On the blessed day of January 1st ,1804,Haiti; the western portion of the island of Hispanola, gained its independence from imperial France. Not only did Haiti acquire its independence from France, she became known throughout the world as “The First Black Republic”. Because of this glorified and prestigious title, for hundreds of years, there has been a grandiose sentiment of pride and honor that manifest all throughout the Haitian people. Now this sentiment of pride and honor came to a dramatic halt on January 12th, 2010.
January 12th, 2010, marked a universal denouement, in the lives of Haitians living throughout the world. This unfateful day, boasted a 7.0Mw earthquake that changed Haiti and her people up until this very day. The Haitian people I once knew to be as a proud nation were demoralized. A recorded 52 catastrophic aftershocks coldly destroyed the Haitian people’s Presidential Palace, National Assembly, Port-au- Prince Cathedral, and most importantly their way of life along with family and friends.
As a Haitian-American I was profoundly agonized and distress to see such a beautiful nation in shambles. I did not lose anyone in the earthquake, but I felt that it was my human responsibility to practice solidarity and take action in order to help a once beautiful and strong nation. My first order of business was to raise funds that could be sent to Haiti. In order to obtain these funds, I branched out to my school community. As a student who attended private schools, I was inclined to wear a sort of uniform. I came to the realization that students could pay a small fee to wear casual clothes to school. The moment I thought of this fundraiser I appealed to my student council president and immediately a Haitian Relief Fundraiser was under way. The fundraiser accumulated approximately $6,000! I was absolutely ecstatic when I found out that my school community raised so much money. But the $6,000 was not enough. I felt like I could do more. So from January to May I got involved with a myriad of Haitian Earthquake Relief efforts. These efforts span from clothes and food drives to benefit concerts. I particularly enjoyed taking part in the benefit concert. Although, I did not perform, I had a chance to smile, laugh, hug, and even cry with people I did not even know on a first name bases. This truly showed me how people of different backgrounds can come together and firmly supported one another.
January 12th, 2012 marks a day when my beloved Haiti became broken. But through efforts propelled by solidarity, Haiti’s children are even stronger than ever. Yes it will take time to reconstruct Haiti, but the Haitian people will always remain proud.
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