
The bitter taste of the dismal elections in Haiti could not diminish the joy of the return of President Jean-Bertrand Aristide and his family after seven years of forced exile in South Africa.

“I was at his (President Aristide’s) house, we heard a roar of shouts of joy, and then over the walls people started coming in, pouring into the courtyard of the house when they saw the car. People were accompanying the car as many as three miles from the airport to his house,” relates Pierre Labossiere of the jubilant welcome that greeted the Aristides on their return to Haiti ending seven long years of exile for them and brutal repression of the people they had to leave behind. Pierre tells the story of the Haitian people and how their never-say-die spirit continues to inspire the world.

One year after the Jan. 12, 2010, earthquake, more than a million people remain homeless in Haiti. People are living under plastic tarps or sheets in concrete parks, up to the edge of major streets, in the side streets, on the sides of hills, literally everywhere. One year later, it is critically important for the international community to assist Haitians to secure real housing. The million homeless Haitians are our sisters and brothers and still need our solidarity and help.

One of the stories least reported has been the one about Haitians organizing for themselves. This is one woman’s story of how she, her family and the people in the various communities in which she works came together collectively to care for each other’s needs and how that struggle has become the foundation of a new movement of the poor for change in education and the material lives of women and men – a struggle for dignity.

When the Aristide Foundation for Democracy launched our mobile school project in late February we wanted to do two things quickly: support children living in refugee camps across Port au Prince and offer immediate employment to young Haitians at a time when the whole economy has collapsed.

Set on the banks of the Mississippi during the Civil War, “…and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi” is a poetic journey of forgiveness and redemption inspired by the myth of Demeter and Persephone. This thought-provoking play combines traditional storytelling, gospel music and a wicked sense of humor to create a rich, imaginative world that allows trees to preach, rivers to waltz and Jesus to moonwalk. The run has been extended through April 25.

“Two months after the devastating earthquake, the situation in Haiti is downright criminal,” says Robert Roth. According to the spokesperson for the activist network Haiti Action Committee, major Western players such as the U.S. are more interested in defending their own geopolitical interests in Haiti than truly helping the hard hit Caribbean country.

Videographer Siraj Fowler “tells the truth about the real conditions a proud and G’d-fearing people are living in,” their “city turned demolition zone/cemetery.” Don’t miss the media-medical team’s report-backs and their film ‘Haiti: Rising from the Ashes’ on Wednesday, March 17, 7 p.m., at the Richard Oakes Multicultural Center in the Cesar Chavez Student Union (upstairs on the T-Level), San Francisco State University; and Thursday, March 25, 7 p.m., at the Kaos Network, 4343 Leimert Blvd, Los Angeles.

The latest figures for Haiti are $333 million donated to the Red Cross but only $106 million spent, while thousands of Haitians are dying preventable deaths and only half of the 1.3 million homeless have even a tarp as the rainy season begins. Send YOUR donations to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund at HaitiAction.net! And protest at UN headquarters Wednesday, March 31, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., at Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, 47th & First, NYC.

The People’s National Party of Belize organized a Kayak for Haiti Kayakathon to raise funds for the victims of the quake. Despite the inclement weather, Kayak for Haiti was a success because the target was met and surpassed. The total amount raised was $1,404. The money will go to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund.

Who IS Angela Davis? Don’t miss Angela Carroll’s new film, “Angela Y. Davis: Radical Pedagogy,” screening Wednesday, March 10, 1-3 p.m. in the Richard Oakes Room, Cesar Chavez Student Union, SF State University, and 6-7 p.m. and 7-8 p.m., at the Jazz Heritage Center, 1330 Fillmore St., San Francisco; Friday, March 12, 8-9 p.m. and 9-10 p.m., also at the Jazz Heritage Center; and Thursday, April 1, 6:30 p.m., at Barrios Unidos, 1817 Soquel Ave., Santa Cruz.

Join with me in showing some love to the Haitian people. If not for the blood and courage of our ancestors there in Haiti, we here in the U.S. would not have our freedom today, as it was the example of Haiti defeating the great powers of Europe that sparked numerous other rebellions against slavery and oppression – in Mexico, South America and here in the U.S.

Pierre Labossierre, cofounder of the Haiti Action Committee, alerts us to oppose “relief” funds and protest U.S. military occupation that threaten Haitian independence and sovereignty and to demand the return of President Aristide and the inclusion of Lavalas in Haitian democracy. Following the interview, listen and watch audio and video files featuring Pierre, Cynthia McKinney, Kiilu Nyasha, Nia Imara, Minister of Information JR, Joy Moore and more – all calling on everyone to “stand in solidarity with Haiti.”

The people of Haiti, who won their independence with the world’s only successful slave rebellion, will rise again – with our help and solidarity. Donate to the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund through HaitiAction.net; consult this page for frequent updates; add your recommendations and information in the Comments section.

Four tropical storms in a month killed between 500 and 1,000 Haitians and left hundreds of thousands homeless. Because preparedness under Aristide had been abandoned and the U.N. won’t help, damage and suffering are much worse than necessary.