West Indian Day Parade celebrates Caribbean culture in Brooklyn

The West Indian American Day Carnival returned to Brooklyn’s Eastern Parkway on Labor Day, marking its 59th year as one of North America’s largest celebrations of Caribbean culture. The event featured music, food, dance, and masquerade, bringing together diverse Caribbean communities to honor their heritage.

For the Haitian community, the celebration carried a more somber tone this year due to recent legal and immigration developments. Following a Supreme Court ruling in Mullin v. Doe, federal courts cannot review decisions to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants. This has left approximately 350,000 Haitians at risk of losing legal protections, with work permits tied to the status expiring in late July. Despite these challenges and intensified immigration enforcement, organizers noted that the parade serves as a defiant assertion of pride and cultural resilience.