John Legend Praises New Haitian Population in Hometown of Springfield, Ohio: 'Love One Another'

Mar. 15, 2025

John Legend visits SiriusXM at SiriusXM Studios on September 05, 2024 in New York City.Photo:Jamie McCarthy/Getty

Jamie McCarthy/Getty

John Legendis standing up for his hometown of Springfield, Ohio, followingDonald TrumpandJ.D. Vance’s baseless claims thatHaitian immigrants in the city are eating people’s pets.

In a nearly six-minute-long clip posted onInstagramandTikTokon Thursday, Sept. 12, the Grammy winner asked his followers to “love one another” and have “the same kind of grace that we would want our ancestors to have when they moved here with our Haitian brothers and sisters.”

“Nobody’s eating cats. Nobody’s eating dogs. We all just want to live and flourish and raise our families in a healthy and safe environment,” he said.

The musician said that his birthplace had been “shrinking for decades” due to not having “enough opportunity” until PresidentJoe Bidenbrought “more manufacturing jobs, more plants, factories that needed employees and were ready to hire people.”

According to Springfield’s officialwebsite, the total immigrant population in Clark County is approximately 12,000 to 15,000 people.

The population increase is something that Legend said would undoubtedly lead to “growing pains” in the city.

John Legend.Griffin Nagel/NBC via Getty

Griffin Nagel/NBC via Getty

“But the bottom line is these people came to Springfield because there were jobs for them, and they were willing to work,” he said. “They wanted to live the American dream, just like your German ancestors, your Irish ancestors, your Italian ancestors, your Jewish ancestors. Your Jamaican ancestors, your Polish ancestors - all these ancestors who moved to this country.”

J.D. Vance during the third day of the 2024 Republican National Convention.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

“In Springfield, [Ohio,] they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in. They’re eating the cats. They’re eating the pets of the people who live there, and this is what’s happening in our country,” he said.

Donald Trump during the last day of the 2024 Republican National Convention.PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty

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Karen Graves, strategic engagement manager for Springfield, also confirmed to PEOPLE the city hasnot received any credible reports of Haitian immigrants abducting and eating pets.

source: people.com