In the past week, the horrible earthquake in Haiti has been a prominent topic in the local news. And with good reason: thousands are feared dead and pictures of the devastation are heart wrenching—to say the least.
As is usual the case with these kinds of disasters, there is a lot of talk in the news about how poor Haitians are and how we in the United States should be generous and donate money to the victims of the earthquake. News coverage has in many cases focused on the superficial—the use of Facebook to get news from the island or Pat Robertson’s ridiculous assertions that the island was essentially being punished for practicing voodoo—while avoiding the realities of just why Haiti is so poor. Haiti isn’t the poorest country in the northern hemisphere because people are lazy (or any other variation of comm. Racist myths), but rather because of U.S. and Western imperialism. For decades, the U.S. has either overtly occupied the country or propped up rightwing dictators. Of course, why would the news talk about this? In many cases, they have supported the same dictators. Infoshop News has a continually updated list of articles on Haiti that examine some of this deeper history of the island.
With images of the devastation proliferating in the news and on the Internet, many folks are giving to a variety of aid and charity organizations to help folks in Haiti. Various Christian ministries, international aid organizations, and even the U.S. government are pledging to aid those affected by the earthquake. This has prompted radical journalist and author Naomi Klein to warn that government and corporate interests in the U.S. may use the disaster as an opportunity to rebuild a more corporate friendly Haiti.
As an anarchist, I have always been skeptical of these big international aid organizations. Consequently, I was excited to see that Miami Autonomy & Solidarity put out a statement calling on anarchists to support grassroots workers in Haiti who have been organizing in Haiti to improve their conditions. The organization writes:
There is a strong and beautiful desire to do something, to help others in this time of need. Our actions are strongest when we organize ourselves, and make a concerted effort in unity. Right now we can have the deepest impact by committing ourselves to act in solidarity with the autonomous social movements of Haiti directly. They present the best possible option for the Haitian people, and are in the greatest need. At the same time, we are in the best position to help them out our common interest as people engaged in struggling against a system that works to exploit us all. We are calling for solidarity people-to-people engaged in common struggle. It is not only a question of money for AID but also an autonomous and independent act of international solidarity that illuminates the bankruptcy of the occupying forces, multinational corporations, and Haitian elites that are primarily responsible for the decayed state of Haiti. There will be aid flowing and money given as a form of charity until the next disaster. Our act of solidarity should, in no shape or form, be solely an act of humanitarian aid. It should not be an apolitical act, and we shouldn’t give the green light to those that wish to capitalize on the suffering of others. It should be an act of solidarity to the struggling people of Haiti and their organizations while at the same time rejecting the totally inept Haitian elites and their state apparatus for bankrupting Haiti. The earthquake is a natural disaster, but the state of Haiti, the abject poverty of the masses and the vile injustice of the social order, are unnatural.
We have a relationship with one organization, Batay Ouvriye, and are putting our resources and time into helping Batay Ouvriye to help rebuild from the catastrophe and maintain the struggle for a better Haiti and a better world. Batay Ouvriye is a combative grassroots worker and peasant’s organization in Haiti with workers organized all over Haiti, especially in the Industrial sweatshops and Free Trade Zones. We have set up a means to send money to Batay Ourviye. If others wish to send money to Batay Ouvriye, please email miamiautonomyandsolidarity@yahoo.com
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