Who We Are
Defans Karayib (Caribbean Defense) was born in 2025 from an urgent need: over half a million Haitians are facing potential deportation, and our communities need organized, sustained support now more than ever. We recognized an opportunity to bring people together in new ways—to build connections, share knowledge, and create the kind of mobilized community response this moment demands.
Starting in NYC, we saw families seeking information and support, community members wanting to get involved, and a desire for deeper solidarity across Caribbean and immigrant communities. Defans Karayib exists to meet that need—to educate, organize, and bring our communities together in collective action and mutual support.
We are a volunteer-based organization and welcome you to join us. We have two volunteer co-coordinators who you can learn about below.
Our Co-Coordinators
KERBIE JOSEPH
Kerbie Joseph is a first generation Haitian woman from Brooklyn, NY. Kerbie started organizing at age 19 at York College in support of the Haitian people. For nearly 20 years, she has been organizing against police brutality, mass incarceration, housing insecurity, and discrimination against LGBTQ people, building and leading various coalitions. Kerbie was a lead organizer in the Justice for Akai Gurley campaign in Brooklyn, which led to a guilty verdict of the NYPD officer responsible, and a street renamed in Akai's honor. She has presented immigrant rights Know-Your-Rights workshops and Haiti-focused political education sessions throughout NYC, as well as NJ, Philly, Boston, Ohio, Chicago, Raleigh, Orlando and Miami.
LYNDON NICHOLAS
Lyndon Nicholas is a Trinidadian-American grassroots organizer, immigrant rights defender, writer, and educator based in New York. He brings years of experience as an educator in NYC public schools and at multiple CUNY colleges. His writing has appeared in Teachers & Writers Magazine, Seventh Wave Magazine, Blavity, and other publications. He has served as an editor for The Promethean and The Onyx Informer, as well as the Direct Aid Coordinator for Lampblack Lit. His writing and organizing explore the impacts of colonialism and racism on the Caribbean community at home and in the diaspora, how to uplift the powerful cultural traditions that come with our Caribbean identity, and how to build community power.
Our
Work
Community Education
Since our recent founding in 2025, Defans Karayib organizers have held know-your-rights workshops, conducted mass outreach, and presented informational sessions at immigrant rights events across New York, as well as in Miami, Boston, Springfield (Ohio), Orlando, Chicago, Philadelphia, Charlotte, and New Jersey.
Grassroots Organizing
We believe in meeting people where they are. Through community outreach, neighborhood campaigns, and direct engagement with Caribbean community spaces, we build the relationships that make real organizing possible. We connect people to resources, to each other, and to collective action.
Building Connections
We work to strengthen ties between Haitian organizations, Dominican groups, Caribbean communities, and immigrant rights advocates. We've spent the past year building relationships, identifying partners, and creating networks that allow us to coordinate, share information, and amplify each other's work.
Celebrating Our Communities
Even in difficult times, we celebrate who we are. Through events, cultural activities, and public campaigns, we honor Haitian culture, Caribbean heritage, and the resilience of immigrant communities.