Haitian culture takes the spotlight at New York Carnival amid TPS uncertainty
The Haitian Roots-rock band RAM headlined the Haitian lineup on Eastern Parkway for the 59th edition of New York Carnival, commonly known as the Labor Day Parade, after three of the community’s marquee acts were sidelined this year.
The parade, organized by the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA), returned Monday, September 7, drawing an estimated crowd of more than a million people along the two-mile route from Utica Avenue to Grand Army Plaza. The event, one of the largest showcases of Caribbean culture in the country, kicked off at 11 a.m.
RAM, the Port-au-Prince-based mizik rasin group led by Richard A. Morse, shared top billing with Lespri Ayiti and Team Madada, featuring DJ Comix, along with RockFam/KG and Lamar Mas.
Notably absent from Eastern Parkway this year were three long-running fixtures of the Haitian float lineup: T-Vice, Tonymix and Sak Pase Nation, meaning the propellers of the T-Vice’s “helicopter” were not spinning on Eastern Parkway, nor the vibes and Rabòday of the Haitian DJ, Tonymix.
Lespri Ayiti, “Spirit of Haiti”, fielded roughly 180 artists, designers, musicians and residents this year, marching for the second consecutive Labor Day. Band manager Jesus Luc built the group’s sound around Raboday and Kompa, the country’s signature dance music, with DJ Comix of Team Madada headlining what Luc called one of the most popular acts in Haiti today.
TPS
The music arrived against a heavier backdrop than in past years. Federal immigration enforcement has intensified against Caribbean and other Black immigrant communities over the past year, and Haitians recently lost Temporary Protected Status (TPS) after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 in June, in Mullin v. Doe, that federal courts could not review the Trump administration’s move to end the designation. A federal judge finalized that order in early August, and work permits tied to Haitian TPS expired July 27, stripping legal status from roughly 350,000 Haitians.
