Why The Haitian Flag Decision In Lake Worth Beach Feels Like Erasure

BY NAN News Editor

News Americas, FORT LAUDERDALE, FL, Fri. July 18, 2025: Lake Worth Beach has long flown the Haitian flag alongside the American and LGBTQIA+ flags—not just as decoration, but as a symbol of deep-rooted cultural pride, especially during Haitian Heritage Month each May.

But that symbol was quietly stripped away on July 1, when the city commission voted 4–1 against raising the Haitian flag this year, WLRN reported, citing vague “First Amendment concerns.” For many in the community, it felt like more than a policy change. It felt like erasure.

Contrast that with NYC, where Mayor Eric Adams joins the Haitian community and Bowling Green Association Chairman Arthur Piccolo in raising the flag of Haiti in Bowling Green, NYC annually. (Twitter image/City of New york)

The Haitian community makes up a vibrant, visible part of Lake Worth Beach. Each spring, schools host cultural events, students wear traditional colors, and commissioners attend parades celebrating Haiti’s history of revolution and resilience. The flag was always more than cloth—it was identity.

So why now?

Commissioner Anthony Segrich raised the issue, arguing that allowing one ethnic flag opens the door to potentially offensive or politically charged flags—including, in a jarring example, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) flag. The comparison outraged community leaders and educators, especially amid rising fears over immigrant deportation crackdowns.

“If ICE wanted to fly a flag, would you support that?” Segrich asked during the meeting. “There are members of the community who would.”

That hypothetical chilled Andrew Cavanagh, a Lake Worth High School teacher who works closely with Haitian-American students. “It seems like they’re distancing themselves from our Haitian population… It’s a little scary right now,” he told WLRN.

The vote left many confused. Commissioner Sarah Malega initially opposed the measure, stating: “At a time right now where there’s division in this country, I will not turn my back on either one of those communities.” Yet she ultimately joined the majority, supporting Segrich’s idea of flying only the U.S. and LGBTQIA+ flags as a city-sanctioned statement of inclusion—while suggesting a new “Lake Worth Beach” flag might one day replace ethnic symbols.

Commissioner Christopher McVoy was the lone dissenting vote. “There is no harm in putting up flags from other parts,” he argued, calling the vote unnecessary and hurtful.

The backlash isn’t about flag policy alone. It’s about what this moment represents—a growing tension in America’s sanctuary cities, where local leaders are navigating cultural inclusion, political polarization, and national immigration battles in real time.

Lake Worth Beach is home not just to Haitians, but also Guatemalan and Finnish communities. Yet none of those groups have seen their flags raised regularly, either. So why is the Haitian flag – —one of only two flags besides the U.S. to ever fly over city hall—now in the crosshairs?

The meeting’s agenda didn’t make the vote’s implications clear, and community members say they weren’t adequately informed. That lack of transparency has fueled distrust.

There’s no question that Lake Worth Beach needs a clear, inclusive flag policy. But in a city that calls itself a sanctuary, the removal of the Haitian flag—a powerful symbol of freedom and diaspora strength—raises troubling questions about whose culture is seen, and whose is quietly pushed aside.

With Haitian immigrants facing increasing marginalization nationwide, this local decision feels all the more symbolic—and not in a good way.