Boston Haitian community

On a hot day in July, a woman took her own life in a hotel room in Taunton. She was one of an estimated 500 Haitian migrants receiving emergency shelter in that hotel. We cannot say for certain what prompted her to take her life — perhaps it was the culmination of the trauma she endured during her migration journey through South and Central America, or perhaps it was the unexpected challenges she experienced upon her arrival to Boston.

Massachusetts officials moved to provide aid to Haitian migrants in a $4 billion federal COVID-19 relief funding spending bill signed by Governor Charlie Baker Monday.

About 50 people, including public officials, faith leaders, and residents of the Haitian diaspora, came together in prayerful support for the people of Haiti following the assassination of the country’s president Jovenel Moïse and the shooting of his wife Martine on July 7.