The Resistant Communiqués Collective is ecstatic to present Season I, Episode III of the Resistant Communiqués Podcast this July, featuring an insightful discussion on the national protests resisting ICE, particularly in Los Angeles, California, with Ms. Guerline M. Jozef: "ICE Resistance & The Struggle for Human Rights in L.A.: Liberation, Black Resistance, & the Legacy of the Haitian Revolution with Guerline Jozef, Founder, & Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance". In it, we discuss national protests against ICE, the Haitian community in the United States, and the history of Haiti.
The Trump Administration, flush with cash from the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, has transformed ICE into the most significant and best-funded policing force in history. As we finished this episode, news broke that the Trump Administration was going to begin deporting Haitian green-card holders and those with TPS status under the guise of fighting Viv Ansanm, a Haitian gang and "terrorist" organization. As with Venezuelans, while those who will be facing deportation allegedly have criminal ties, in practice, most of those who will experience targeting have no criminal history and have no links to Viv Ansanm. What they're preparing for is a massive anti-immigrant purge that will happen nationwide, with the summer's LA protests an opening salvo in what's to come.
The recent news from the Trump Administration and the U.S. State Department makes our discussion with Ms. Guerline M. Jozef all the more critical. Ms. Guerline M. Jozef, a Haitian-American, serves as the Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance and is a human rights advocate. In our conversation, Guerline explains the effect that this immigration crackdown has had on the Haitian community and contextualizes it within the long history of U.S.-Haitian relations, as well as the Haitian Revolution.
The Haitian Revolution was an early blow struck for human rights: Haitians led the vanguard in fighting for the essential dignity of all people and an end to chattel slavery. Today, Haiti is spoken of disparagingly, but it was a potent symbol of freedom throughout the 19th century. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass said in 1893 that:
"We should not forget that the freedom you and I enjoy to-day; that the freedom that eight hundred thousand colored people enjoy in the British West Indies; the freedom that has come to the colored race the world over, is largely due to the brave stand taken by the black sons, of Haiti ninety years ago".
SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK
Our incredible guest, Ms. Guerline M. Jozef (she/her), is a prominent human rights advocate and strategist, best known as the Founder and Executive Director of the Haitian Bridge Alliance—the only Black womynx-Haitian-American-led organization supporting migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, with a focus on people of African descent. She co-founded the Black Immigrants Bail Fund and the Cameroon Advocacy Network and created Tales from the Borderlands and Beyond. Recognized globally, Jozef was named one of POLITICO's most influential ppl on race and police in the U.S, the BBC's 100 Women of 2024, WASHINGTONIANS' 500 People changing policies in the U.S., and has received numerous honors, including the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award and the AFL-CIO's 2024 GMLK Human Rights Award. She has testified at the United Nations, the U.S. Congress, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights. She has been featured in prominent media outlets, including CNN, BBC, MSNBC, ABC, Forbes, The New York Times, Al Jazeera, Politico, The Griot, and Democracy Now! She is a powerful voice for racial and social justice, human rights, and the rights of immigrants.
Haitian Bridge Alliance (HBA), also known as "the Bridge", is a grassroots community organization that advocates for fair and humane immigration policies and provides migrants and immigrants with humanitarian, legal, and social services, with a particular focus on Black migrants, the Haitian community, women and girls, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and survivors of torture and other human rights abuses. HBA also seeks to elevate the issues unique to Black migrants and build solidarity and a collective movement toward policy change. Anpil men, chay pa lou ("Many hands lighten the load"). Follow HBA at HaitianBridge.org and on social media on X, Instagram, Threads, Facebook, Bluesky, LinkedIn, YouTube, and TikTok: @haitianbridge. HBA is grateful for all donations.
SHARE
Lastly, we are proud to offer our dedicated paid subscribers full, behind-the-scenes, longer-form videos of our interviews. As a sneak peek for our subscribers, we are offering the full-length video of this episode, paywall-free, here.
The Resistant Communiqués Podcast was created as a grassroots project to record important People's and Resistance History. We would like to sincerely thank our paid subscribers.
Your contributions are vital in helping cover high overhead costs, such as purchasing podcasting software for producing higher-quality recordings and using advanced design tools for vibrant promotional materials. These investments help us continue to engage and educate our audience, especially younger generations eager for radical People's and Resistance History interviews and insights. Your support allows our grassroots project to continue and grow, documenting and sharing essential People's and Resistance History with everyone. Thank you so much for your support.
This Substack is reader-supported. To receive the new Resistant Communiqués Podcast episodes and Multimedia Syllabi in your inbox, consider becoming a free subscriber. To support this grassroots work and receive special Behind-The-Scenes long-form videos of our interviews and other exciting benefits, consider becoming a paid subscriber today.SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK TODAYListen, watch, share, and study with us using the multimedia syllabus below (here).
Luta,Resistant Communiqués CollectiveLearn more about Resistant Communiqués on the About page (here).Accessibility: The transcript for this episode is available.
Find more Resistant Communiqués @ResistantCommPod across all social media platforms: Instagram | Threads | Bluesky | TikTok | Mastodon | Facebook
-----
Resistant Communiqués Podcast Credits
The Resistant Communiqués Collective co-hosts and collaborates on the development of the Resistant Communiqués Podcast.
This episode of the Resistant Communiqués Podcast:
Podcast Episode Writers: Jamila Hammami and Zeb Larson
Podcast Episode Question and Script Development: Jamila Hammami and Zeb Larson
Podcast Episode Script Development: Zeb Larson
Podcast Episode Researcher: Jamila Hammami
Podcast Episode Fact-Checking: Zeb Larson
Podcast Episode Recording: Jamila Hammami
Podcast Episode Production: Jamila Hammami
Podcast Episode Editing: Jamila Hammami
Podcast Episode Transcript: Zeb Larson
Podcast Video Recording: Jamila Hammami
Podcast Video Production: Zeb Larson
Podcast Video Editing: Zeb Larson
Podcast Video Transcript: Zeb Larson
Podcast Graphic Design: Jamila Hammami
Podcast Multimedia Syllabus Development: Ms. Guerline M. Jozef, Jamila Hammami, and Zeb Larson
Featuring:
Resistant Communiqués Podcast Introduction: Jamila Hammami
Resistant Communiqués Podcast episode Co-Hosts: Jamila Hammami and Zeb Larson
Resistant Communiqués Podcast episode guest: Ms. Guerline M. Jozef
Resistant Communiqués Podcast episode outro: Zeb Larson
Royalty-Free Music:
Music Editing: Zeb Larson
Music Mixing: Jamila Hammami
Royalty-Free Music:
Podcast Intro Music: Cheel - Soft Feeling
Episode Intro Music: Wayne Jones - Connection
Episode Music: Karl Casey - New Dawn
Episode Outro Music: Cheel - Soft Feeling
----
This Substack is reader-supported. To receive the new Resistant Communiqués Podcast episodes and Multimedia Syllabi in your inbox, consider becoming a free subscriber. To support this grassroots work and receive special Behind-The-Scenes long-form videos of our interviews and other exciting benefits, consider becoming a paid subscriber today.SUBSCRIBE ON SUBSTACK TODAY
This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit resistantcommpod.substack.com/subscribe