On April 27, CUSLAR hosted a teach-in called “Continuing Solidarity with Haiti.”
The event was co-sponsored by Palante and the Haitian Students Association. We were lucky to have three wonderful speakers: Laurie Konwinski and Todd Saddler, former co-directors of Beyond Borders (www.beyondborders.net), and Don Leonard, a graduate student in Cornell’s Government department. We had a great turn out from Cornell and the Ithaca community.
Don started off the night by giving a historical overview of Haiti, highlighting key reasons that Haiti was so badly devastated by the earthquake. Next, Todd gave us a more ‘on-the-ground’ perspective. He had recently returned from Haiti and was able to show us some amazing pictures as well as recount his experience. Laurie’s presentation offered us ways to stay in touch with Haiti and how to channel our solidarity efforts. One tangible piece of advice she gave was to look for organizations that are focused on job creation and employing Haitians in relief work. Not only will this kind of work help rebuild after the earthquake, but it will also contribute to a more sustainable Haiti in the future.
The teach-in helped remind us that even when the fundraisers die down, Haiti will continue to be a place of struggle. By thinking consciously about what kind of solidarity work we do, we can help Haitians rebuild a better and stronger country than before.
