Unity is Power

On Tuesday, January 12, 2010, as I went about my normal routine no one knew this would mark the end of a journey started over 200 years ago. Tales of Africans living in the Americas run through my veins. They are audible when I speak and visible in my appearance. My roots take me to a land where images of destruction and suffering are not new. A place referred to as “the poorest country in the western hemisphere”. For the past 11 days the pictures coming out of my birthplace have burnt an indelible mark in my mind. I, along with the rest of the world, experienced the birth of a unifying and noble pursuit; the preservation of life.

Similarly, on January first, 1804, rebel slaves were united in a cry of freedom that marked the beginning of the long, hard journey. But history has shown that conditions most present during the past 200 years were the opposite of “L’union fait la force” (In Unity there is strength.) Too often lack of unity is what characterized my homeland. But now all Haitians are united in mourning. But the price of this unity, in human live and suffering, is incalculable

What good can possibly come from death and destruction on such a massive scale? From the rubble I perceive a glimmer of hope. It wasn’t just buildings that came tumbling down in the earthquake. Walls of isolation, fortified over a span of 200 years, were destroyed in an instant as the Haitian tragedy became the focal point of the globe. No longer can the world turn a blind eye to Haiti due to the tragedy of so many innocent people suffering. What was hidden from the world’s view is now exposed for all to see. No longer can the past justify the present conditions. The humanity in us cries out “No! No more! This must stop.”

It is this call to action that has moved so many people to give. And give like never before. For this I thank you, as does every person who grieves the loss of their loved ones. We are united by the pain felt in our heart and the hope that Haiti, “land of mountains,” will truly become a nation of free people, free from the inhumane conditions that for too long ruled it.

As Stephen Covey puts it, “The key to good families - even great families is that they have a sense of destination. They know what the “track” looks like.” We too need to define our “track”. It is my wish that my family along with all the families who love Haiti work on determining what will be Haiti’s destination. Where will we take Haiti next?

- Reginald