So I’m sitting in my room listening to Public Enemy’s 1990 album Fear of A Black Planet. The volume on my laptop is as high is it can go so I can drown out the sounds of the girls yelling in the hall and find peace. It is Monday the 18th and I pick up Friday’s paper that I’ve been meaning to read. The headline: “You will not be forsaken” sits somewhat elevated on top of the graphic picture of a young girl with her long bony hands thrust up into the air in desperation. She stands their, still, letting all of the pain, grief, and wonder concentrate inside her veins as she opens her arms up to the sky and lets out a chilling “Why?” as she stands in the midst of broken concrete, wood, and who knows what all else. The culprit, a massive earthquake. The price, over 50,000...in people.
I remember checking my Yahoo after class earlier this week and seeing the pictures of the Haitian people and the many headlines about the earthquake but I refused to click on them. I couldn’t bring myself to look at those pictures. I couldn’t find enough muscle in my body to be able to stomach looking into the eyes of the victims of this tragedy. I couldn’t but I’m glad everyone else wasn’t like me. Coincidence or irony or whatever you want to call it its Martin Luther King Jr. Day and it is now that I decide to read the paper about the earthquake in Haiti and as I’m reading it track 3 of my favorite Public Enemy cd comes on, 911 is a Joke. As I read I hear Flavor Flave’s distinct voice and up beat rap “911 is a fake life saver. A get up, a get get down 911 is jokin your town. A get up a get get down late 911 wears the late crown.” And I think he can’t be more right. It takes my back to a couple years ago to Hurricane Katrina when 911/the government/Fema/ and all other lackadaisical aid plaid the biggest joke of all: pretending that they were going to do everything to help the people in New Orleans as soon as possible. That cracks me up still, but there is no smile on my face. Now the world again stands amazed at the power nature has and is reminded of how fast and how drastically nature can change the lives of so many people. Sorry police, no jokes this time, real aid is needed as was before but time 100.
Obama has pledged $100 million, Wyclef Jean has a fund going, and so do various other groups. We must help out in any way we can. I know we are all college students and we’re struggling, but anything is better than nothing. Even if its just helping to raise awareness about this catastrophe that is still aid. Don’t have the mind set that ‘I don’t have to do anything now, there are a lot of people helping out. My little donation won’t make that much of a difference.’ because there are probably hundreds of other people thinking the same thing. If everyone thought like that nothing would ever happen. In the motto of Gloria Richardson and Malcolm X’s direct action civil rights group ACT, I ask of you to do just that and act.
How you can help in Pittsburgh:
WorldVision is sending pallets of relief materials and medical supplies. Donations can be made at www.donate.wordlvision.org
Brother’s Brother Foundation- Haiti by visiting www.brotherbrother.org
Functional Literacy of Haiti at www.flmhaiti.org
Unicef by calling 18004UNICEF or going to www.unicefusa.org/haitiquake
The International Rescue Committee is deploying an emergency response team to Haiti. Visit www.theirc.org
Darah Patterson
