February Officially Dubbed HAITIAN HISTORY MONTH

Many people only know Haiti for the poverty that is often portrayed through the media. However many fail to realize that Haiti has a rich history and much of its poverty is due to foreign intervention on the island.  In light of the recent of events that  have taken place in Haiti and the interest of so many in the peninsula of Haiti, now is a great time to stimulate the minds of so many who are ignorant to Haiti’s rich history. In an effort to combat this ignorance to the islands history, next month, BLACK HISTORY MONTH,  I will dedicate my blog entries to the enlighten of those who are interested in the history of Haiti and how the island came to be in its current state. I find it contradictory that in school, when learning about Black history, often times there is little to no information on Haiti , especially since it is the first black republic of the world. The month of February on Black Girl with an Opinion, has officially been dubbed HAITIAN HISTORY MONTH.  

The REVOLUTION has officially begun…I leave you with these two quotes. Be Blessed.  

 

“History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived, but if faced with courage, need not be lived again.”
-- Maya Angelou

 

“Until lions have their historians, tales of the hunt shall always glorify the hunters.”
-- African Proverb

Haiti Relief Effort: A Weekend of Service For Our Country Men

"L'Union Fait La Force" is the phrase that comes to mind when I think of this past weekend 01/22-1/24. 100 plus students in the  of  United Haitian Students of Florida all came together for one cause...Haiti. We all came together in a collective effort to help out with the Haiti relief efforts. We were involved in the packaging of clothing, perishable food items, and water at a local Miami warehouse. We also took part in a benefit concert where people of Haitian descent and other nationalities donated cases of water to send to the victims of the Earthquake in Port Au prince. Haitian musicians and bands ranging from T-Vice, Harmonik, Alan Cave and the likes all came together in a unified effort to help raise the funds necessary to provide Port Au Prince's victims with the provisions to continue life in the so called "tent city" of the capital. Despite the tears that the were shed from the disbelief that some of us were still in, there were also tears of hope that were shed for the people of Port Au Prince, hope that they may be holding onto,  hope that we will carry and hold onto forever in our hearts should they lose it.

Click for more pics of the weekend

More Pics 

HAITI ON MY MIND...

Instead of Georgia On My Mind, the tune that has been playing in my head for the past week is HAITI ON MY MIND...the tune  resonates so deep with my heart at times I find it hard to sleep...

DELaSoul

The Rebirth Of A Nation: The New Haiti

As we mourn the death of the many victims of Haiti's earthquake we also celebrate the lives that were spared at the hands of God. We not only celebrate the lives that were spared but we also celebrate the UNITY that has brought many Haitians and non-Haitians together in the relief efforts going on in Haiti. It is true that Haiti is "l'union fait la force" (strength through unity). I don't have to tell you how resilient of a people we are, there was proof  all over the news as they depicted the many natives of the island rescuing others trapped under the rubble before any relief arrived on the island or how they still had church the following Sunday despite not having a home to return to. Some may say that the city of Port Au Prince is broken, but they fail to realize that despite the current circumstances of Haiti's inhabitants, they're spirits are not broken, the spirits of their Haitian brothers and sisters in the United States are not broken but have been  reinforced with faith and hope. If ever there was a time to be proud of being Haitian, NOW is the time, NOW is the time that we reach out lending hands and take the initiative to help out in Haiti; if ever Haiti needed us, it is NOW. Yes, Port Au Prince Haiti is in a despairing state, however now isn't time that we sit and watch with broken heart what is going on in Haiti, NOW is the time we pick up the torch and light the way for so many of the victims that may be in a dark place at the moment, NOW is the time that we become PROACTIVE and start on our journey toward the REBIRTH OF A NATION: THE NEW HAITI.

I leave you with this quote,

"I submit to you if a man hasn't discovered something he will die for, he isn't fit to live."
-Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Speech in Detroit, June 23,1963

What are you willing to die for?

Be Blessed!

Earthquake in Haiti: "It Took the Earth to Move my People"

 "It took the Earth to move my people. And ever since my heart can't stop shaking."   

 -Sgt. Lawrence Gonzalez, President of The United Haitian Students of Florida

In light of the recent events that have taken place on the small island of Haiti, my homeland and the birthplace of my relatives, I cannot help but feel guilty about the situation at hand. "It was a natural disaster, Pascale you had no way of preventing what occurred, it was out of you're control...it was out of our control" some may say. Despite these words they fail to provide me with any comfort. I am guilty as charged for allowing Haiti to be in the state that she is currently in. We as a people are guilty as charged. It should not have taken the Earth to move in order for us the children of Haiti to be called to action. For many years of my life I have told myself and others countless times that I want to work in Haiti and provide them with the health care that is desperately needed that so many turn a blind eye. For 10yrs now I've promised to dedicate my career goal goals in the public health arena to Haiti, but yet my cations have not been aligned with my goals. I know what the situation is like in Haiti I have witnessed it with my own two eyes during a family trip in 2000. So why is that I have I yet to move and do for my country, do for my people?

It doesn't take monetary means to help Haiti, it takes will power to help Haiti. will power that so many American born Haitian individuals are able to provide, will power that many native born Haitian inhabitants of the US are able to provide...so why is that we sit idle and watch our country perish before our eyes. For 200 years Haiti has endured much struggle and while we still have pride in her and our heritage we continue to let her struggle and continue to let her people...OUR people perish and die in vain. Toussaint L'Ouverture did not fight in 1804 for Haiti's independence so that she may live a life of poverty and struggle, I refuse to believe that our ancestors died in vain. And I refuse to believe that we as people who are of sound mind and able body will continue to watch a country and its inhabitants...OUR country and OUR people die without a cause. I refuse to sit idle and watch as these event come to past. Hence forth I PLEDGE my life, every fiber in my body to the cause...the cause that LIBERATES Haiti of its economic strife and life turmoil. I don't speak these word in vain but speak them with affirmation, believing that what took place in Haiti  is a wake up call to her children. Yes these things have to come to pass as the Bible says but it also say that good deeds are what we owe to each other. I hope that we as a people aren't called to act only for a moment and return to everyday lives as if nothing took place, but I hope that we as  people come together forever united  in the belief that Haiti will one day be a prosperous country once again. I refuse to believe that Haiti is so far gone that prosperity cannot be brought back to her name.

Please continue to keep Haiti in your prayers and if your are of sound mind and able body Haiti desperately needs your help irregardless of your race, culture, or creed. I have included a list of sites where relief efforts are being made possible in the an effort to alleviate Haiti of its current sufferings.

Be Blessed

Keep Haiti in Your Prayers

Its a horrible thing to have to come home and here that my country Haiti has been hit by a 7.0 magnitude Earthquake followed by a 5.9 and 5.5 aftershock, 10mi from the capital, Port-Au-Prince. As some may know Haiti has endured many natural disasters within the past 5yrs which she is still recovering from and to have a 7.0 Earthquake hit her while still in recovery is unimaginable, but sadly reality. I ask that you keep my home land in your prayers and also keep the lives that may also be in jeopardy in your prayers.In light of this issue, I must say that it really annoys me that the first adjective used to describe Haiti is usually synonymous to poor...as if that is what defines Haiti. Haiti is a beautiful country with a rich culture that everyone seems to forget about. I think that its time that United States seizes the use of the word poor or any word synonymous to the island. If anyone knows Haiti's history they also know that America has always had its hand in the affairs of Haiti, which also has a lot to do with  Haiti's current situation. However my purpose is not to point fingers as to who is to blame for Haiti crisis but is to say that something has got to give and it starts with each and everyone us. If you are Haitian, of Haitian descent or have love for the Haitian culture its time that we do our part as people and help Haiti rise from her current circumstances.

Stay tuned...

Haitian Pride

Mwen Ayitian, epi pa gen ayen mwen ta change de sa (I am Haitian and there is nothing that I would change). Growing up Haitian in the streets of Miami, these were not words that I could speak freely. Growing Haitian in America was torture since the days of mothers youth when she attended Edison Senior High School in the early 1980s. She literally had to fight her way through school in defense of her culture and heritage. There was even an incident during her high school days when a young student killed himself due to constantly being teased about his background. Thus said I had much of the same experience growing up. I never really wanted to embrace my culture because I didn't want to be labeled as the Haitian girl who did not know how to dress or the Haitian girl who ate cat or whose history was one of poverty and strife...I wanted to be labeled American.

Black Love Relationship Empowerment

Women tend to play themselves a lot when it comes to the dating/relationship game. Often times we tend to put up with foolishness that we should not have to put up with but ultimately settle for the constant drama that men throw our way. As women we are not shelters and are not obligated to allow stray dogs to lay and sleep in our homes when in all actuality they do not deserve it. Its becoming an issue that needs to be dealt with. Men are constantly being rewarded for their wrong doings which in essence only perpetuates the tolerance for their inadequacies. I have always been an advocate of black men doing better when it comes to relationships however its time that black women also step up to the plate. Maybe if we as women demand that that black men do better they too will be on the level we expect them to be on.