Five years ago today, my wife, my one-year-old son and I survived the earthquake in Haiti.

I will forever be grateful that my wife came back to the hotel early from her work that day and when the earthquake struck, we were all together.  While we were lucky—part of lobby of the hotel collapsed but not our room—many tens, or hundreds, of thousands of Haitians perished from the disaster, which was compounded by the U.S. and U.N.’s neglectful and exploitative response to the quake.  We did our best in the aftermath of the quake to assist in providing first aid, but sadly we saw many die who could have been saved if there had been a serious international aid effort.  On this fifth anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, I am thankful to be alive, thankful to have a wonderful family, and thankful for the never-ending resistance of the Haitian people.  It is the uprising of Black people from Ferguson to Port-Au-Prince that is helping me deal with the anxiety that is always triggered in me by the anniversary of the earthquake.

When we say Black Lives Matter let’s make our anti-racist vision extend beyond our borders to the people of Haiti.

Below is a link to the article I wrote for Truthout.org where I assess the state of Haiti on the 5th anniversary of the earthquake, describe my experience surviving the calamity, exposes the U.S. shock doctrine reconstruction plan, and urge solidarity between the Black Lives Matter movement and the new uprising in Haiti.

Black Haitian Lives Matter: Haiti on the Fifth Anniversary of the Earthquake

http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/28493-black-haitian-lives-matter-haiti-on-the-fifth-anniversary-of-the-earthquake