On Sunday, July 26, 2026, the Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition hosted one of the most significant civic gatherings in recent memory for South Florida’s Haitian and Caribbean community. At Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church in Miami Gardens — itself celebrating 50 years of legacy and service — over a dozen candidates for public office sat before a congregation that came ready to listen, ready to ask, and ready to hold them accountable.
The room was full. The atmosphere was serious and purposeful. And the message from HCLC was unmistakable: the church is not absent from the public square.
A Room Full of Candidates. A Community Full of Expectation.
The panel brought together candidates spanning local, state, and federal races — among them Jean Monestime (U.S. Congress), Kendrick Meek Jr. (U.S. Congress), Dotie Joseph (Florida Governor), Angie Nixon (U.S. Senate), Jinan Jules (North Miami City Council), and several candidates for Florida House Districts 107 and 108. Each was asked to answer one foundational question:
“What is your vision for this community, and how do you intend to advocate for immigrant communities in this country?”
It was a question that cut to the heart of what thousands of Haitian and Caribbean families across Miami-Dade and Broward counties face every day — immigration policy, economic opportunity, civic representation. Candidate after candidate took the microphone. Some gave polished answers. Some were challenged from the floor. All of them were heard — and so was the community.
Why the Church Shows Up
HCLC did not organize this event because politics is comfortable territory for the church. We organized it because disengagement is not an option.
We believe that every follower of Christ is called to be salt and light — not just within the walls of our sanctuaries, but in the neighborhoods, school boards, courthouses, and legislatures that shape the daily lives of our people. Jesus did not call His disciples to retreat from the world. He sent them into it.
The issues on that stage — immigration, economic justice, the dignity of immigrant families — are not political abstractions. They are moral questions. They affect real families in our congregations. When a mother does not know whether she can stay in the country where she has built her life, that is a pastoral issue. When a child grows up in poverty because the systems around him were never designed to include him, that is a matter of justice — and justice is a biblical imperative.
For too long, many in the church have accepted a false separation: faith belongs in the sanctuary, politics belongs elsewhere. HCLC rejects that separation. Christians are not spectators of history. We are participants in it, and we are accountable before God for the world we help to shape — or allow to be shaped without us.
The Evening Was a Success — Here Is Why
- Full candidate attendance. Nearly every confirmed candidate appeared. Federal, state, and local races were all represented — seated together at the same table, answering to the same community.
- Engaged congregation. The audience asked substantive questions. This was not a passive crowd. It was a community that had done its homework and came with real concerns.
- Respectful and rigorous atmosphere. The forum was firm but fair. Candidates were given space to speak and were pressed when answers fell short. The tone honored both the dignity of the candidates and the seriousness of the community’s needs.
- Bethel Evangelical Baptist Church as host. Hosting this event during their 50th anniversary year was deeply fitting. Lending their house on a Sunday evening to civic accountability is itself a statement of what it means to be a church that serves beyond its walls.
What Comes Next
The work does not end with a forum. HCLC’s commitment is to accompany this community through Election Day and beyond — reminding every member of our congregations that the vote is not just a civic right, it is a moral responsibility.
We will continue to hold elected officials accountable. We will continue to create spaces where the community can speak and be heard. And we will continue to insist that the Haitian Christian community in South Florida is not a constituency to be courted once every few years and forgotten — it is a covenant community with deep roots, a strong voice, and a clear sense of its own calling.
Sunday was a beginning, not an end.
The Haitian Christian Leaders Coalition is a non-partisan organization. We do not endorse candidates or political parties. Our doors are open to leaders across the political spectrum — because our mission is not to tell our community who to vote for, but to ensure they have every opportunity to be informed, to ask hard questions, and to participate fully in the democratic process. A community that knows its voice matters is a community that cannot be ignored.
Want to be part of what HCLC is building? Join our network, partner with us, or find out how to get involved. For civic resources, voter information, and more, visit our Resources page.