Injustice In Haiti

M. Catherine Maternowska writes a very insightful book on the socioeconomic politics of family planning in Cite Soleil that is both very complete and interesting from the perspective of a student writing his thesis prospectus on a subject that is related to the topic of her book (to a limited extent). Learning about Haiti, the poorest country in the western hemisphere, really put the lives of the people living there into perspective, even more so in light of Hurricane Matthew. Maternowska incorporation of history, gender, power, and culture with fertility theory make this an incredible ethnography that recreates how women experience health.

Imperialism has carved entire continents, destroyed ancient cultures, uprooted millions of people from their ancestral homes, and created an oppressive systems that traps third world countries. In the book “Promises Not Kept”, the author, John Isbister states: “Imperialism shaped today’s third world.” This statement explains how the third world itself is nothing more than the aftermath of imperialism. The best method to demonstrate how imperialism plays out begins with colonization. European empires used this method to spread themselves around the world, strategically expanding their power. A process that created social forces, which are continually felt today, such as poverty and oppression. These empires changed nearly every facet

If anyone has ever wondered what it’s like to live through a hurricane regardless of its strength, I can personally tell you that Hurricane Ike was a monster of a storm to ever be faced in the 2008 Atlantic season; It was not only one of the costliest hurricanes in Texas, but also one of the most powerful.

Service Gaps. One of the gaps in services and resources in Little Haiti identified is in education. All of the public schools in Little Haiti have a grade of either C or D ("Miami-Dade County Public Schools," n.d.). These schools with below average achievement scores do not benefit the children attending who are coming from a community that has a below average high school diploma rate. As the workforce continues to become more competitive, college education is going to begin to replace high school diplomas as a prerequisite for the majority of jobs. If the public education system does not begin to provide education that not only aids these youth in obtaining high school diplomas but additionally supports their advancement through college, than this community will not be able to move ahead with society. There is a high concentration of Haitian Americans holding low-skill, low-wage jobs. Understanding that Haiti is one of the poorest countries and that immigrants came to the United States with no formal education, necessary steps need to be taken to ensure that each generation has an opportunity to advance obtain this education and advance their community a bit more (Sohmer, Jackson, Katz, & Warren, 2005). There are a couple ways this writer would begin to address this gap. First, the schools need to initiate or strength their parent association programs. Parents should receive ongoing education on student progress, areas needing improvement, and ways to best support

Misrepresentation plagues this island nation overwhelmed with endless suffering. No one sees the beauty of Haiti through a television screen. All they see is misery – natural disaster, disease and poverty—writ large on the evening news. When most Americans think of Haiti, they see problems and a stressed people. However, there is a resilience and a beauty of spirit to Haitians. Even after years upon years of being dehumanized, my people have never broken. Our culture is constantly belittled, but we smile and gather strength from the sun that shines on our island and we persevere.

Often time disenfranchisement is shown in various places throughout the world. Although saddening, people face tragedies that cause them to lose things most important to them every day. For example, when the earthquake in Haiti struck, the people of Haiti lost everything they considered valuable. Having faced many obstacles, Haitian people dealt with the disenfranchisement of their pride and their possessions; there are endless amounts of literature that reference to the tragedies that occurred in Haiti and how these mishaps have affected the life that they are having to live.

Brief history… Haiti takes up about 1/3 of the land of the island Hispaniola, neighboring the Dominican Republic. The whole Island was once under the control of Spain in 1942 after Columbus made an appearance. In the 17th century, France colonized on part of the Island and renamed it Saint-Dominigue. It wasn’t until 1803…300 years, tens of thousands of African slaves, and one hierarchal social system later, did this chunk of land become the independent republic, Haiti. (1).

Little is a town is rooted and build on the back bone of Haitians. This city now known as little Haiti was once known as the lemon city continues to face struggled that has placed them as an oppressed society. Many of the residents are oppressed for many reasons ranging from factors such as education, income, and physical power over their community. The Haitian and residents do not hold their power of influence in their community.

Unlike most of Latin America, Haiti’s main colonizing power was France, not Spain or Portugal, after France was given one-third of Hispaniola. To this day you can see the lasting effects of colonialism in Haiti especially in comparison to the Dominican Republic which shares the same island. While Haiti, formerly Saint Domingue under French control, was at one time the world’s wealthiest sugar and coffee producer, the tides have changed in terms of Haiti’s economy and it is now one of the worst off in terms of measurement of GDP per capita and income inequality. This change largely took place after the Haitian revolution, which transformed Haiti’s economy to a rural subsistence economy, instead of the capital-intensive plantation economy it had been. As other states, including neighboring DR, developed competitive commodity industries, Haiti never jumped on that export-led growth path and there was overall less investment making its way to Haiti in comparison to other states in the region. Also, Haiti was not a part of the “Golden Age” period of Latin America from 1950-1973. With a brief understanding of Haiti’s background, a more solid understanding of their economic performance, challenges, assets and current conditions can be developed further.

Haiti is a beautiful Caribbean country that has had more than its fair share of hardship. A culture of strength and perseverance is evident from the moment one arrives and it only feels stronger the further one travels from Port au Prince. The people are of African descent, with a strong French influence creating a uniquely mixed culture that is rare in the western hemisphere. The business climate is such that there are very few foreign businesses or joint ventures in Haiti and although there are many historic reasons for that, there now sits immense opportunity. First-mover advantage is only an advantage if the first-mover is successful. A firm in the initial stages of market research into Haiti will be drawn to the dream of

Structural violence is the way in which social structures systematically and negatively affect individuals. Paul Farmer’s concept describes it as “social arrangements that put individuals and populations in harm’s way”. Literally analyzing the concept, he explains that it is structural because it involves political and economic organizations, which are social structures, and the violence comes from the injury caused to people who suffer it. Like Acephie Joseph and ChouChou, many people in Haiti are victims of the structural violence. Their social locations make them vulnerable, limiting their choices and causing them deeply terrible pain, and even dead. Also, structural violence can be linked to behavioral violence. As well as the Farmer wrote

Haiti was once the first black independent republic in the world and the richest island in the Caribbean. Today Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere and one of the poorest countries in the world. What could have happened to Haiti in almost two hundred years of history? The country experienced repeated civil war and foreign intervention. Haiti is not isolated from the international world. Thus, it was not out of concern for ordinary Haitians that the United States intervened in Haiti. It was out of concern for profit and stability within the United States' own backyard. The purpose of this paper is to show the negative aspect that the United States had played in the government of Haiti.

"Two hundred years ago, our precursors in Haiti struck a blow for freedom, which was heard around the world, and across centuries." – Baldwin Spencer

Think about this, we live in our own little world where we waste food and money is sometimes just a piece of paper that we just throw around like its nothing. There are people in this world who need that food that we just throw away and that money we waste on stuff we will never use. The people in Haiti need food and water and jobs that can give them the money they need to raise their families. They wish everyday they could have even half of what we have. Haiti is a neighbor to the Dominican Republic, the population is about 9.2 million and is widely considered the poorest country in the western hemisphere. 80% of the population live below the poverty line. 54% live on less than $1.25 per day. Life expectancy is only 30 years and that is

The Haitian government has been plagued with corruption from the beginning of its existence. Haiti has been faced with many foul leaders and thus brought times of despair for the Haitian people. The empowerment of poor leadership has led to a country that "has never known a period free of tyranny, repression, political conflict, racial animosity, and economic hardship" (Haggerty). Haiti's capital, Port-au-Prince, is a place where "kidnappings and street crime are rampant, and the undermanned police force is rife with corruption" (Williams).