Jesse Jackson Says U.S. Should Help Haiti

Jesse Jackson Says U.S. Should Help Haiti
Jackson-Led Delegation Returns From Haiti With Plan To Solve Food Crisis
POSTED: 9:43 am EDT April 30, 2008

MIAMI -- The Rev. Jesse Jackson has devised a plan he intends to take to Washington lawmakers that he believes will alleviate Haiti's food crisis for now and years to come.
Speaking at a news conference in Miami’s Little Haiti neighborhood Tuesday, Jackson said the United States should forgive Haiti's overwhelming debt, help stabilize food prices and provide aid to Haitian farmers.

“We intend to go back to Haiti again and again until American policy changes,” Jackson said.

For Haiti native Veronique Fleurime, Jackson’s visit is just symbolic right now.

“When he get food, he do good,“ Fleurime said in her broken English.

Fleurime buys food to ship home to relatives every month. Rising food costs in the U.S. is putting a burden on her as well.

Local pastor Rich Wilkinson said he was heartbroken by the poverty he witnessed on the island nation.

"You think you know and you don't know," Wilkinson said. "Unless you're Haitian and you've been there, you don't know."

The delegation of clergymen and local activists recently returned from a trip to Haiti, touring poverty-stricken neighborhoods and meeting with Haitian President Rene Preval. They plan to rally their congregations to send immediate aid to Haiti’s needy while a long-term solution is sought.

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We thank Rev Jesse Jackson for his compassion toward the poor haitians.As we said in our language :"depi nan guinnen bon neg ap ede neg parey yo."Yes the first step toward solving the haitian crisis is to alleviate the burden of the current debt.How the IMF and the BID can expect a country like haiti to pay more than 50 millions dollars in interest anually on a debt that they know very well did not serve the country and its people.

I regret that people like Rev Jessee Jackson do not spend more time organising the black diaspora.When I said black diaspora I am speaking of all the people of african descent.Whether they 're from haiti, Jamaica, Trinidad ,Africa , native afro american .Cuban ,dominican.We have the human and financial resources to help our brothers and sisters in the carribean and in Africa.

The other day a speaker said on CNN that the economy of the afro americans in the United States would constitute the 6th largest in the world if it were of a country.Why then we have to wait for a white man to help.I am tired of complainning ;it is time we do for ourselves.

The haitian Parliament should vote immediately to abolish the haitian Constitution in order for all haitians to participate in the rebuilding of the Country.Yes we can.We can take a mortgage on our house to invest in agriculture in haiti.We can build school for our children, we can build medical clinics in the countryside. we can practice fishing a different way.we can buy land to grow food ,to produce eggs ,milk etc.We can buy haitian bonds form the haitian treasury ,we can buy stocks in haitian companies.Why can I buy actions in companies like Mosanto, Kraft food ,Altria group etc and I can not buy even a savings bond from the haitian government.Consider that each haitian could buy a 100 dollar savings bond each year from the haitian govenerment ,How much money would we contribute to the development of the country?

We need an organisation that is capable of mobilizing the forces of all black men and women around the world in order to advance not only our own goal , but also the goal of all our brothers and sisters.The injustice,the sufferings of one black man or woman should be an injustice to all black men and women.We need people like Rev Jessee Jackson , Congresswoman Maxime Waters and Randall Robinson.We complain enough ;the time now is for actions.