Haitian Community in Birmingham

Where they come from

Haiti shares the island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. In 1804, after a revolution led by formerly enslaved people, it became the first independent Black republic in the world. Haitian Creole and French are its official languages. Haitians in Britain include students, professionals and families.

The community in numbers

At the 2021 Census, out of a city population of 1,144,919, 4,460 people living in the city had been born in Caribbean countries other than Jamaica, a group that includes Haiti.

Working for Birmingham

Haitian residents work in fields such as healthcare, education, social work and the arts, and many are multilingual, speaking Creole, French and English. They are known for their resilience and their commitment to supporting family and community.

Every community that has settled in Birmingham has helped to shape it. Newcomers have filled gaps in the workforce, opened shops and restaurants, and raised children who have gone on to become the city's doctors, teachers, engineers and entrepreneurs. The Haitian community is part of that tradition of hard work and ambition, and of the city's own motto: Forward.

Culture and community life

Soup joumou, a pumpkin soup eaten on Independence Day on 1 January, is recognised by UNESCO as a symbol of freedom. Haitian painting and sculpture are admired worldwide, and kompa music is loved across the Caribbean. Haitian Vodou drumming and dance are part of a rich spiritual and artistic heritage, alongside Catholic and Protestant traditions.

The story of the Haitian community in Birmingham is still being written, by students, workers, parents and pensioners who call the city home. It is a story of hard work, friendship and quiet pride, and Birmingham is richer for it.