Editor’s note: John Legend, a world-renowned artist from Springfield, Ohio, spoke out on social media on September 12 regarding the negative comments about Haitian immigrants made by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his running mate, U.S. Sen. JD Vance of Middletown. Below is his message.

Hello, I’m John Legend, and I hail from Springfield, Ohio. You might have heard Springfield mentioned in the news recently.

If you tuned into the presidential debate, you may have noted that our city was a topic of discussion, particularly by a rather notable figure, Donald J. Trump.

Springfield has recently welcomed a significant number of Haitian immigrants to our community.

Historically, Springfield has faced a declining population for many years due to a shortage of jobs and opportunities, causing many of its residents to leave.

At one point, our population was around 75,000, but over the last five years, it has dropped to approximately 60,000.

However, during the Biden administration, there has been a surge in job opportunities, especially in manufacturing with new factories needing workers.

Consequently, our town of 60,000 found itself with more job openings than people willing to fill them.

Simultaneously, Haiti has been experiencing significant challenges and instability. The federal government has offered visas and immigration status to many Haitian immigrants, allowing them to enter our country legally.

This alignment of labor demands in Springfield with the arrival of Haitian immigrants is why they are now part of our community.

About 15,000 new immigrants have arrived in a town of 60,000, representing a 25% population increase.

That’s considerable.

Understandably, integrating a new community can present challenges.

This includes overcoming language barriers, adjusting to different cultural practices, and accommodating various dietary preferences.

Ensuring services are available to support this larger population, including bilingual assistance, is essential.

These adjustments can be daunting for my hometown.

Ultimately, the new residents moved to Springfield seeking jobs and opportunities.

They aspire to achieve the American dream, akin to many groups throughout history—Germans, Irish, Italians, Jews, Jamaicans, and Poles—all of whom sought a better life.

They might not share the same language or cuisine.

They may face challenges as they integrate into our society.

But they arrived in search of opportunities to improve their lives and secure a better future for their families.

Let me share some insights about immigrants: they typically thrive in this country.

They are diligent.

They are driven.

They generally commit less crime than natives, and while it may take time to assimilate, they will do so eventually. It’s important that we extend the same compassion to our Haitian brothers and sisters that we would hope our ancestors received when they immigrated here.

Nobody is eating cats.

Nobody is eating dogs.

We all wish to thrive and build our families in a safe and healthy space.

Let us embrace one another. Growing up in the Christian faith taught me to love my neighbor as myself and to treat strangers with kindness.

So, let’s adopt this attitude when discussing immigrants in our communities and refrain from spreading hateful, xenophobic, and racist narratives about them.

Signing off, John R. Stevens from Springfield.