Seth Donnelly I wasn’t sure what to expect. Our plane landed in Port Au Prince, Haiti after a restless tenhour journey from California. The heat was radiating off the broken pavement. Stepping out of the plane, a wave of heat slapped me across the face. Our delegation of sixteen waited for a bus to transport us to what was to them, their airport, which was one small, worn down building. My heart felt heavy in shock. Everyone around me was silently observing this new atmosphere. I looked over at Mr. Donnelly mushed in between sweaty bodies bumping up and down to the rocky ride. His broken glasses falling off his face, he pumped us all up for the adventures and memories we had ahead of us. Seth’s unique personality inspires many to come together and follow him through his movement of solidarity. It was completely unexplainable the feelings and emotions that came over me those first 10 minutes in Haiti. This was only the beginning of a life-changing experience that was all influenced and brought to me by Seth Donnelly. He is not only my former teacher, but also an inspirational comrade who’s inspired and guided me through the fight for solidarity and justice. Seth serves as an important role model for thousands of Haitians and students who he has brought together through education.
Seth Donnelly has touched the hearts of thousands by creating solidarity between students and Haitians to reach a higher level of education and social justice. He has impacted hundreds of young minds though his hard work and dedication. As a teacher at Los Altos High, Seth voices to students of the new generation who can participate and come together to help Haitians to be a part of creating an equal world. When he talks about the struggles in Haiti, you can feel his passion for the Haitian people and how strongly he wants to see change. He inspired students and me to become apart of the Students For Haiti Solidarity Club and travel to Haiti. The club fundraises throughout the year to donate to grassroots organizations throughout Haiti. The club continues to fund Rea Dole to have the school SOPUDEP in Port Au Prince, Haiti, to teach and feed over 600 kids everyday that would otherwise never get an education or food. None of this would have been possible if it wasn’t for Seth’s dedication in creating solidarity. Seth has influenced all the hundreds of students in America who have come together to fundraise for SOPUDEP. Without his passion for education and equal rights, thousands of Haitians would be without a proper education.
“COOOCADOOODALLLDOOOO!!” Seth repeated for the third morning in a row. It was 7 a.m. and none of us were amused. Today was the first day our delegation was going to our new SOPUDEP School to help with construction. When we got to the empty work site, Seth immediately rallied our team up and assigned jobs. There was not one time when Seth wasn’t overjoyed with excitement and dedication to whatever backbreaking job he was currently working on. He perspired positivity throughout the work site. I could feel his power for change as we worked together, side-by-side, walking up and down steep dirt hills with heavy bricks. Thinking that these bricks would be the walls of a classroom that would educate hundreds of Haitian students and create thousands of opportunities made the work worthwhile. Seth was always cracking jokes here and there, chanting on our team to stay strong. I would not have been able to work in that heat for four hours straight if Seth wasn’t cheering us on and standing as an inspirational leader. My body had never felt so useful. My muscles were sore and strained but my heart was warm with happiness. It was the best feeling in the world. After all of our hard work at the site, we rallied onto our tap-tap and drove to the local fast-food restaurant. Instead of taking a break and eating lunch, Seth went down the road to an Internet store where he worked on buying connections for our new school. This exemplifies his hope and strives for the growth of Haiti. I would have never known what a great person Seth was if it wasn’t for his encouragement and dedication to creating solidarity with Haiti.
It all began when Rea and Seth were introduced. They came together through a mutual friend years ago, and have been working together ever since to create solidarity. Together Seth and Rea have become family and accomplished many things. They have worked together for years to expand and fight for human rights in Haiti. Seth has assisted Rea in expanding her home to host delegations to come to Haiti to help in the community. Seth has traveled to Haiti 12 times and has been inspired to spread his passion for solidarity to students in the community. Before Seth started the Students for Haiti Solidarity club, he participated in numerous service trips to Haiti and visited Rea’s family and helped after the Earthquake in 2010. “Universities in Haiti lost a significant number of students as the earthquake collapsed and damaged many school buildings and equipment” (“Education in Haiti” Wikipedia). His work has impacted these lives and he continues to work for change. An important quality of Seth is his continuous dedication to Haiti. He has created a truly incredible movement to better education. He has taken on 5 delegations over the last 2
years from Los Altos High, touching the lives of every student that he brought with him. In 2011, Seth purchased land in Haiti for Rea’s new school and orphanage with $60,000. After the purchase, our club has funded and traveled to Haiti to build on the school. The construction is still going on and will continue with our schools funds. This summer of 2012 I went on a delegation with Seth to Haiti and stayed at Rea’s house. In September of 2012 Rea and Bateille, Rea’s husband, came to California. While they were here, Seth and the club hosted a presentation in the Los Altos High School Theater where club members and Rea spoke about Haiti and the struggle for equality and education. This presentation touched many students and at the meeting the following week, the club had doubled. Last year the club had 20 members; this meeting hosted over 100 students. At this meeting Rea and Bateille also reached out to the students and spoke about their movement in Haiti. This is just some of what Seth has done for our community and the nation of Haiti in the last 10 years. Seth has brought so many opportunities to thousands people through his inspiring and energetic dedication to solidarity. Through his unique and animated personality, he reaches out to students who can come together to make a difference in Haiti. He is constantly fighting for solidarity between the U.S. and Haiti.
Our last night in Haiti was the most memorable. I will never forget the love and energy that filled the concrete walls of Rea’s humble abode. All thirty or so of us huddled into one room, standing in solidarity. Haitians and Americans all brought together by one amazing person. Seth had changed every one of our lives. Rea looked Seth straight into his eyes. She could not say enough about him. Her heart spilled out onto the dirt floor. Each one of us felt her love and compassion. Rea thanked Seth and talked about all the greatness he has brought into her life. The room was in tears. We all felt so close, like everything was so right, and it was all coming to an end. I looked over and my new friends from Haiti, and my eyes swelled up. I looked back at Seth and saw his classic smile light up the room. He has brought us all together, and that’s when I realized what a true hero Seth has been to both the Haitian community and the students he had brought along to experience memories of a lifetime. Seth has created a whole generation of students and Haitians together to better the world and fight for human rights and better education for all. “This is only the beginning of a new generation,” Seth preaches to the classroom filled of students. Even before I was involved in the Haiti Solidarity Club, Seth was always telling me about his huge plans for Haiti and creating a better world. He would incorporate Haitian solidarity in our learning plans that would otherwise not be taught and go unnoticed. The United States and its foreign affairs have had a huge impact on Haiti and are often skipped over in the modern U.S. History curriculum. After learning it’s history and starting to become involved in the club, I traveled to Haiti with Seth and other Los Altos students. I learned a lot about Seth and the powerful drive he has towards this movement. We worked on building our sister school SOPUDEP and met with several political leaders and activists. Seth worked incredibly hard every single day and was always an inspiration too keep going and continue to be apart of creating solidarity.
The Students for Haiti Solidarity Club is continuing to build on our sister school each time a new delegation comes. We also send money that we fundraise over the school year and we will continue sending donations. Seth plans to return to Haiti with students in the spring and summer for 2013. Seth is still fighting and working towards getting Haitians out of poverty and reaching equality. He wants to help Haitians receive a better education and provide children with opportunities to go to school. “As of 1982, more than 65% of the population over the age of ten had received no formal education at all, and only 8% of the population had received more than a primary education. Even though education is technically free in Haiti, it remains beyond the means of most Haitians, who cannot afford the supplemental fees, school supplies, and uniforms required, ” (“Haitians: Their History and Culture” Cal.org). These are only a few facts about the corruption in Haiti that Seth is working towards changing. Seth will have to continue fundraising and building on the Haiti Club in order to fund and support SOPUDEP. Without the funding from this club, the building would completely stop. Since the American government has been so corrupt to Haiti, Seth is working towards reaching those who have the power in changing U.S. foreign policy. In the last decade of Haitian history, President Bush of the United States has corrupted Haiti by establishing sweatshops with horrendous labor conditions. He also forced Aristide out of Haitian office when he was actually doing
great things for the poor nation and creating a better nation for Haiti. The U.S. sent him to Africa and banned him from entering the Western Hemisphere. “He accused the United States of orchestrating the coup d’état against him with support from Jamaican Prime Minister P. J. Patterson and among others. Aristide was forced into exile, being flown directly to the Central African Republic and South Africa,” (“Aristide” Wikipedia). Seth preaches this to his students and has inspired not only me but also hundreds of others to fight for Haitian rights and stop the governmental corruption. He has created a new generation through his inspiring teachings and activism. Seth has brought hundreds of people together, Haitians and Americans. He not only fights for solidarity, but bettering the lives of Haitians and bringing people out of poverty.
“Haiti is not a poor country. It has been forced into being a poor country.” -Seth Donnelly.