ONE VOICE. ONE PURPOSE. ONEDIASPORA.
About the Diaspora Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill – 2025
The 2nd Annual OneDiaspora – HRA Diaspora Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill will take place on May 20–21, 2025 in Washington, D.C., bringing together Haitian American leaders, organizations, professionals, students, and allies to meet with congressional offices and U.S. government agencies. Our mission: to ensure that Haitian American voices and solutions are meaningfully included in the policymaking process relating to Haiti and across the Haitian American experience here in the United States.
Why We Return
Following the success of our inaugural Diaspora Advocacy Day in March 2024, where our unified efforts led to congressional language calling for the inclusion of the Haitian American diaspora into formal US foreign assistance localization efforts being passed by the U.S. House of Representatives for Fiscal Year 2025 in regards to Haiti, we return to build on this legislative milestone.
In calendar year 2025, we are advocating the U.S. Congress to act on:
- H.R. 1114 – The Haitian American Enterprise Fund to Haiti 2025
A bold step toward private-sector development and sustainable investment, this bill proposes a public-private fund modeled on successful enterprise funds in other developing regions.
- Renewal of Haitian American diaspora inclusion in U.S. foreign assistance localization in Int’l Development FY’26 programmatic language
We urge Congress to reaffirm the role of the Haitian diaspora in U.S. foreign assistance localization efforts for development in Haiti.
Why It Matters
The Haitian American community is a powerful force for innovation, advocacy, and impact. Yet at times, our voices are left out of decisions that affect our families, our ancestral homeland, and our futures. OneDiaspora – HRA Diaspora Advocacy Day is more than just a day on the Hill, it’s a movement with partners and allies to embed Haitian American expertise and experience into U.S. foreign policy and diaspora-related legislation relevant to the community.
Whether you’re a business owner, a nonprofit leader, a student, or a concerned citizen, your presence matters. Together, we can shift the paradigm from aid dependency to diaspora-driven local development and policy inclusion.
How You Can Get Involved
- Register to attend OneDiaspora – HRA Diaspora Advocacy Day in person
- Invite your organization to join our coalition
- Share your story on social media using #OneDiasporaOneVoice #OneDiasporaHaiti
- Contact your elected officials and see if they can meet with us on May 20th or 21st
For more information or how you can support, contact either Gilbert Saint Jean at gsaintjean@haitirenew.org and/or Firmin Backer at fbacker@haitirenew.org.
Sign up link: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/sv/QXBxzQY
