Haitian family on ‘The Pitt’ portrays timely story on hit mainstream show

As soon as the paramedics wheeling the child into the ER told doctors the boy’s name was Jude Augustin, some of us had a suspicion. It took another whole week to find out, but the intuition was spot on: A Haitian family is being featured on a hit medical drama — “The Pitt” on HBO Max, aka the show of the moment for avid fans.

Introducing the characters around the same time that Disney+ debuted “Wonder Man” felt like another milestone in Haitian Americans’ journey toward representation on mainstream screens.

But how would the writers and directors present this Haitian family’s story? Would the depiction make us cringe, as so many others have? Would it leave viewers wishing the show hadn’t even tried? Would the characters be so compressed and flattened, their accents too heavy or not heavy enough that they barely felt recognizable? So many questions came up as the storyline unfolded.

As it turns out, the medical drama got it mostly right — so far. Without giving it all away, here’s a brief recap to show why this Haitian American family is worth watching.

In Season 2, Episode 9, the hospital’s heroic staff treat 12-year-old Jude, played by Anthony B. Jenkins, after he is injured in a firecracker accident during Fourth of July festivities in Pittsburgh, where the show is set, that sent some wild cases into the city’s namesake ER. 

Since Pennsylvania is home to more than 30,000 Haitians, it seemed only a matter of time for one of them to cross paths with the hospital. After all, every major city in America runs on immigrant labor, but they’re mostly cast in the background on major shows — there, yet invisible. But in real life, we “Haitians are everywhere,” as we like to say. And coincidentally, a Haitian woman in Pittsburgh was found dead in a bus stop.

Interestingly, The Pitt’s show runners have been leaning into the city’s diverse staff and patients. They have featured many immigrants as multi-dimensional humans, from staff who switch easily between their mother tongue and English to wearing culturally appropriate clothing.

When Jude’s older sister arrives at the hospital, her name alone — Chantal — becomes a third clue since their Haitian identity still isn’t explicitly revealed. Played by Sasha Compère, a Detroit native born of Haitian parents, her character finally shares the cause of the siblings troubles with the doctors, confirming what viewers following recent news can appreciate as the source of their troubles… 

To avoid spoilers, let’s just say that Chantal and Jude’s storyline feels especially timely. With Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) carrying out the Trump administration’s mass deportation goals, “The Pitt” brings to light the real impact of immigration policy on families. In a visceral way that news headlines can’t get across, we see the domino effect of one federal decision on the lives of not just the person involved on paper, but in their loved one’s trajectory in society.

For Haitian viewers, whose day-to-day stories still appear too rarely on mainstream American television, seeing Haitian characters portrayed with complexity is a welcome change. Seeing Haitians outside the realm of disaster coverage or cultural events, and in everyday scenes — as caring yet angry, struggling yet determined, smart yet fallible — is overdue. It is a shift for an immigrant community often portrayed askew. We’re either  incredibly resilient, super religious or magical Negroes tropes, or clueless, haughty figures.

“The Pitt” even went so far as to cast Compère, an actress of Haitian descent. A bona fide one at that, with the red-and-blue Haitian flag in her Instagram profile bio. 

That decision adds another layer of authenticity. After watching Hollywood cast actors from other Black or Caribbean backgrounds play roles written for Haitian roles, it’s refreshing to see them reach for actual Haitian actors.

So while Chantal’s Kreyòl may not be flawless — whose is, anyway — her story, her family’s story, is intriguing enough to keep watching. The sibling’s story transcends ethnicity, as good stories do. So Haitian or not, tune in.

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