John Legend will not allow anyone to disparage the residents of Springfield, Ohio, where he was born and raised. The singer-songwriter is speaking out in response to ludicrous internet rumors that have gone out of control over Haitian immigrants allegedly consuming people’s pets. Former President Donald Trump and his running partner, Sen. J.D. Vance, exacerbated these rumors.
Legend refuted the accusations in a nearly six-minute Instagram video that was uploaded on Thursday, pleading with viewers to have compassion for our “Haitian brothers and sisters.”
- Advertisement -
He claims Springfield, where he was born in 1978, has been “shrinking for decades,” but under the Biden administration, more industrial employment became available, necessitating the hiring of workers. He clarifies that when Haiti descended into chaos, the federal government of the United States extended its lawful immigration program to accommodate Haitians escaping the violence.
The city, which had 60,000 residents, has seen roughly 15,000 immigrants migrate there in recent years.
Legend stated, “You might imagine there are some challenges with integrating a new population.” He continued, “But the bottom line is these people came to Springfield because there were jobs for them, and they were willing to work. And they wanted to live the American dream.”
He then talked about the unflattering rumors.
“Nobody’s eating cats. Nobody’s eating dogs,” he stated. “We all just want to live and flourish and raise our families in a healthy and safe environment. How about we love one another?”
Legend gives an homage to his childhood name and his background at the end of the video: “John R. Stephens from Springfield, signing off.”
Over 142,000 people have liked the post, and there have been 11,000 comments thus far. Legend discussed the subject further when he appeared on BBC Newsnight.
Before the debate, rumors were circulating on social media regarding Haitian immigration, and postings like JD Vance, Ted Cruz, and Elon Musk only served to fan the flames. However, Trump’s now-viral statement made on the debate stage on Tuesday night was what truly highlighted the problem: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats.”
Springfield, Ohio, authorities informed CBS News that they had not heard any reliable instances of Haitian migrants injuring pets.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine of Ohio told CBS News in a recent interview, “This is something that came up on the internet, and the internet can be quite crazy sometimes.”
DeWine noted, “These Haitians came in here to work because there were jobs, and they filled a lot of jobs.”
DeWine added, “And if you talk to employers, they’ve done a very, very good job and they work very, very hard.”
