There is a pervasive stigma attached to being Haitian in the Bahamas. This article examines reflections on the experiences of the stigma of being Haitian at primary and secondary school among second-generation Haitians in the Bahamas. Based on this research, I argue that primary school functions as the first major institution where children of Haitian descent experience stigma as it relates to their ethnic heritage and, in turn, are exposed to the idea of being the ‘other’ in Bahamian society through bullying and anti-Haitian sentiments from students and teachers. Stigma, prejudice, exclusion, and discrimination characterize primary and secondary education for Haitians living in the Bahamas and are manifest in the form of cruel teasing, bullying, and discrimination primarily from students and teachers. The goal is not to argue that children of Haitian descent are completely unaware of anti-Haitian sentiment in the Bahamas until they attend school but, rather, that school functions as one of the first institutions children of Haitian descent learn there is stigma in being Haitian in the Bahamas.

在巴哈马，普遍存在对海地人的污名。本文探讨了对巴哈马第二代海地人中小学时被海地人污名化的经历的反思。根据这项研究，我认为小学是第一所主要机构，在该机构中，海地血统的孩子经历了与种族传统有关的污名化，进而暴露于通过成为巴哈马社会中的“他人”的观念学生和老师的欺凌和反海地情绪。污名，偏见，排斥和歧视是居住在巴哈马的海地人的初等和中等教育的特征，主要表现为残忍的取笑，欺凌和歧视，主要来自学生和教师。