Dozens of members of Boston's Haitian community and their supporters gathered for a vigil on Sunday to call for peace in the country as it reels from the assassination of its president and to stand in solidarity with the people of Haiti.
In a humid chapel at Saint Angela's Church in Mattapan, local Haitians gathered following the Haitian Mass at the parish to pray for a country and its people reeling from the assassination of President Jovenel Moïse earlier this month.
Garcia Breneville, the reverend at Saint Angela's, emphasized the afternoon was simply about Haiti.
"The post-1985 generation has never known peace in Haiti, true peace in Haiti," he said. "So praying for peace is something truly important."
Clergy members of various faiths spoke at the vigil, which closely resembled a religious service. Several elected officials, including Boston’s Acting Mayor Kim Janey, were also in attendance to show their support for the local Haitian community.
"We stand united in the city of Boston with the Haitian residents in our city to call for peace, to call for unity, to stand as one community," Janey said. "I have faith this Sunday and every single day because I see the power of unity and strength of our people when we are united. I see the resilience of the Haitian community in particular. The Haitian people who have been leaders in this world fighting for liberation, fighting for unity."
Although First Lady Martine Moïse, who was injured in the attack the killed her husband, returned to Haiti on Saturday after being treated in the United States, there is still a great deal of instability in the country.
Dieufort Fleurissaint, chair of Haitian Americans United, said fear and uncertainty still remain in the country.
“We would never imagine an assassination could take place within the 21st century," he said. "But this is also an opportunity to invite the international community just to see the plight of Haiti.”
Fleurissaint said having the show of support from elected officials like Janey gave him hope.
"That's giving me hope the connection established between the elected officials, the mayor of Boston and all the other elected officials, [that] they can understand the sense of urgency to stand with us and see exactly what they can do to assist, support and change the dynamics and the narrative about Haiti," he said.
