Two days before the Haitian Culture Day Parade, the former Walgreens on Avenue D in Brooklyn buzzed with energy. Inside the temporary headquarters of Life of Hope, a nonprofit supporting Brooklyn’s Haitian community, sunlight poured through large windows onto an open space now divided into makeshift partitions and small offices. The hum of a sewing machine mixed with bursts of Creole conversation as five immigrant women stitched for hours, preparing costumes for the upcoming parade.
Sequined fabrics in vivid reds, deep blues and golden yellows spilled across the tables. The women worked on feathered headdresses, sashes, pants and skirts that would soon bring Haitian history to life on the streets of Brooklyn. They weren’t just making costumes; they were stitching symbols of identity and memory for one of New York’s fastest-growing cultural events.
At the center of the activity was Hogla Foreste, the woman behind the costumes and the creative force who has turned this once-small parade into a pillar of the Haitian community in New York.
Foreste, who immigrated to the United States from Haiti at age 15 in the late 1980s, has volunteered with Life of Hope for 15 years.
Her path in the U.S. was winding. She delivered newspapers, cleaned houses and worked security and as a mail carrier before earning a degree and becoming a special education teacher. An injury ended her teaching career, but volunteering at LOH, she said, helped her stay connected to her community and pass on the culture she holds dear.
“Costumes are my thing,” she said. “I grew up in Haiti seeing people parade in costumes every May 18 on Haitian Flag Day, and I wanted to bring that feeling here.”
Surrounded by her volunteer crew, most of whom are current or former students from her English classes at Life of Hope, Foreste marvels at their creativity and commitment. “They pay their own fare, they stay here long hours, but I never demand them. They come because they love it,” she said.
Now in its sixth year, the parade has grown from a modest but spirited gathering in Life of Hope’s backyard to a massive street event attracting hundreds of attendees each year, reflecting New York’s status as the U.S. city with the second-largest Haitian immigrant population, with more than 160, 000 residents.
According to LOH Executive Director Porez Luxama, this year was especially historic. “For the first time, four citywide elected officials confirmed their participation, a sign of the parade’s growing prominence.”
As Haitian communities across the world prepared to mark the 222nd anniversary of their country’s flag, the Haitian immigrant community transformed the Flatbush Avenue and Nostrand Avenue junction into a colorful display of pride and political visibility.
From sewing machines to the streets
For Foreste, the parade is not just a celebration. It’s a way to educate others about Haiti’s pivotal role in world history. “I want people to learn that we had queens, we had kings, that we fought and won our freedom,” she said. “Many don’t know these stories.”
Her passion was shared by volunteers like Edvige Dorval, a 64-year-old seamstress who fled Port-au-Prince after a magnitude 7.1 earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010. Now living under Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in the U.S., Dorval credits the parade with helping her reconnect with her craft and a sense of purpose.
“I love my country. That’s why I’m here,” Dorval said as she carefully held strips of red and blue fabric pieces that would soon be stitched into sashes and flags for the parade.
Martine Dorgilles, another volunteer, has made the long commute from Canarsie every day since January. She came to the U.S. in 2023 under the Cuba, Haiti, Nicaragua, Venezuela (CHNV) Parole Program and immediately found community at Life of Hope. This year, she’s made it her mission to make sure that every costume is parade-ready.
Among the new faces this year is Marie Altagracia Saint Pierre, who learned about LOH from a fellow student in her home health aide training program. After joining last year’s parade as a walker, she returned this year eager to take on more responsibility behind the scenes.
“Last year, I walked. This year, I’m helping in the organization. It’s a beautiful adventure of fraternity,” said Saint Pierre, a home health aide student and another new volunteer.
“It looks like a one-day event, but it is not”
In his office, Luxama, Life of Hope’s executive director, juggled calls from vendors, city agencies and media as he finalized details for the parade’s logistics.
“This is a year of preparation,” he said. “It looks like a one-day event, but it is not.”
The theme for this year was “One Love: AYITI LA TOUJOU (Haiti’s still there) Celebrate-Honor-Uplift,” aimed to reinforce unity within the Haitian diaspora and the New York community.
The parade featured seven marching bands from dance schools, including the Northern Showstyle Band Coalition, a nonprofit that supports northern marching band programs. The bands, accompanied by their dancers, marched in step as their brass instruments gleamed under the afternoon sun.
Ten floats rolled along Nostrand Avenue, draped in red and blue streamers and carrying dancers in feathered costumes, drummers and representations of Haitian historic icons. NYPD officers marched alongside members of the New York Fire Department.
“This is for the kids, for the families, for the next generation,” Luxama said. “Many of our clients volunteer as a way to give back.”
This year also marked the first time that the West Indian American Day Carnival Association (WIADCA) participated, a nod to the parade’s growing significance within the broader Caribbean community.
A celebration of unity
By Saturday morning, the intersection of Church Avenue and Nostrand buzzed with anticipation as NYPD officers blocked intersections and rerouted traffic to make way for the parade.
Floats sparkled under the midday sun while marching bands tuned their instruments, dancers stretched, and Haitian flags waved from hundreds of participants.
An NYPD motorbike bearing the Haitian flag led the parade, as officers, politicians and community leaders followed on foot, chatting among themselves and greeting passersby and curious onlookers watching from apartment windows.
Among those marching were Mayor Eric Adams, NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Public Advocate Jumaane Williams, Comptroller Brad Lander, Council Member Rita Joseph and Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services Suzanne Miles-Gustave.
“I want to tell you that your city loves you,” Gustave said from the podium at Hillel Plaza. “Your city stands with you.”
Council Speaker Adrienne Adams echoed the sentiment, vowing to stand against the White House’s anti-immigrant policies. “We cannot allow a chaotic Trump administration to do whatever they want to our immigrant communities because we love you, and we need you,” she said.
Honoring Haiti’s legacy of liberation
The speeches turned emotional when Haiti’s consul general in New York, Jean Ary Céant, reminded the crowd of their country’s historic contributions to global liberation movements.
“These colors that you see, they are the best colors that liberate the world,” he said, referencing Haiti’s red and blue flag. “Our ancestors fought for the liberation of America, Greece and South America. We are fighters.”
The parade culminated at a performance stage at Flatbush Junction’s Hillel Plaza. DJ Andybeatz kept the crowd energized, while Haitian band T-VICE closed out the day with families dancing in the streets to the sounds of konpa. For Life of Hope and its volunteers, the day was more than a fun festival; it was a triumph of community, culture, and persistence.
For Foreste, the most rewarding sight was seeing young people draped in the Haitian flag, proudly embracing their heritage.
“It’s about the next generation knowing where they come from,” she said, watching the crowd from the sidelines, her face lit by the stage lights and the glow of accomplishment.
As the sun set over Brooklyn, Luxama reflected on the parade’s deeper purpose.
“This parade tells the world that we are here, we are united, and we are not going anywhere.”
