Caribbean Interfaith Service draws attention to Haiti’s crisis

Caribbean Interfaith Service draws attention to Haiti’s crisis 

 (20 July 2025) — The 6th annual interfaith service celebrating Caribbean heritage was held in Washington. DC on June 29th at the Peoples Congregational United Church of Christ. Interim Pastor of the host Church, Rev. Leddell Bragg-Reynolds officiated the service which had as its theme, “Finding Strength in the Storm”.

The Rev. Joseph M. Constant, a Haitian national and Rector of St. John’s Episcopal Church in Maryland was the guest speaker. Also speaking at the interfaith service were representatives of different religions reflective of the religious diversity of the Caribbean diasporic community in the Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) area.

 The congregants were treated to aspects of each representative religion —Haji Rooknudeen Ali, Islamic Society of the Washington Area; Ras Dr. Wayne Rose, School of the Sacrament, Ras Tafari University; Dr. Carolivia Herron, Tifereth Israel Congregation; and Sister Ama Serwaa Belle Lee, African Tradition —Libation.

Haiti’s crisis and historic liberating role

Rev. Constant’s sermon brought sharp focus on the crisis in Haiti and expressed a vision for a peaceful Haiti and for Caribbean unity. He said, “Haiti today is at a dangerous crossroads. It is a country being dismantled from within. Military-grade weapons flow into the country and land in the hands of young men conscripted by gangs. The result is a genocide—Haitians killing Haitians. It is a strategic destruction of family, community, and hope.”

Rev. Constant reminded us of Haiti’s historic role in freedom from empire.  He said,

“We cannot talk about Haiti without understanding her in the larger story of the Caribbean—this region of beauty, culture, and resilience, but also a region scarred by the chains of empire.”

He noted that, “Haiti was the first independent Black republic in the world, born out of the only successful slave revolt in human history. In 1804, the enslaved people of Saint-Domingue—led by Toussaint Louverture, Jean-Jacques Dessalines, and others—overthrew the most powerful empire of their time, Napoleon’s France. Haiti’s revolution was not just for Haiti; it sent shockwaves through the entire Caribbean and the wider world.”

Rev. Constant said, “The revolution struck fear into the hearts of colonial powers but inspired enslaved and colonized people across the region — from Jamaica to Trinidad, from Barbados to Cuba. Haiti declared with blood and courage that Black lives were not only valuable—they were sovereign. That act of defiance offered a new vision for freedom, not only for Haiti but for all peoples under the yoke of empire.” Rev. Constant’s words resonated with those present.

Acting on a vision

The Caribbean Interfaith Service was first conceived and organized by Dr. Goulda Downer, while serving as president of the Caribbean-American Political Action Committee (CPAC), a DMV lobby group on issues affecting the Caribbean community. Dr. Downer said she was motivated by the lack of a faith-based approach to celebration among diaspora communities of Caribbean heritage in the DMV during the annual celebrations of Caribbean American Heritage Month. She said, “I wanted to bring our community even closer together. My research showed that we are a religious people, but that component of our faith was missing from our celebrations during Caribbean-American heritage month.”

Diplomats, state representatives, and community leaders

Former ambassador Curtis Ward, chair of the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Caribbean Affairs, presented citations from Gov. Wes Moore of Maryland to Rev. Bragg-Reynolds and to the church marking the importance of the event to the community.

The broad cross-section of the Caribbean community filling the pews included current and former Caribbean ambassadors, elected officials, and leaders of the Caribbean community in the DMV. These included His Excellency Leonel Delatour, who recently assumed the post as Haiti’s ambassador in Washington, and former ambassador of Grenada to Washington, China, and the United Nations, former ambassador Dennis Antoine. Two members of the Maryland House of Delegates, Regina Boyce and Gabriel Ascevero, both of Caribbean heritage, were also present.

Also present were Rev. Lawrence Walker, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives for the State of Maryland (GOCI), Greg Yancey, GOCI chief of staff, and Silvia Decja, GOCI administrative director for the Caribbean Commission, and Luis McSween, vice chair of the Caribbean Commission.

The annual faith-based celebration of Caribbean-American heritage in Washington is perhaps the only one of its kind in the United States. The opportunity for diasporic members of varying religious beliefs in the DMV coming together is a welcomed addition to the annual celebrations as attested to by several community leaders who attended the service. As Dr. Downer noted, “The Caribbean region is, if nothing else, a rich blending of religious beliefs.”

© Curtis A. Ward/The Ward Post