Haitians made an important contribution to human civilization with their historic victory over the French, which ended slavery in their country. This event sent a loud and clear warning to countries where slavery was in practice, that sooner or later this inhuman practice must come to an end. But this unique human accomplishment is not as popular a theme in classrooms as say, Thucydides’ Peloponnesian War or Napoleon’s conquests in Europe and North Africa.
Suddenly, after a powerful and deadly earthquake pulverized its capital city of Port-au-Prince and nearby towns, Haiti is making headlines on most major US news networks. There are a number of reasons why Haiti has been in the headlines for two consecutive weeks, but I still don’t believe our society, which has always had a thirst for the latest breaking news, will remain interested in the rescue efforts in Haiti for much longer.
When the rescue mission comes to an end there might be no more public attention and support, as well as effort from the international community to pull Haitians not just from the rubble, but to give Haiti a lifeline its long been waiting for.
To say that Haiti is a poor country is redundant, something we’re all familiar with that doesn’t require further investigation. To paraphrase an 18th century French writer, no matter how well one covers up something, there is always a way for that thing to become public. This is not the case for Haiti, for its poverty is extensive and evident.
Clearly, this must be addressed. How was Haiti allowed to get so poor while neighboring nations, including the United States, have had several economic booms with long political stability?
Haiti’s closest neighbor, the Dominican Republic, is a country that was once under the aegis of Haiti, mainly for security reasons. In the early 1820s, Dominicans in their quest for freedom from Spanish domination asked Haitian president Jean Pierre Boyer to take over their country. Why are they better off than Haiti today? Isn’t it true that both Haiti and the D.R have been throughout their history ruled by sanguinary dictators or invaded by U.S. Marines acting as global police seeking to quell political unrest in the region? Yet Haiti’s misfortunes seem to be prolonged with no end in sight. Today, nearly a million Haitian migrant workers are marginalized, living as third-class citizens in Dominican society, and there is no international outcry over their conditions.
That said, there seems to be a general consensus in the world that the best way to palliate Haiti’s woes or for the international community to exonerate itself is by depicting Haiti in the most vituperative terms: a troubled land, the poorest in the hemisphere, a failed state—the list goes on. Maybe they believe that by doing this, whatever Haiti is subjected to can be dismissed as self-inflicted or is personal.
The earthquake has done something for Haiti. It reaffirms Haiti as an integral part of the American continent. In fact, given its geographical position above the equator, Haiti is a North American country.
The earthquake makes Haiti matter. People who never knew how poor Haiti was are finally aware of the nation’s plight. it has also made people, in particular African-Americans, ask all sorts of questions about what can they do to help and why the U.S., the richest country in the world, let a close neighbor fall so deep into poverty, while helping to develop far more distant countries.
A concerted and consistent effort on the part of all concerned citizens must continue to press both the media and the U.S. government to make sure Haiti’s recovery and progress is a part of the daily conversation, so that families whose lives have been shattered can attempt to rebuild. Special attention should be paid to the Haitian women who like the children are often the most vulnerable. They are often victims of domestic abuse. They have multiple responsibilities like caring for their families while holding a 10 to 12 hour shift, low paying job. They need to be strengthened because the stronger and better off they are the healthier the Haitian family and society will be.
What happened in Haiti on January 12 should serve as a wake-up call for all of us. It exposed how insensitive some of us have been to the suffering of not only our neighbors but even our own brothers and sisters who did not chose to be poor.
It’s important for people to keep an eye on what’s happening in Haiti because Haiti has been neglected and suffered for too long.