07/31/2026
Three days ago, Haiti's Temporary Protected Status was terminated. 45,000 Massachusetts Haitians lost their legal status and work authorization overnight. 350,000 across the United States. These are our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends, and for some of us, our family. People who passed background checks, showed up for their shifts, paid their taxes, and built lives here, some for close to two decades. Nothing about their work or their contribution changed. Only their paperwork did. That decision is having a resounding impact on Massachusetts, crushing sectors from construction to, yes, restaurants and hospitality.
As a Haitian-American owned establishment, we are devastated. Marvin and I are children and grandchildren of immigrants who came to this country looking for a better life. What they didn't know then is that they would be the ones who ended up making our country so much better. That’s because our greatest strength as a country is in our diversity. So many of us JPers and Bostonians know and understand that. And yet it feels like in the last few years, that very diversity – in so many ways – has been under attack.
But we are not done fighting.
There's a bill in the Senate right now, S.4814, introduced by Senator Markey, that would extend TPS protections for Haitians through 2029. It already has support, but it needs more voices behind it, and that's where we come in.
On Tuesday, August 4 from 3-6pm, we’ll be hosting the largest phone bank we’ve ever hosted at Ula, in collaboration with Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune’s office.
Come with your cell phone, a computer if you have one, and your full heart. No need to have any experience. We’ll provide light refreshments for everyone. We’ll be calling the Senate to tell them that Massachusetts is watching and Massachusetts cares.
Use the form to RSVP so we know how many people to accommodate: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTOMdzcCepa1WYvk3unL-GRQfGW8jHrY-83FsqsVJE8GCJnA/viewform?usp=header
Come make calls with us. Come for the community, the coffee, and the chance to do something that actually matters. We hope to see you Tuesday.
With love and resolve,
Beth & Marvin
