Charleroi, Pennsylvania, a town in Southwestern Pennsylvania that was once the home of a booming factory industry, needed revitalization once the factories, the lifeblood of the local economy, closed for good.
In the last four years, the town has been revitalized due to the contributions of Haitian immigrants like Rodny Michel, who arrived in 2020 from his native Haiti in search of opportunity.
At first, Michel could only find work at a food prep company and later an Amazon warehouse in a neighboring community, but now he has found a sense of belonging as he helps to turn a Caribbean store into a Caribbean restaurant.
According to The Guardian, the newly revitalized community received attention in September when former president Donald Trump falsely asserted that Charleroi was “virtually bankrupt” and was experiencing “massive crime” because of its immigrant population.
Just as with Springfield, Ohio, another Midwestern town that Trump and his vice presidential running mate JD Vance subjected to false narratives about that community’s Haitian immigrants eating pets, Charleroi has seen right-wing hate groups like the KKK post recruitment pamphlets in local Facebook community groups.
Despite the lies coming from Trump and some local Trump supporters, local leadership in the town has moved to support the Haitian immigrant community.
In 2022, a community liaison officer position staffed by a Haitian national was established. Programs were also established to help immigrants enroll in English language classes, register children in schools, and set up health testing sites at the town’s library.
According to Michel, those efforts have not gone unnoticed by the town’s Haitian community.
“In Haiti, the government don’t take care of the people like they do here,” Michel told The Guardian.
According to The New York Times, even local Republican leaders have pushed back against misinformation stemming from Trump’s claims.
Camera Bartolotta, a Pennsylvania state senator who represents the town, said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, responded to a post from Libs Of TikTok, a social media account that frequently engages in outrage farming, shared that most of the town’s immigrants are legal immigrants who are good, hard-working people.
According to The Washington Post, some of the sentiment behind Trump’s commentary has found a home among Charleroi’s residents.
Leighanna Girvin, a 33-year-old resident of the town and a first-time voter and Trump supporter, told the outlet that she thinks taking care of immigrants puts a strain on America’s resources.
“I don’t believe everything he says, but I don’t think America has the resources to keep helping outside people. That’s why I’m going to vote for Trump,” Girvin said.
In contrast to Girvin, Charleroi Borough Council President Kristin Hopkins-Calek said at an earlier council meeting in October that “The use of our citizens and residents as political talking points is unacceptable,” Hopkins has also characterized Trump’s “divisive rhetoric” about the town as a device to create “political gain.”
Evency Dorzelma, a 42-year-old who formerly worked as a police officer in Haiti before immigrating and settling in Charleroi, told the Post that the attacks on the Haitian community are racist.
“We brought life to the community. We don’t do no harm to anyone,” Dorzelma said. “So, there is no reason to fear us. There is no reason for this fearmongering, this racism campaign.”
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