a nobody….This community is here because of discrimination. When you’ve been treated so bad, so long, you don’t feel for the Bahamas. I don’t know why the Bahamians hate us so much.”Living in a one room house made of plywood with no running water and no electricity, Marc Sedione talks about his experiences as a “nobody,” as a child of Haitian descent born in the Bahamas to undocumented Haitian immigrants. The community he is referring to are second-generation Haitians in the Bahamas who struggle to obtain citizenship and become a part of Bahamian society. Due to Bahamian citizenship laws, which are by blood and not birthright, Sedione is not a Bahamian citizen, and Sedione is not a Haitian citizen. In fact, he has never been to Haiti. Sedione has spent $4,500 trying three times to achieve Bahamian citizenship, but his efforts have been in vain. As a result, Sedione believes there is no future for him in the Bahamas. Because of this, he intends to travel to the United States in hope of a better life. Yet, his lack of citizenship means that he does not have a passport. This means that he will be making a dangerous, undocumented trip to West Palm Beach, Florida. Sedione knows a guy who owns a boat, and he will be paying $2,500 for a trip that may not even be successful. How do we understand Marc Sedione’s plight? How do we understand the plight of thousands of second-generation Haitians who are marginalized in the country of their birth? In this dissertation, I will examine the experiences of second-generation Haitians living in the Bahamas with a specific focus on the stigma associated with being Haitian, the road to citizenship, and identity. This research revolved around two main research questions: What does it mean to be a person of Haitian descent born and/or raised in the Bahamas? How do persons of Haitian descent define themselves and construct their identities in the Bahamas? The answers to these research questions, as this dissertation will demonstrate, reveal that Sedione’s experiences are not isolated. His struggles with discrimination, the lack of citizenship, feelings of exclusion and not belonging, and feelings of hopelessness are recurring themes discussed by participants inmy study. My research shows that many young adults of Haitian descent go through life in the Bahamas experiencing exclusion, discrimination, and stigma because of their Haitian heritage. Many also find the road to citizenship to be long and frustrating. Additionally, many reveal that the stigma associated with their Haitian heritage still impacts them even after receiving citizenship, suggesting a social hierarchy in Bahamian citizenship. These experiences shape their lives in profound ways and impact the construction of their identities as people of Haitian heritage born in the Bahamas.
