Haitian Sensation
The Global Citizen
Many people know Haiti to be one of the poorest countries in the world, especially after the earthquake that happened 10 years ago. Despite all the struggles and hardships the island is going through, they still are pushing forward to the future, to better standards of living and working hard for those who will come after them. If there is anything that resonates with the Haitian people it is the desire and ability to fight for what they deserve. This has been apparent in their history especially as they were the first successful slave revolution of any country.
Back in August 22, 1791, the Haitian Revolution had begun and would continue on for almost 13 years before Haiti was able to free themselves from French colonial rule. Much of the inspiration of the Haitian Revolution was inspired by the fact that the French Revolution and the ideas for that stemmed mainly from the Enlightenment. While the French were discussing philosophical ideas such as equality and liberty, the Haitian slaves were starting to question why they weren’t getting treated in a similar fashion than their fellow human beings across the Atlantic. After much suffering and struggling, as well as assistance from countries such as Britain, the Haitian people were victorious.
Today, Haiti is still suffering the effects of the earthquake but things have improved. The people are still resilient, fighting for that spirit of improvement and hope for the future. Jean Samson Edouard is an example of this Haitian spirit. After he and his now wife survived the earthquake 10 years ago, Jean Samson decided that he would do whatever it takes to improve his country. Like many Haitians, he had the opportunity to go live in South Florida and start a new life, but he chose to stay. He says, “I need, when I pass away, my children can say, ‘Hey, my father struggled to change something in Haiti.’” Today he is a principal of a school and his wife is a nurse. He also is studying economic development in order to help improve his community in any way that he can.
Wesley Rodriguez-Diep is a senior studying international relations.