Alpha in Haiti: A Special Report by Eric Webb

HAITI

Alpha in

ALPHA IN HAITI: A SPEC IAL REPORT

ALPHA IN HAITI: A SPECIAL REPORT ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC.® WWW.APA1906.NET GENERAL PRESIDENT HERMAN “SKIP” MASON, JR. EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR WILLIAM DOUGLASS LYLE ART DIRECTION BRYAN J.A. KELLY CONTRIBUTING WRITERS HERMAN “SKIP” MASON, JR. RICARDO RAY JEFFERSON, ESQ. JOSEPH GAMBRELL, M.D. JEAN MCGIANNI CELESTIN SAMUEL DARGUIN JC CELESTIN, M.B.A. RON “PEPPER” PETERS FERREL “FC” BONNER U. GRANT BALDWIN, JR. PHOTOGRAPHER BRYAN J.A. KELLY COPY EDITOR RICK BLALOCK

HAITI FOUNDERS

HENRY ARTHUR CALLIS CHARLES HENRY CHAPMAN EUGENE KINCKLE JONES GEORGE BIDDLE KELLEY NATHANIEL ALLISON MURRAY ROBERT HAROLD OGLE VERTNER WOODSON TANDY

Alpha in

AL PHA IN HAITI : A SPECI AL REPORT

ALPHA PHI ALPHA FRATERNITY, INC. ii

A BRIEF HISTORY

Since its founding on December 4, 1906, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. has supplied voice and vision to the struggle of African-Americans and people of color around the world. Alpha Phi Alpha, the ﬁrst intercollegiate Greek-letter fraternity established for African-Americans, was founded at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York by seven college men who recognized the need for a strong bond of Brotherhood among African descendants in this country. The visionary founders, known as the “Jewels” of the Fraternity, are Henry Arthur Callis, Charles Henry Chapman, Eugene Kinckle Jones, George Biddle Kelley, Nathaniel Allison Murray, Robert Harold Ogle, and Vertner Woodson Tandy. The Fraternity ini6ally served as a study and support group for minority students who faced racial prejudice, both educa6onally and socially, at Cornell. The Jewel founders andearly leaders of the Fraternity succeeded in laying a ﬁrm founda6on for Alpha Phi Alpha's principles of scholarship, fellowship, good character, and the upli&ing of humanity.

Alpha Phi Alpha chapters were established at other colleges and universi6es, many of them historically black ins6tu6ons, soon a&er the founding at Cornell. The first Alumni Chapter was established in 1911. While continuing to stress academic excellence among its members, Alpha also recognized the need to help correct the educational, economic, political, and social injustices faced by African-Americans. Alpha Phi Alpha has long stood at the forefront of the AfricanAmerican community's fight for civil rights through leaders such as: W.E.B. DuBois, Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Edward Brooke, Mar6n Luther King, Jr., Thurgood Marshall, Andrew Young, William Gray, Paul Robeson, and many others. True to its form as the “first of firsts,” Alpha Phi Alpha has been interracial since 1945.

HAITI INFORMATION

CAPITAL CITY: Port-au-Prince SUPERFICIES: 27,750 km2 LOCATION: between 71°20' and 74°30' West longitude and 18°0' and 20°6' North la6tude. CLIMATE: average temperature between 25° C and 30° C at sea level and 15° C and 20° C in the mountains. AVERAGE RAINFALL: 1,400 mm RAINY SEASON: between November and March (North), and between May and October (South) DRY SEASON: between December and March-July POPULATION: 10,804,812 (2015 es6mate*) OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: French, Creole MAIN RELIGIONS: Catholicism, Protestan6sm, Voodoo CURRENCY: Gourde (many businesses accept US dollars) TIME ZONE: GMT -5 ELECTRICITY: 110 volts (American power outlets) KEY DEVELOPMENT INDICATORS ?2005@ Popula6on, mid-year (millions) ............................................................................................................................8.5 Surface area (thousand sq.km) .......................................................................................................................27.750 Popula6on growth(%)...........................................................................................................................................1.4 GDP (US$ millions)............................................................................................................................................4,300 GDP growth(%) .....................................................................................................................................................1.8 GDP per capita growth%)......................................................................................................................................0.2 Most recent es/mates: (2000-2005) Poverty headcount ra6o at $1 a day (PPP, %) ........................................................................................................54 Poverty headcount ra6o at 2$ a day (PPP, %) ........................................................................................................78 Life expectancy at birth (years)..............................................................................................................................52 Infant mortality (per 1,000 live births) ..................................................................................................................76 Child malnutri6on (%of children under 5) .............................................................................................................17 Access to improved water source (% of pop.) .......................................................................................................54 Access to improved sanita6on facili6es (% of pop.) ..............................................................................................30 Agriculture (% of GDP)........................................................................................................................................25.6 Industry...............................................................................................................................................................16.0 Manufacturing ......................................................................................................................................................8.3 Services...............................................................................................................................................................51.1 Exports of goods and services ............................................................................................................................14.0 Imports of goods and services............................................................................................................................41.0 Balance of payments and trade (2005) Total merchandise exports (f.o.b) .....................................................................................................................458.9 Total merchandise imports (f.o.b)..................................................................................................................1,308.5 Net trade in goods and services ..................................................................................................................-1,162.7 Workers' remi7ances and comp. of employees (net)..........................................................................................925 Current account balance as a % of GDP ..............................................................................................................-6.3 Environment (2004) Agricultural land %of land area) ............................................................................................................................58 Forest area (% of land area, 2002 and 2005) ........................................................................................................3.8 Na6onally protected areas (% of land area) .........................................................................................................0.4 Freshwater resources per capita (cu. meters) ..................................................................................................1,548 Freshwater water withdrawal (% of internal resources).......................................................................................7.6 CO2 emissions per capita (mt)............................................................................................................................0.22 Energy use per capita (kg of oil equivalent).........................................................................................................270 Source: The World Bank

FOREWORD vi

It is by no means surprising, in fact, only natural and very much expected, that Alpha Phi Alpha should be involved in Hai6, par6cularly in this moment of crisis for this long suffering black republic. As America’s first collegiate Greek le7er organiza6on, Alpha Phi Alpha, virtually from the beginning in the first decade of the twen6eth century, recognized the inter-relatedness of nations. There was certainly an awareness of the unmistakable link between the plight of minority group members within na6on states and that of the oppressed in colonial situa6ons, especially in Africa. This was the mo6vation for the first PanAfrican Congress called by Alpha Brother Dr. W. E. B. DuBois in London in 1919. It is fair to say that this was one of the great moments in history signaling serious concern with the condi6on of oppressed peoples and na6ons. At Howard University, Brother Rayford Logan, one of the Fraternity’s leaders, focused his scholarly a7en6on in the for6es and fi&ies on Hai6, one of the first serious American scholars to do so. And even at this early stage, Alpha brothers were breaking barriers to involvement in foreign policy for African Americans as diplomats in the U.S. Foreign Service, Brother Edward R. Dudley, the first African American to be named a U.S. ambassador (to Liberia, 1949), represen6ng a prime example.

I was reminded personally, and almost painfully, of this great legacy in China last year. Just prior to the opening at the American Embassy of a concert by the Howard University Choir, which I had accompanied to China, an elderly man eased up quietly beside me. “Here, I want you to have this,” he said,” pushing a package into my hands. “We cannot forget him. This man, in our darkest hour, sang songs in America to collect funds to aid us in our struggle for freedom. Each year, our li7le group holds a program in his honor.” As the man moved away as quietly as he had appeared, I opened the package and found in it a copy of the latest program honoring Brother Paul Robeson. Over the years, Alpha Phi Alpha has maintained not only its interest, but also its deep involvement in interna6onal aﬀairs, forming such en66es as The Commi7ee on Public Policy, and The World Policy Council, chaired ini6ally by Brother Senator Edward W. Brooke, a visionary interna6onalist. The Council has published policy papers on such issues as “leadership in Nigeria,” “the war in Sierra Leone,” and “debt relief for developing na6ons”. Its current preoccupa6on is “developments in Hai6 in the wake of the earth quake”. This is, of course, the concern of the Fraternity at large as Alpha Phi Alpha seeks to iden6fy various ways in which it may assist our brothers and sisters in this recently devastated na6on, the Republic of Hai6. Horace G. Dawson Jr., Ph.D. Chair, Alpha World Policy Council U.S. Ambassador (re6red) Former Director, Bunche Interna6onal Aﬀairs Center Howard University

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FROM THE GENERAL PRESIDENT ....................................... 2

THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION .............................................. 4

A MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE .............................................. 10

DESCENDANTS OF TOUSSAINT ........................................ 14 POTENTIAL OF HAITI’S RURAL COMMUNITIES ...................... 16

MONEY AND AID ....................................................... 19 RAISING HAITI HIGHER ................................................ 20

HAITI MILITARY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS ................ 23

SOCIAL OUTREACH IN HAITI ........................................... 26 ALPHA IN HAITI: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? ............... 29

ALPHA PHI ALPHA IN HAITI. WHY? WHY NOT? 2

Why Alpha in Hai6? Why not just send our contribu6ons to some of the worthwhile organizations like CARE, Red Cross, USAID? Why? Because there is a line in a poem “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother,” by Brother Freeman Montague Jr., that I o&en quote: “there is nothing in this whole wide world, we wouldn’t do for one another.” As the general president of Alpha Phi Alpha and a 28-year member, I have always known that we had brothers who were of Hai6an descent. When it was learned many years ago that my wife’s family was from Hai6, I began to see and meet even more Alpha brothers from Hai6. The earthquake that occurred on January 12 impacted me and my family directly, as my mother-in-law was visi6ng her home country at the 6me of the quake. Our lives changed instantly. Though a few days later, we learned that she was fine, I could not help but to think about the families of all our brothers who had families there who were not fine. I sent an e-mail to Brother Lucien Me7elus in New York, whose family is from Hai6 asking him to help me compile a list of names and e-mail addresses of Alpha brothers that he knew who hailed from Hai6. Within hours, I had a list, and I knew that we would do more than just raise funds and wish them well. I knew that the beloved founders of this fraternity would expect us to do more than just watch from distance. We would have to go to Hai6 and demonstrate—face-to-face—“love for all mankind.” I did not know if there was a precedent of the fraternity’s taking a delega6on on an interna6onal mission, but like on Dec. 4, 1906, there is always a first 6me for everything that happens.

The call went out to our brothers, and members of the Special Commi7ee on Health and Wellness began engaging Alpha men everywhere to help. A series of phone conference calls opened up the channels of communica6on for us to organize the “Love for All Mankind Tour.” “Team Alpha” was being organized, funds were being collected, appeals were being made, and a trip to Hai6 eminent. Brother Samuel Darguin of New York stepped up to the plate and assumed the leadership and planning of this effort. This is what I love about my fraternity. It is filled with leaders—men who are unafraid and willing to take charge. A&er all, in our mission statement it is clear that we develop leaders, not steppers. Leaders on the college campuses, leaders in their chosen professions, leaders to tackle world issues. From this small band of brothers have come mayors, congressmen, corporate execu6ves, academics, scien6sts and others. There was no formula for selec6ng who would make the trip or how many we would or could take to Hai6. A troop of 11 of us made the mission. Ini6ally, we wanted to take with us more brothers in the medical profession. There were many challenges traveling to Hai6, but we expected that. For example, unable to travel directly to Port-au-Prince, we had to fly into the picturesque island of the Dominican Republic—quite a geographical contrast to Hai6, as we would soon find out. Traveling from Santo Domingo to the border of Hai6 was quite an eye-opening experience. The lush tropical forests, mountainside, scenic ocean view all went away at the heavily military-armed border. Crossing into Hai6 meant further inspec6on of our passports, and we had to explain and display a le7er from me as the fraternity’s president sta6ng our reasons for coming into the quake-torn Hai6.

Finally, a&er some nego6a6ng and discussion, we were admi7ed and headed into a “tale of two islands:” the Dominican on one side and Hai6 on the other. Once we arrived in the town of Croix-des-Bouquets and se7led into our compound, I knew that our journey, our mission and our purpose for being there would be made clear. With assembly-line workmanship the brothers unloaded the packed bus, filled with supplies and luggage, and began to stake ground for our outdoor sleeping arrangements. Yes, for the next four days, store-bought tents would provide our shelter. It had been over 35 years since I slept in a tent, let alone put one together. As it turned out, the brothers created a “presiden6al tent” equipped with hanging lantern, air ma7ress and all of accoutrements afforded a general president on a mission in Hai6. On our first day, we ate a hearty meal prepared by two to three cooks, and readied for our first journey to view the devasta6on and damage of many of the towns. As we drove from street to street, up hills and around curves to an area hospital, we saw the in“I WANT THE FRATERNITY jured and observe the poor in TO STAND OUT IN THE unsanitary condi6ons and in need AFFAIRS OF THE NATION.” of medical services. The destruc6on was almost too -Jewel Vertner Woodson Tandy December 1937 much for one to bear. All of this was further exacerbated when we saw a hanging leg—indeed the leg of a man on whom a wall had fallen, crushing him to death. The stench of death and reality of being in Hai6 was also overbearing and emo6onal for all of us. We went to a hotel to discuss what we had seen, to release verbally and emo6onally and to regroup and gear up for our next few days in Hai6. We were treated to a full meal, and then cleared the table to begin dividing the massive supplies and separate items according to the iden6fied needs of the brothers’ families from whom we had heard. Over the next two days, we spent our 6me loca6ng the families of brothers, delivering to them an assortment of supplies, tents, and cash. At each visit we connected with the brothers back in the States as we stood with their families. On all occasions, the brothers were both shocked and surprised that we were actually in Hai6—standing with their families—delivering on our promise to help, our promise to be our “brothers’ keeper.”

Again, some have ques6oned our travel to Hai6: “Why not just send the money to an established social agency,” they’ve asked. I have always believed that if I should ever find myself in a true bind or posi6on where I need help, that somehow my fraternity, my brotherhood, would be the first to step in and say, “Here I am, brother.” Our work in Hai6 is not finished. This is not a one-6me deal. It is our hope that Alpha will send to Hai6 another team of brothers comprised of medical doctors and prac66oners in the near future. We have also adopted a Hai6an school that we plan to help recover. We will send a few of our architects and brothers in the construc6on arena to ascertain what it will take to help reconstruct the building. We will then support it, dona6ng supplies and furniture. The owner of the school has already agreed to rename it Alpha Academy. Why Alpha Academy in Hai6? When asked what the greatest need in Hai6 is, its minister of educa6on said “educa6on.” Therefore, our fraternity will aid in humanity by rebuilding this school and giving young women and—especially in our case—young men an opportunity to get a good educa6on. We must help iden6fy the youth in Hai6 who are marching onward and upward toward the light. We shall support Hai6 with our talents, our resources and, of course, our prayers, so that there will be a brighter and be7er day in this fiercely independent country, whose roots in African history and culture run deep. Herman “Skip” Mason, Jr. General President

THE HAITIAN REVOLUTION 4

The Hai6an Revolu6on, unlike the American Revolu6on, was truly a popular uprising that radically altered life on the island of Hispaniola and sent shock waves across the remaining slaveholding areas of the Caribbean, North, Central and South America. In the late 1700s, French colonists and free people of color, largely of mixed racial ancestry, began to demand the right to vote and representa6on in France.

The American and French Revolu6ons introduced the world to the concepts of liberty, fraternity and equality, as well as the accompanying colors or red, white, and blue, symbolic of freedom. The French colonists, not unlike their American counterparts, complained about the lack of franchise (the right to vote) in France. They did not understand why they should not have representa6on in France. Free people of color shared the ambi6ons of their

white counterparts, but neither group expressed any concern for the poli6cal and social status of the enslaved popula6on. As French planters and free people of color sought equal rights in France, the two groups clashed. White planters did not trust free people of color and did not want them to have equal rights even as white planters pe66oned for the same in France. Amid the ensuing feud between white planters and free people of color, 300,000 enslaved Africans decided to rebel against their captors on Aug. 22, 1791. Ini6ally, the free people of color did not support or align themselves with the enslaved masses. Rather than seek independence, they only sought equal rights as French ci6zens. Because the French planters would not accept free people of color as social and poli6cal equals, free people of color eventually decided to support the grassroots African movement for independence that started on northern planta6ons, if only to insert themselves as the leaders of the independence movement. When the figh6ng ended, Bri6sh, Spanish and French troops were defeated, Hai6 stood free as the first black republic on Jan. 1, 1804. The victory did not come without great financial, social, poli6cal, environmental and economic cost. In an effort to get France to agree to stop sending military campaigns to retake the former colony, Hai6 agreed to pay 150 million francs (the equivalent to 20-21

billion U.S. dollars in today’s dollar) as repara6ons for lost property. Hai6 did not finish paying this debt un6l 1947. Over a decade of war le& the island’s agriculture sector in ruin, resul6ng in widespread famine and death. Even as Hai6 celebrated its independence from France, internal poli6cal conflicts raged between the north and south, leading to the disintegra6on of the state for a 6me. Because Hai6 had proclaimed itself as a free black republic in the midst of the western slave trade, the United States and other European powers did not recognize Hai6 as a member of the interna6onal community for decades. As a result Hai6 was barred from any opportunity of par6cipa6ng in the interna6onal economy, as it had during slavery, as the world’s foremost sugar producer. Even as the great Northern powers in Europe and the United States conspired to isolate and punish Hai6 for its insurrec6on, Hai6 reached out to its Spanish-speaking South American neighbors. Hai6 provided financial support, military training, ammuni6on and a safe place to hide for the South American-independence hero, Simon Bolivar, as he hid from Spanish authori6es in 1815. Hai6 also bargained for the aboli6on of slavery in all South American territories liberated by Bolivar. As such, every person of African descent in Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia owes Hai6 a debt for the end of slavery in those countries. Hai6 hoped to partner with and develop strong economic 6es with its South American neighbors as they struggled to break the chains of Spanish colonial rule. But a&er Bolivar’s troops secured freedom

for Spanish South America, he did not invite Hai6 to par6cipate in the Panama Congress of 1826, whose stated mission was to promote economic cooperation, mutual defense, and to develop an interna6onal assembly. Because Hai6 has been historically isolated and shunned by its neighbors to the north and south, it has not been able to achieve sustainable economic development. Further isola6ng Hai6 is the reality that is the sole independent French-Creolespeaking na6on in the Western Hemisphere, except French-speaking Quebec, which is part of Englishspeaking Canada. Every other French-speaking territory in the Western Hemisphere is a department of France. Therefore, independence and black self-iden6ﬁca6on for Hai6, coupled with the lack of any natural cultural or linguis6c allies with which to trade or act coopera6vely, has le& Hai6 without a genuine chance for economic development in an interdependent global economy since its libera6on from France. Although Hai6 gained its independence in 1804, its history dates back to Christmas Day, Dec. 25, 1492, when Christopher Columbus landed on the northwest coast of the island. But the na6on that exists today is nothing like the land encountered by Columbus almost 518 years ago. In fact, the aboriginal name Hai6 is one of a few original features that have stood the test of 6me. When Columbus arrived on the island he met a group of na6ve people called Taino. First-hand accounts from Spanish Jesuits in the late-15th and early-16th centuries es6mate the Taino popula6on numbered anywhere from 500,000 to 1 million na6ves at the

6me of Columbus. The Tainos called the island Ai6, which means mountainous in their language. Although Columbus renamed the island La Espanola—which, translated to English, is now Hispaniola—the world’s ﬁrst free Black republic selected the na6ve name for its ﬂedging na6on on Jan. 1, 1804—even as millions of enslaved Africans toiled in forced labor across the United States, Cuba, Brazil, Jamaica and the other slave-holding colonies of the Western Hemisphere.

Regardless of the wealth earned by French slaveholders, the colonial sugarcane-planta6on economy set Hai6 on a path toward environmental, economic, social, and poli6cal upheaval that con6nues to plague it today. When Columbus ﬁrst landed on the island, it was covered in virgin forest and rich hardwood. The steep mountainsides were verdant and full of life. The na6ve Tainos were selfsuﬃcient, and their numbers did not pose a threat to the land. With the advent

The fort built by Columbus in 1492, aptly named La Navidad, which means Christmas in Spanish, was the first European settlement constructed in the Western Hemisphere, over 100 years before the Jamestown colony was founded in the Chesapeake Bay of the United States. But Hispaniola also marks the beginning of more infamous firsts: Na6ve-American slavery and genocide, followed by the introduc6on of enslaved Africans imported from the con6nent of Africa, and compe66on between the Western European powers, a7emp6ng to expand their colonial grip in the Western Hemisphere. The destruc6on of the Na6ve-American Taino popula6on in the early 16th century created a labor void, which Africans would fill at the hands of Spanish masters—in the thousands—over 6me and changed the face of the island as well as the whole Caribbean Basin forever. Though the Spanish first introduced African slavery to Hispaniola, the French turned sugar-cane-planta6on slavery into a thriving enterprise on the western third of the island, a&er Spain agreed to recognize French control through three successive trea6es: Ryswick 1697, Aranjuez 1777, and Basel 1795. The French colony, although smaller than the Spanish colony, would be the most lucra6ve colony the French ever owned.

of the sugarcane planta6on economy, the French clear-cut the virgin forests to plant sugarcane and for wood to fuel the sugar mills. The French also brought hundreds of thousands of Africans in chains to work the planta6ons. It is es6mated that the number of African slaves occupying the planta6ons of northwest Hai6, outnumbered the total number of Tainos that lived on the en6re island at the 6me of Columbus. Even today, according to United Na6ons es6mate, Hai6 has the highest popula6on density of any Caribbean na6on—940 persons per square mile. In

contrast, the Dominican Republic, which occupies two thirds the total area of Hispaniola has only 539 persons per square mile. As a direct consequence of popula6on pressure, the destruc6on of the forests over several centuries, and subsistence farming on steep and mountainous land, Hai6’s land has been transformed into an arid desert, and its people are hungry. Following independence, the masses of freedmen abandoned planta6on life and pursued small-scale subsistence agriculture for themselves. Of course, their reac6on was understandable, given their rela6onship to the na6onal economy and the land under France. But the freedmen did not know that smallscale subsistence agriculture would lead to further erosion of the soil and the environmental catastrophe that aﬄicts Hai6 today. As farmland became increasingly less produc6ve, thousands of Hai6ans have moved to Port-au-Prince to seek opportunity. Today Port-au-Prince is an overpopulated city of at least two million people unable to sustain the incredible popula6on that calls it home. If the mass exodus of people from the rural areas of Hai6 to Port-au-Prince, ﬂeeing environmental catastrophe had not already depleted an underequipped 19th-century city, the earthquake on Jan. 12, 2010, crumbled whatever semblance of a func6oning civil society that existed in Port-au-Prince up un6l that fateful day.

On the rubble of old Port-au-Prince, there is an opportunity to build a new Portau-Prince and a new Hai6. As a part of the rebuilding process, Hai6 must develop a proper-func6oning civil society with qualified civil servants to organize and structure the rebuilding process. American city planners, county commissioners, public-policy specialists, and others with solid training and experience in revitalizing urban communi6es can play a strategic role as partners with Haitian leaders. Specifically, these American officials can share city codes, zoning regula6ons, licensing and inspec6ons, building and safety standards, sanita6on, wastewater management, recycling programs and other informa6on necessary to revitalize Hai6. Haitian leaders could then adapt the regula6ons to their cultural environment with American technical assistance. These are but a few ideas of the kinds of steps necessary to begin to undo the damage that has been done to Hai6 over centuries and exacerbated by the earthquake of Jan.12, 2010. Brother Ricardo Ray Jefferson, Esq.

AFTER THE QUAKE: A DOCTOR’S PERSPECTIVE 10

I had the opportunity to be in Hai6 19 days a&er the earthquake. The search and rescue and emergency medical services had been rendered but the capital was far from healed. Collapsed buildings s6ll held undiscovered and unrecovered bodies. The sanita6on system (water, sewerage, garbage and power) did not exist. Acute medical care was scarce and not readily available or accessible. Follow-up care was ques6onable.

The United Na6ons and organiza6ons from many countries were present providing aid and assistance. Doctors without Borders, the Red Cross organiza6ons from many na6ons, stand-alone organiza6ons, volunteers and religious organiza6ons were all there to help. Unfortunately, it appeared that the aid delivery was not coordinated, and thus a lot of aid was not ge8ng to the people in the communi6es in a reasonable manner. Haitian hospitals were overwhelmed with pa6ents needing care for acute, sub-acute and chronic condi6ons. Medical oﬃces were closed as a result of being destroyed or damaged by the quake. The need for interpreters was huge. I found it im-

possible to be accepted and func6on without “locals” to interpret and translate histories, exam ﬁndings and instruc6ons. You don’t have to be an M.D. to know that the resul6ng psychological problems abound. The loss of family and friends, worldly possessions, homes, etc., with uncertainty of the future, has taken a massive toll on the country and its people. Despite all of this, I learned the people of Port au Prince are resilient. They went about trying to provide for their families and survive. The Hai6an people, are on the surface, perhaps cavalier, but below there is deep pain, depression, uncertainty and even some anger toward the many “visitors” now in their country. But all of this can change for the be7er in the long run if we keep our eyes and hearts on Hai6 in the future. A good, working public health-sanita6on system is a given. Good health and medical care that is accessible with primary, secondary and ter6ary care are profoundly necessary. In spite of the quake, we all now have a chance to create a model system. There is a great opportunity to improve Hai6 as a result of this disaster. The Hai6an government and the interna6onal community must get it right. We have a chance to reverse two centuries of mismanagement, greed and interna6onal oppression, and provide real hope for the people who so desperately need it. I hope this is “na6on-building” 6me. Brother Joseph Gambrell, M.D.

DESCENDANTS OF TOUSSAINT:

NATIVE SONS RETURN BACK TO EARTHQUAKERAVAGED HAITI

There is an Ancient proverb that Africans and Na6ve Americans adhere to that teaches, we don’t inherit land from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children. The inheritance is but a loan given on the condi6on that it will be honored and protected for those who will come a&er us, and is the creed that con6nuously connects our past to our future. Before I heard about the earthquake that struck Hai6 on January 12, I was si8ng in my oﬃce in Midtown New York, ﬁnishing a long workday and thinking of nothing more than my train-ride home. But as I read the CNN headline my heart raced with emo6ons as my mind spun in confusion. I thought about my father, my aunts and the many family members I have living on the island. I thought about our house in Delmas, our family business in the downtown commercial district of La Ville and conjured up childhood memories of when I was a young boy running down the streets of Portau-Prince. It was a natural reac6on to the trauma I felt for the uncertainty of the livelihood of my loved ones, and it consumed me for many days a&er.

But as we searched and day-by-day recovered them, what began as a son’s emo6onal reac6on for the safety of his father turned into a son’s emo6onal outcry for the rebuilding of his na6ve land. Recently as I returned to Hai6 in the a&ermath of the quake, the adage of the indigenous was prophecy coming to frui6on. It seemed ﬁ8ng that it’s on the heels of Alpha

Phi Alpha, the ﬁrst fraternity founded for African Americans, that I would carry out this undeniable duty to the ﬁrst independent black republic in the Western Hemisphere. It is as if the stars had aligned and the forefathers of Ayi6 and the Seven Jewels rolled over in their graves as a calling cry for us to rise to the urgency of the moment.

But for those of us who were born on this majes6c soil, once deemed the Pearl of the An lles, this trip wasn’t just about the earthquake. This pilgrimage back home was really about the poli6cal and economic earthquake that struck the na6on many decades prior and rendered it into the desolate condi6on it has been in throughout modern history. We all knew of this history; many of us were sheltered from it; some of us grew up in it. But to see the results of it decades later was heart-wrenching, and the devasta6on it has caused even in the midst of this natural disaster is the biggest tragedy of it all. As I roamed through the streets of Portau-Prince, through the back roads of Croixdes-Bouquets and up the steep and rugged hills of Carrefour and Savanne Pistache, it was in the tears of the thousands of survivors we met that this catastrophe can only be measured. It is in the unlimited poten6al of the children who make up nearly half of the island’s popula6on that you feel the despair. It is the defeat on the faces of the old and in the weariness of the homeless that you see that Hai6 had been an earthquake-ravaged na6on way before the events of January 12. Yet, in the midst of the ruins, there was a sense of solace. A strange but beau6ful irony that this was going to be the beginning of prosperity for a na6on that, more than any country in the Western World, deserves it as payment for an unjust sentence of a

life6me of poverty. The resiliency of the people who con6nue to smile and lend a helping hand tells you this and makes it impossible for you not to love this land and feel responsible for its upli&ment in some way. It is what the indigenous knew and that we some6me lose sight of. Because while life can end as quickly as it begins, our land and the certainty of our children’s futures should remain way a&er we’re gone. As I look back at this historic trip, I feel blessed that I was able to help lead Alpha Phi Alpha to the place where black people stood unchained by slavery for the ﬁrst 6me in history. What some organiza6ons deem service and a humanitarian eﬀort, we saw as duty and na6onbuilding―a reclaiming of our birthright to be passed down to grandsons and granddaughters. I wished many more brothers could have experienced it. All one would have to do is to listen to the spirit of the young and feel the touch of the old to understand that it is only on the strength of this genera6on of Hai6ans, throughout the Diaspora, that Hai6 will become a prosperous na6on again. The baton has been passed. Brother Jean McGianni Celes/n

POTENTIAL OF HAITI’S RURAL COMMUNITIES: 16

THE

COUNTRYSIDES WILL BE

GREAT AGAIN The earthquake and resul6ng a&ershocks that shook Hai6 in January brought immense devasta6on to an already crippled capital city unable to sustain its inﬂated popula6on. Many new migrants to Port-au-Prince ended up living in self-built

shacks that lack proper infrastructure or adequate sanitation. An example of this is Cite Caton (Cardboard City) or the infamous Cite Soleil (City of Sun), where not a single tree is found in the community. Port-au-Prince has long been a magnet for rural inhabitants to relocate in order to provide their children with a be7er educa6on and to pursue the Hai6an dream of becoming a doctor, lawyer, engineer or for ﬁnding a way to the United States of America. O&en 6mes, however, this move requires the family to sell their land and live stock to make the transi6on to the capital city. Throughout the

decades a migra6on from Hai6’s countryside, also known as Haiti’s bread basket, has lead to a decline in na6onal agriculture-produc6on and increase dependency on interna6onal assistance to feed its growing popula6on. The poten6al for Hai6 to recover lies outside of Port-Au-Prince. Focus needs to be directed to the Hai6an Countryside to promote sustainable agriculture and soil preserva6on. The Hai6an people must gain food sovereignty, strengthen their local farming organiza6ons and reorganize peasant associa6ons. Pu8ng these programs in place will allow community organiza6ons to share with each other informa6on on what is working to sustainably increase produc6on—for example, approaches to soil-conserva6on, improved management of seeds, water, livestock and forests, and linking to local markets. The earthquake brought hope and poten6al to the Hai6an countryside. This is the 6me to put a focus on building infrastructure and create sustainable programs in rural areas. Access to proper health care and high-achieving schools will also be instrumental in retaining people in the rural areas. If a Hai6an farmer can send his children to a good school and provide adequate healthcare when they are ill, then they will have an incen6ve to stay and cul6vate land and raise livestock, beneﬁ6ng everyone. Hai6 will be great again. The revolu6on will start in the countryside. Brother Samuel Darguin

MONEY AND AID:

THE ECONOMIC REDEVELOPMENT OF HAITI

In the a&ermath of the earthquake in Hai6 on Jan.12, 2010, many around the world have made monetary dona6ons for the aid and relief of the millions of survivors who are now in need. Others have donated goods and some took 6me from their jobs to donate something much more valuable than the dollar―sweat equity. But while these humanitarian efforts will help in the days and months immediately following the devasta6on, it will require a long-term self-sustained systema6c economic model to redevelop Hai6 for the long run. Although it is the first and only country to become independent as a result of a successful slave revolu6on, Hai6 has long been in slavery economically. Hai6’s economic crisis began the day it gained its independence from the French in 1804. Economic embargos imposed by the interna6onal community as punishment for the successful rebellion, coupled with payment demanded by France in order to be recognized as an independent na6on, all played major roles in today’s economic crisis. Hai6 has been robbed on all fronts, and in order for the country to be self-sufficient, there needs to be government policies, on both the local and na6onal level, that create mechanisms that help jumpstart the Hai6an economy in the public and private sectors. The rebuilding effort is the

perfect opportunity to incorporate this plan. While there aren’t many Hai6an-owned construc6on companies equipped to meet the challenges of this massive reconstruc6on, a policy that earmarks a large share of this rebuilding pie for Hai6ans rather than foreign companies will create jobs and provide the island with the strong economic infrastructure it has lacked for decades.

While the earthquake was a tragic event that destroyed millions of lives, the rebuilding phase that will follow is an economic opportunity that can’t be missed. It will not be through foreign aid that Hai6 will become proﬁtable again, it will be through grassroots economic models like this one that the ﬁrst independent black na6on in the world will become economically independent. Brother JC Celes/n, M.B.A.

RAISING HAITI HIGHER: 20

THE RELEVANCE OF OUR ‘FROM HIGH CHAIR HIGHER EDUCATION’ MOVEMENT IN HAITI

A great disparity exists when levels of educa6onal a7ainment and literacy rates in Hai6 are compared with those in other countries within the western hemisphere. According to United States Library of Congress, the literacy rate among Hai6an adults is approximately 53, percent with males having a slightly higher literacy rate (55 percent), compared to females (51 percent). Compara6vely, the average literacy rate for La6n American and Caribbean countries is about 90 percent. There is also a disparity in educa6onal a7ainment among Hai6an youth. Causal factors that have been iden6fied to explain the academic disparity experienced by Hai6an youth include restricted economic opportunity, educa6onal infrastructure challenges, relega6on of cultural iden6ty, and macro-level legisla6ve policies and prac6ces. Meager research has been conducted on the lack of culturally sensi6ve educa6on on the academic efficacy of Hai6an children. Taken together, most educators would view these factors as major obstacles in effec6ng change. Alpha Phi Alpha, however, is not dissuaded by these factors; rather, it envisions the opportunity to serve as an educa6on change agent. Because of the technological disparity experienced by Hai6ans, educators and parents in Hai6 do not have to struggle, like their American counterparts, with their children’s poten6ally excessive and nonproduc6ve use of leisure media such as cable television, video games, IPods, social net-

work sites, mobile telephones and tex6ng. The lack of media involvement within Hai6an children’s lives is a factor that can be maximized to increase their educa6ons. In addi6on, the lack of governmental codes and taxes would also enhance the fraternity’s ability to effect change in the educa6onal realm. Alpha members have the opportunity to build a school in the name of Alpha’s ‘From the High Chair to Higher Educa6on’ program to meet the needs of Haitian youth at their individualized stages of academic and social behavior. The exis6ng ‘From the High Chair to Higher Educa6on’ curriculum will be adapted for implementa6on among Hai6an youth. It is the desire of Alpha Phi Alpha to assist Hai6 Alpha Academy students with the implementa6on of a community-based interven6on in support of boys becoming responsible and contribu6ng members of our global society, obtaining higher educa6on, and par6cipa6ng in the Hai6an poli6cal process. The “High Chair” curriculum is intergenera6onal and designed for involvement of young males’ family members. It is also developed for use across grade levels and ages, from first through twel&h grades. The intent of the program is to tailor a holis6c educa6on program for Hai6an males that will prevent and reduce academic failure and overall maladjusted social behavior. While most educa6on programs target Hai6an youth through group interven6ons for boys and girls, the fraternity’s program will be the first Hai6an all-boys program tailored to meet the needs of boys at their individualized stages of academic and social behavior. History has taught us that individuals of African descent’s economic empowerment (Booker T. Washington) must be coupled with academic growth (W.E.B Dubois) in order for their youth to become empowered as change agents for the next genera6on and to serve as leaders and servants to all. Brother Ron “Pepper” Peters

HAITI MILITARY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS Our delega6on’s main goal in Hai6 was to first take care of the families of the brothers of Alpha. Subsequently, we were able to assess the damage to the country’s infrastructure to include the mental and physical well-being of the people directly affected by the earthquake. When I first arrived in Port-Au-Prince I was not sure what to expect. However, in my many years as a cer6fied emergency response team (CERT) member and with my military emergency operations experience, I have visited many places and was willing to expect anything. Nonetheless, I found this experience to be humbling and mentally draining because of seeing so many people in such a plight—which the recent earthquake had made even worse than before. MILITARY OBSERVATIONS The military presence was standard procedure: find a loca6on from which to stage opera6ons; obtain situa6onal awareness by sending scouts to probe the local area; wait for the appropriate security; then proceed with providing the proper resources and assistance. During our second day in Port-Au-Prince, the United Nations (UN) finally started to send representatives out into the community to scout for points of distribu6on loca6ons (PODS), an ac6on expected once clear direc6ves were given. On the third day, it appeared that the U.S. military was ordered to remove displaced ci6zens from

the large local park, but not without ﬁrst providing them with a tent. The military was denying people the ability to return, whether or not they had family in the park—a situation that caused increased tension. It was during this 6me that I spoke with an American soldier in hopes of gaining access for

one of our Alpha brothers to connect with his family in the park. The soldier understood and allowed the brother to do so. Despite all the diﬃcul6es, it was clear to all of us there to help, to keep our wits about ourselves. EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OBSERVATIONS From back home in the state’s on television, to up close on the ground, it was clear to me that Hai6’s government did not seem to have a grasp of the intricacies required for prompt response for the

movement of displaced ci6zens in or out of the hazard area. It also seemed that there was no one in charge of the emergency response or emergency preparedness. Hai6an people simply had to depend on civil and military officials from other countries. Port-Au-Prince’s slowness or ineptness to respond likely contributed to some of the disparaging remarks against America and UN en66es who were pouring in with all sorts of aid. The local ci6zens could not or did not understand why there was a hold-up on supplies or resources ge8ng to them. But there simply was no on-the-ground organiza6on in the early a&ermath of the quake. Emergency response starts with a government’s ability to properly plan (planning, prepara6on, opera6on, and recovery phases), prac6ce, and then when the 6me comes, implement an emergency-preparedness plan. The plan must be reviewed, adjusted, and prac6ced at least twice each year. In Hai6’s case a plan should be based on the disasters of the past and the poten6al crises that the country—due to its geography— likely may face again in the future. The ideal plan should provide for the government to be up-and-running effec6vely 12-to-24 hours a&er the crisis and able to sustain the implementa6on for up to 30 days, while ge8ng the affected area back on its feet. CONCLUSIONS Finally, I will briefly outline my concerns are as follow: 1) pending crisis due to the upcoming rainy season; 2) widespread outbreak of disease; and 3)

security for those first responders who enter into the various affected neighborhoods of the country. RECOMMENDATIONS 1. Find a way to efficiently temporarily relocate the ci6zens from the mountainous areas and the surrounding areas in which terrain has been affected. 2. Start a push for immediate inocula6on against the spreading of disease. 3. Have neighborhood community leaders assist first responders by appoin6ng them as conduits for relief efforts. This way safety is addressed and more resources can get to those who truly need it. 4. Assemble a team of individuals who can assist Hai6 with an emergency-preparedness and emergency -management plan. Brother Ferrel “FC” Bonner

SOCIAL OUTREACH FROM BROTHER TO BROTHER 26

The purposes for implemen6ng social outreach to family members of our brothers who were vic6ms of the earthquakes in Hai6 was simply to address the basic human needs that were disrupted and disconnected and to conduct an assessment of the needs of the people. Reconnec6ng families with the following basic needs—food, water and clothing—was recognized as a key component for these families to begin a healing process physically, mentally and emo6onally. The “spirit” of the third aim of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, “Love for All Mankind,” became the driving force that catapulted the “tireless” eﬀorts of outreach of “Team Alpha.” The team matriculated throughout the communities of Hai6 from sunup to sundown with the sole purpose of serving the people despite the obstacles. The Social Outreach component of the mission was designed to begin “na6on-building” and to reveal the dynamics of the Hai6an people within Hai6 and globally; to iden6fy resources and systems exis6ng within the country; to introduce interven6on strategies and techniques and to address social issues in a construc6ve, crea6ve and culturally sensi6ve manner. “Team Alpha” gathered informa6on to assist Hai6an people with the future development of culturally sensi6ve services, to assist the ci6zens of Hai6 with improving the quality of their lives in areas such as housing, health care, agriculture, and to build upon their strengths and resiliency from a collec6ve group perspec6ve to address their own individual needs. The na6onal delega6on of brothers, personally and strategically, delivered several hundred pounds of supplies, such as medical, hygiene,

food, tents, and clothing for men, women and children. These goods were delivered by the delega6on despite the rough and intense terrain in the rural and mountainous areas to the homes of brothers’ rela6ves. Monetary gi&s were also issued to the families as well. Medical examina6ons were also issued to men, women and children in the city and rural areas of Hai6, noted as “tent ci6es” that did not receive medical atten6on, care or food. These families along with many others were forgo7en by other “missions.” Each family was consoled by brothers, allowing family members the opportunity to process various anxie6es and fears due to the loss of homes, family and security. The delega6on was greeted with warm embraces, kisses, hear5elt thanks and amazement that their children, sent their “brothers” to their doorsteps to assure that they were comforted and provided with relief from thousands of miles away. Hundreds were issued hot meals, and brothers walked the countryside to deliver meals to the elderly and desolate. Medical supplies that brothers purchased, and those that were donated, were also given to the Red Cross of Hai6 due to the extreme shortage of supplies. “Team Alpha” also assisted the United Sheiks, a na6onal disaster relief group, with loading its trucks with water and several hundred plates of hot food. Delivering services in such condi6ons requires, ﬁrstly, the importance of integra6ng with and being “present” with the people. Human interac6on and rela6onships are key variables in delivering goods and services in any social outreach mission. The key component recognized by “Team Alpha” is rooted in the founda6on of social-work prac6ce and core values when providing services to others. Organiza6ons must recognize the dignity and worth of people and the importance of “being amongst the people” in order to deliver an impac5ul and culturally-sensi6ve service in a successful manner. Brother U. Grant Baldwin, Jr.

ALPHA IN HAITI: WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? BUILDING THE ALPHA ACADEMY CLINIC IN HAITI

AND

With the support of the fraternity, Alpha Phi Alpha will return to Hai6 with several members who are architects and contractors to an unfinished school in the Croix de bouquet area to complete renderings and cost out what it will take to finish an architecturally sound and efficient school and clinic. It is the desire of the fraternity upon comple6on to equip the school with new furniture, school supplies, establish a library

THE

FUNCTION OF EDUCATION IS TO

TEACH ONE TO THINK INTENSIVELY AND TO THINK CRITICALLY. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

and to provide basic medical supplies to the school's clinic which will on ocassion be staﬀed by visi6ng Alpha physicians who will annually service the school. The fraternity will also pledge to make a ﬁnancial commitment to support the annual opera6ons of the school. Dona6ons to support the Alpha Academy in Hai6 can be made online at www.apa1906.net. Click on the Hai6 Relief Banner.

HAITI

Alpha in

AL PHA IN HAITI : A SPECI AL REPORT

A L P H A P H I A L P H A F R AT E R N I T Y, I N C . 2 3 1 3 S A I N T PA U L S T R E E T B A LT I M O R E , M D 2 1 2 1 8 A PA 1 9 0 6 . N E T