January 12, 2020 marks 10th Anniversary of the Earthquake in Haiti my family survived—A decade later, a new Haitian Revolution is underway.
Ten years ago my family and I survived one of the most devastating natural disaster in recorded history—yet so many tens of thousands of Haitian people did not.
It has been a long journey for me to begin to recover emotionally and psychologically over the past decade, made harder by the fact that so many commitments to support the Haitian people’s recovery were broken. On this day of mourning, contemplation, and resilience, I want to share my last ten years of writing, art, interviews, analysis, and reflection on the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The Haitian people continue wage a beautiful rebellion for their freedom, despite the betrayals and exploitation they’ve suffered. (Following this introduction I provide those resources).
Writing and recording my song, “Te Tranble” (The Earthquake in Haitian Creole) with my friend and collaborator Daniel Rapport for our band The Blue Tide, was deeply cathartic and healing for my soul— I dedicated the song to the boy who died while I was wrapping his head with bandages. Engaging in ongoing therapy has been vital to my mental and emotional health and well-being.
But it is mass uprising of Haitian people fighting for clean water, housing, healthcare, education, and freedom that has helped me most in my recovery. The people of Haiti have endured callous, vindictive and devastating attacks and neglect since the earthquake; the world’s powerful predator nations could see only wounded prey where they should have seen CONTINUE READING: January 12, 2020 marks 10th Anniversary of the Earthquake in Haiti my family survived—A decade later, a new Haitian Revolution is underway. – I AM AN EDUCATOR