I cannot pretend to be impartial. My heart grows heavy as news from Haiti filters in. The Haiti I heard about growing up, the Haiti of my parents’ childhood, was “La pearle de les Antilles.” The Haiti of today is much battered but still resilient. Every image compels me to do something, to take action, to get involved.
Luckily there is no shortage of response here at U of T. Following the quake, President David Naylor issued a statement and spoke at an event in solidarity. UTSU, in conjunction with both the Scarborough and Mississauga student unions, has formed a coalition of students, faculty, and community members to launch a campaign in support of Haiti. Other student groups have hosted (and continue to host) smaller events that shed light on the crisis.
One such event was “Haiti up against Neoliberalism.” Hosted by the Women and Gender Studies Student Union on January 27, the event was an important part of the re-emerging discourse on Haiti. In an email, Savitri Persaud, co-president of WGSSU, highlighted the many dimensions of Haiti’s social and political history “connected to matters not only concerning gender, but race, colonialism, imperialism, globalization, and poverty to name a few.”
The heart of the event was a discussion facilitated by Dr. Rachel Gorman—a professor in the Women and Gender Studies program whose courses include WGS385: Gender and Neoliberalism—that successfully aided students in educating one another about the issues at hand. Sitting on couches and pulled-up chairs, munching on pizza and other snacks, students shared their thoughts, insights, and knowledge surrounding the earthquake in Haiti and the implications it has for the future. More than anything, however, they were able to ask questions. The key here was that they were not experts, nor were they expected to be. They wanted to learn more about a situation that affects everyone.
What was conspicuously absent from this event was a donation jar. When asked why, Persaud answered, “It was a conscious decision not to collect donations. ‘Haiti up against Neoliberalism’ was intended to educate. Ultimately, the decision to donate is a personal one and our hope is that through awareness-raising, people will make informed decisions about where to donate should they choose to do so.”
The earthquake itself may be a natural disaster, but Haiti is going through a man-made catastrophe too. The country has some of the worst living conditions in the world, which is largely the result of a long history of political instability, foreign occupation, unequal terms of trade, resource extraction, imperialism, colonialism, and slavery. Haiti’s problems did not begin on January 12, 2010. I challenge everyone to attend an event with depth—one that will reshape your conceptions of the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Such events are not hard to find, especially now. If your group or organization is not already planning something about Haiti, tell them to.
By no means do I frown upon donating money; Haiti needs as much money as it can get. However, Persaud’s was a refreshing sentiment. Sometimes giving money is not enough. With “proceeds will help Haiti” collection jars appearing everywhere, it is easy to lose sight of what is at stake.
Haiti has reached a tipping point. Whether this earthquake becomes an opportunity for Haiti to start fresh or a chance for the exploitation to worsen will depend not on how much cash is raised, but by how many people stand to educate themselves and defend Haiti by fighting many of the things that have plagued the country, and work to see her rise as the Pearl of the Antilles once more. L’union fait la force—In unity there is strength.
