Jackson Perry
Although Garvey Pierre (COL ’09) lost his sister in last week’s tragic earthquake in Haiti, he still has hope for his country. As a resident of Port-au-Prince, Haiti until he was 15-years-old, Pierre has found the international support in the days since the earthquake “overwhelming.”
“I am extremely pleased with the world response so far, in terms of the compassion and support that we have been receiving,” Pierre wrote in an e-mail.
Pierre has been advocating for Haiti since coming to Georgetown. Bringing attention to pre-earthquake issues in Haiti by working with Vwa Ayiti, a non-governmental organization that focuses on developmental projects in Haiti.
Now he believes Haiti can use its current assistance to rebuild the country and create a new level of self-sufficiency.
“It would be counterproductive to only provide temporary relief in a situation like this,” Pierre said. “We have a real opportunity to decentralize the nation, re-invest in its crumbling infrastructure, and provide the country with an ‘economic stimulus’ that may relieve the people of their dependency on outside help … for good.”
Maurice Jackson, an associate professor of Atlantic and African-American history, agrees that international support has been tremendous, and believes that American support in particular is important to the relief response.
Given its proximity to the Haitian embassy, Jackson said Georgetown is the perfect place for students interested in helping with the relief effort.
“Americans do have a great volunteer spirit,” Jackson said. “We as Americans can do a lot to restore that [Haitian] civic society.”
While Pierre and Jackson see great potential for Haiti’s future, Denise Brennan, an associate professor of anthropology who has worked in the Dominican Republic and is familiar with Haiti, is more circumspect. Though she does believe the Haitian people are “incredibly resourceful,” she also points out that pre-earthquake Haiti was plagued by deep-seated social issues, including problems with its infrastructure, low literacy rates, and a poor health care system.
“If you’re in a pile of rubble, I just don’t know how you can get out,” Brennan said. “Most of the country is just hanging on.”
Despite uncertainty about the future, many Haitians at Georgetown are optimistic. Elizabeth Louis (COL’11), who has family in Port-au-Prince, Les Cayes, and Léogâne, believes that the faith Haitians have in each other and their nation will help them through their ordeal.
“I think Haiti does have a good future,” Louis said. “The Haitian people are resilient. They will get through this as a country.”
