Students from Stone Bridge High School joined their Briar Woods counterparts in a standing ovation to greet the ambassador and again at the conclusion of his remarks. Joseph, a former journalist, told students he visited his country on February 12, one month after the earthquake and saw with “My own eyes the devastation,” that turned Port-au-Prince into a “city I did not know.”
In the immediate aftermath of the quake Joseph explained he was asked to remain in the United States, “No, you stay there and tell the story,” were his instructions from the Haitian government and he has. Joseph travels telling the story of Haiti, the first black republic in the world, to students, organizations, community and elected leaders. The week before his visit to Loudoun County, Joseph was at Yale University and then in Tallahassee, Fla., speaking to Americans thanking them for their support and reminding them of the need for assistance. Joseph was scheduled to be in Texas and Louisiana next week and then in New York in March for a conference at the United Nations regarding a “comprehensive” plan for restoring and rebuilding Haiti.
Briar Woods High School students, members of the school’s History Club, organized the Black History month event and invited Ambassador Joseph. The school’s Jazz Band and choral groups provided the entertainment which featured music rooted in early African American spirituals and songs. The program included a video complete with pictures of the devastation in Haiti and the statistics: fatalities, injuries and the number of those homeless as a result of the earthquake.
The music video for “We are the World” was shown as an example of the efforts to draw international attention to the need for aid to Haiti.
To address Black History month, Joseph educated Loudoun students on the history of Haiti and its relationships with the U.S. Joseph credited his country’s unexpected defeat of Napoleon and the French in Haiti with helping force France sell land to America in the Louisiana Purchase. Other highlights included the lives of Haitians and pre-Haitians who fought for independence during the American Revolution and later, and the Haitian who founded the first school for black girls in Baltimore during the 1800’s.
Joseph acknowledged that what most people know about Haiti is its reputation as the “poorest country in the western hemisphere,” and went on to explain that while the physical devastation from the earthquake was visible in pictures of Port-au- Prince, much more was damaged than buildings and homes.
“Everything is concentrated in Port-au- Prince,” as the political, economic and educational center of Haiti, explained the ambassador. Built in the 1800’s for a population of 150,000, today the city is home to more than 2 million people, many living Joseph said in “flimsy abodes,” in and around the city. “This catastrophe has given Haiti a chance to connect with people,” in America and around the world.
Joseph mentioned that when Columbus discovered Haiti and named it “Little Spain,” the country was almost completely covered in trees. Under the rule of later dictators, the once verdant Haiti is today “95 percent deforested.” As an example of the demise, Joseph referenced the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, “Where the green stops and the brown (Haiti) begins.”
Reconstruction efforts in Haiti, Joseph said, “will have to go green. We have plenty of sun and wind in the Caribbean,” suggesting efforts focus on solar energy, massive reforestation and the nearby Windward Passage between Haiti and Cuba for wind power.
Joseph recounted “a sign of hope” from his recent trip to Haiti. “I found it when I saw the traffic lights were working, turning red, green and amber. Do you know why?” Solar panels operate the traffic lights in Haiti Joseph explained.
When asked at the conclusion of his remarks by one of the students “What else can we do to help Haiti?” He recalled what former President George W. Bush said when he and former President Bill Clinton were asked how Americans can help Haiti. “President Bush said, ‘Cash, Cash, Cash.’ And that is what we need,” Joseph responded.
He advised those interested in helping donate cash to various nonprofit organizations but discouraged sending clothes, shoes, or other items to his country. Asked how long it would take to rebuild Haiti, Joseph answered “Five, ten, fifteen, twenty years or more.”
Joseph thanked the students, their school, families and the United States for aid for Haiti, “Thank you and we continue to count on your help.” Members of the Briar Woods High School Haiti Relief effort continue to collect donations for Haiti and manned a booth before and after Friday's assemblies. Earlier, students raised $500 through a bracelet sale.
Video of the ambassador's presentation is available here, and click here for video of an interview with education reporter Julia Stewart.
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