As a man of the cloth, Pastor Keion Henderson reserves church service as an opportunity to fellowship with others in the teachings of God, but it is the thoughts and actions of his own flesh and blood that have spurred backlash time and time again.
A video from a 2022 sermon recently resurfaced on social media, renewing scrutiny of The Lighthouse Church leader for his controversial message declaring Haiti’s centuries of hardship as a willful act of God.
The snippet that is being widely recirculated begins with him stating, “I say this with all due respect, Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world. In fact, they say it is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.”
“Have you ever wondered how in the world can Haiti share an island with the Dominican Republic and you can go to the DR and turn up and go 70 miles in one direction and see a place where people are still dying from E. coli?” the devout Christian asked.
“Well, I’ll tell you why. Because in the 1700s when the African slaves came to the island of Haiti and they introduced an idea called Vodou,” he theorized.
And this is the point where I stop liking him lmao! He used to give a good little word once upon a time https://t.co/ELgpRdw3NF
— The Swim Teacher (@iamlextownsend) October 8, 2024
Keion further explained, “We look at Haiti and ask why is it one of the poorest countries in the world. It is not because it is full of ignorant Black people. They are as smart and as intelligent as you are, but there is a spirit that has sat on the region.” His words met with condemnation two years ago. The reactions present-day mirror that same sentiment.
A Twitter user wrote, “This is Shaunie Basketball Wives O’Neal’s husband. The same ‘pastor who berated a member of the choir for praising too loudly…. This is another example of how the pulpit is a hateful place.” Keion and Shaunie Henderson, ex-wife of Shaquille O’Neal, have been married for two years.
In the past year, the Houston-based faith leader has been caught in multiple divisive incidents at church, two of those being viral video of him silencing a member of the congregation and another regarding his request for members to donate $4 million to rebuild the sanctuary amid recovery from Hurricane Beryl.
Another user tweeted, “And this is the point where I stop liking him lmao! He used to give a good little word once upon a time.” A third individual questioned, “Did he just blame poverty and disenfranchisement of Black Haitians on Voodoo/African spirituality and not white supremacy?”
Don’t ever let money define you because it is the cheapest part of you.
— Keion D. Henderson (@PastorKeion) November 22, 2022
Watch the replay of the “The Spokesman” on Keion Henderson TV YouTube Channel. pic.twitter.com/hZ7A0wc0Lw
The Open Encyclopedia of Anthropology states that Vodou brought from West Africa to Haiti was “transformed by the slaves of the island of Haiti as a way of restoring a sense of identity and as a force of liberation.”
The spiritual system was villainized by Catholic clergy, whose influence on the Americas remains prevalent, as some classify Vodou as dark or black magic and being rooted in evil rituals. The spiritual practice was also criminalized as the catalyst of the year slave revolt that began August 22, 1791.
By 1804, Haiti had successfully gained its independence from France, which had colonized the island and enslaved its people for 107 years. Though free, the island has continued to endure financial instability — which includes paying reparations to its former enslaver —political corruption, as well as devastating natural disasters.
According to a 2020 New York Times story, the country paid upwards of $560 billion over the span of 64 years, money that otherwise could have helped the Haitians develop.
