My initial thoughts when presented with this project were amusement and curiosity. I initially predicted my tasks might be difficult due to my lack of knowledge about the Chinese Haitians. As someone who grew up around Haitians and the Haitian community in Brooklyn, NY, I have never heard anyone mention the Chinese community in Haiti or emphasize the diversity of the country. I have always had the initiative to learn more about my heritage and Haiti. Before beginning, I took a class where I learned that the Caribbean was a space enriched with diversity. Beginning with the Indigenous peoples, the legacies of colonialism, and those who came or were brought to the region such as Africans, Asians, Europeans, and others had woven their roots into Caribbean soil. It may be unbeknownst to people such as myself who has only been familiar with material taught to them or witnessed. This project enriched my understanding, as well as, enforcing the importance of research. 

   The information that I have gathered was not obtained through an easy process. When I began looking for data, I was met with frustration. The lack of presence this community has needs to be explored. Considering how migrations and settlers are heavily documented within other countries. Questions arise such as; are the resources limited or completely unavailable? The undeniable truth is Haiti lacks resources to properly document what is occurring in comparison to countries like America. When it was time to begin the research, I had my questions and plan ready. I envisioned exactly what I wanted the end goal to be. I spoke with my Professor and brainstormed what was she expecting from me and the project. Because of such limitations, the archives that tell stories of the country’s history are unkempt. This made me question everything I understood about research and Haiti as an entirety. 

   The initial findings were repetitive and discouraging. After exploring what I thought was all that was out there, I met with my professor and expressed my findings. She explained that although it may seem that way on the surface, there are ways of finding gems through keywords, people, places, and things. This meant instead of looking up ‘Chinese Haitians’ or ‘Chinese in Haiti’, my focus will now be shifted to looking up Haitians who share last names such as ‘Wah’ and ‘Fungcap’ to draw conclusions and map out the migration and people that are descendants of Chinese Haitians or more. I began to find new sources and websites after shifting my strategies. I found sources that weren’t particular to my search sector but useful for those interested in learning about Haiti. 

Citation: In progress…

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