Festival was held to support unity amid crisis in Haiti and hostility in the U.S.

SAN ANTONIO – Togetherness, culture and a path forward were the goals of the 2024 Haitian Culture Festival on the West Side after false claims ran rampant during the election season.

The Haitian Culture Festival included food, dancing, laughter and education about Haitian culture. Attendees said the festival was fun, but the eventful night came from a need for unity.

Festival organizer Bernadette Williams said her community needed each other after months of false claims from political figures. President-elect Donald Trump’s unfounded claims of Haitian migrants eating domesticated animals sparked outrage across the country.

“We’ve heard so many negative things right now about Haiti, and we kind of feel tired,” Williams said.

There was outrage in San Antonio, too, but without knowing the community affected, it was challenging to …