In a sunlit classroom inside the historic downtown Springfield Metropolis building, Haitian poet, journalist, and activist Jacques Adler Jean-Pierre stood before the crowd and recited a poem in Haitian Creole. It was a stirring meditation on Port-au-Prince.

As his words echoed through the former Methodist Episcopal Church, now an event space, local writer Marjorie Wentworth translated the poem into English. Wentworth, who organized the event, said she hoped it would deepen connections between Springfield’s growing Haitian community and longtime residents. It has been in the works for a long time.

“It helps humanize people,” Wentworth said. “You get a sense of a culture that’s different from what you see in the news.”

The event, called "Journeys: Immigrant Storytelling Through the Arts", was designed to showcase immigrant experiences through poetry, visual art, and conversation.

Springfield has seen a significant increase in Haitian immigrants over the past half decade, and the event provided a rare space where immigrant and non-immigrant communities could gather and learn from each other.

The Springfield Museum of Art helped bring that vision to life. Museum Educator Amy Korpieski curated a display at the event featuring everything from children’s drawings to abstract sculpture, all of which had something to do with the theme of immigration.

“Sharing stories and art makes a huge difference,” Korpieski said. “There are so few places where people can truly tolerate and even celebrate each other’s perspectives. Art invites us to step into someone else’s world.”

Jon Upshaw, Healthy Families Coordinator with the nonprofit Springfield Promise Neighborhood , said the event fostered a kind of empathy that’s vital to community-building.

“Connection — cultural connection — is the thread of life,” Upshaw said. “You never know how your story might inspire someone else.”

For Jean-Pierre, the event was a reaffirmation of why he writes. After two decades of sharing poetry about culture, identity, and humanity, he said these spaces — where emotions are not just allowed but welcomed — are essential.

“Wherever life exists, there is power and emotion to share,” he said, through a translator. “Spaces like this allow us to do that. That’s what keeps me creating.”

Organizers said another Journeys event is planned for early August. They hope music will be a part of that event.

This story was produced at the Eichelberger Center for Community Voices at WYSO. Culture Couch is supported by the Ohio Arts Council.