The indisputable massive presence of haitian Americans in the last three decades has changed the way scholarship on black immigrants from the Caribbean and the African Diasporas has taken shape. Haitian Americans' presence has serious implications for U.S society, its institutions and public policies. The existing body of literature dealing with ethnic Haitian Americans, although not as voliminous as that of other recent ethnic groups in the United States, reflects a vast array of perspectives. Much of the literature centers on the history of immigration and the adaptation process of Haitian immigrants and Haitian Americans in many urban areas of the United States.