How and why South Florida’s Caribbean voters are supporting the Kamala Harris campaign

From organizing car caravans running through Little Haiti and North Miami, to connecting with churchgoers in Creole in Deerfield Beach, South Florida’s Caribbean community is coming out in droves to support Kamala Harris.

Harris’ historic rise to the top of the presidential ticket has had a cultural impact extending beyond voters with ties to her father’s native Jamaica, providing inspiration to the Caribbean community as a whole.

“We can’t have our sister out there and not have the Caribbean community represented,” said Karen Andre, a first-generation Haitian-American and former senior advisor for President Joe Biden’s 2020 Florida campaign.

These grassroots movements have local roots and national reach with multi-generational support. Participants in these organizations say that Harris’ experience as an attorney general along with a shared cultural background uniquely qualify her to address some issues plaguing the Caribbean community, like climate change and immigration reform.

We are for Harris

Last weekend, an “Ayisyen pou Harris” (Haitians for Harris) caravan traveled from the Little Haiti Cultural Center to the North Miami Library. The small group of participants waved their Haitian flags, prayed in Creole, and honked their horns in support of the Harris campaign.

Linda Joseph, a Miami native and leader within the grassroots movement, said that Harris’ Caribbean ancestry struck a chord with her because Harris understands the plight of children of immigrants — particularly the mental toll that comes with being separated from loved ones.

“It’s hard being an immigrant. You go years without seeing your family members, your grandparents,” she said. “And that affects our family dynamic and our mental health.”

Harris is the oldest daughter of two immigrant parents — a Jamaican father and an Indian mother. Her racial identity has been a topic of discussion since former President Donald Trump’s July 31 appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago , where he said that Harris previously identified as Indian and only recently “happened to turn Black.”

Harris graduated from Howard University, an historically Black university, and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha, the nation’s oldest Black sorority.

State Rep. Marie Woodson, a Democrat from Hollywood born in the Haitian city of Port-de-Paix, joined the caravan at the North Miami Library stop and gave a speech.

“It is so critical that we, as Haitian Americans — the first Black independent nation — we earned our independence before any other group,” Woodson said among cheers from the crowd. “We have to come out to make sure that we make history by electing the first Black woman as the next president of the United States of America.”

Climate Change

Another caravan participant spoke on the needs of Caribbean countries not being prioritized despite their close proximity to the United States. Chief among these needs include addressing the effects of climate change, according to leaders of the grassroots movement.

“The causes of climate change don’t start in the Caribbean, but the impact of climate change disproportionately impacts us,” Andre said in an interview with the Herald. “Where people go to play, right? That’s where our families live, and they’re the ones that are being devastated as the ocean waters warm up and we’re dealing with all manner of hurricanes and tropical storms in an increased fashion and increased intensity.”

READ MORE: No debate anymore: Climate change makes extreme weather worse, federal scientists say

Harris’ record as vice-president — particularly her historic visit to the Bahamas last summer and her meeting with the 15-member Caribbean Community bloc known as CARICOM — demonstrates her commitment to addressing the region’s climate crisis, according to D’Shawna Bernard, one of the planning committee members for the Caribbean Americans for Harris national call that took place on Aug. 1.

Bernard, who was born in Trinidad and Tobago, stressed that the Haitian and Jamaican electorate represents a significant voting block in parts of South Florida.

One member of this voting block, Carmen Morris, is launching a “Caribbean and African Sisters for Kamala” caucus. Morris told the Herald that the idea was inspired, in part, by the work done by “Win with Black Women” — an organization that raised $1.6 million dollars for the Harris campaign in three hours during a zoom meeting.

Still in the planning process, Morris intends for this to be a call to action for the community to contribute to the campaign in any way they can.

“You can give financially. You can give through the works of your hands by volunteering. You can organize. You can call others on the phone,” Morris said.

She wants to organize a call where people of Caribbean and African descent, including elected officials and entertainers, can commune and learn more about Harris’ background — with an emphasis on how she shattered glass ceilings as a woman of color.

In addition, Morris plans to play the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which she hasn’t heard played on calls orchestrated by other groups. This song has local significance, Morris noted, as it was composed at Florida Memorial University — an historically Black college in Miami Gardens.

‘A fresh perspective’

Harris is also finding support among younger Caribbeans who believe that she represents a new generation of leadership.

Christel Louidor, the founder of the nonprofit Gen Z Pou Ayiti (Gen Z for Haiti), appreciates Harris’ non-traditional approach to voter outreach. The 19-year-old Broward College student said that Harris is popular with Gen Z voters because she knows where to find them — Tik Tok.

“She’s making a historical significance, and she’s doing it through the way where she can impact us the most and she knows exactly where to do it,” Loudior said.

Harris joined the Tik Tok app on July 25 and has 4.4 million followers.

She hopes that Harris, if elected, will build upon the Biden-Harris administration’s immigration reform policies that created more pathways to migrate.

Louidor is working phone banks, attending community events, and speaking at her mother’s church, Grace Church in Deerfield Beach — sometimes in Creole — to rally support for Harris within South Florida’s Caribbean community.

The first-time voter says that Gen Z is largely skeptical of politicians but many feel inspired by Harris’ charismatic personality and progressive policies.

“I believe that our generation is most excited about this nominee because it’s more of a fresh perspective.”