The recent disaster in Haiti has prompted me to learn more about the island country. It seems overly apparent that the media is trying to bolster support for Haiti by texting campaigns (Im sure the cell providers love this) and regular donations to the salvation army. Throwing money at a problem sometimes does help bring about solutions, and in this case it might generate enough public and private funds to help the nation rebuild.

But why should Americans care about Haiti? Well, here is a nicely put sentence from Wikipedia that says it all: “It was the first independent nation in Latin America, the first post-colonial independent black-led nation in the world, and the only nation whose independence was gained as part of a successful slave rebellion”. The history and rise of this island nation from the depths of slavery make it a prime example of the triumphs achieved through democracy and a positive outcome in the fight for independence.

Because Haiti came to rise independently, it has sustained much of its cultural heritage through the years. Their culture serves as a look into the history of European exploration / exploitation, the forced migration of Africans and the strong influence of other Latin American customs that have spread throughout the world.

However, if we really want to save Haitians, we cannot simply through money at the problem, or worse yet, let the IMF come in and restructure the nation. There needs to be some serious thought put into how we help rebuild this country, and the UN needs to step up and guide this mission. The US has a lot on their plate right now, and can offer much in terms of food and finance, but cannot have all its attention diverted from other pressing issues.

How I wish we could just end those wars against terror to help battle real terror when it strikes, like a natural disaster that kills over 50,000 people and leaves hundreds of thousands stranded without shelter, food and water. America definitely needs to get its priorities straight if we want to return to being a beacon of hope to the rest of the world.