The Society has asked me, as the only Haitian-born priest with the Maryknoll missionaries, to be the point-man in assisting our relief efforts to Haiti.  This article is the first of what will be a series to update our donors on the crisis in Haiti.  The following contains some background information as well as some personal observations.

The Republic of Haiti was founded in 1804 by former African slaves. In a revolt that united the plantation slaves, the freed slaves, and those born of slave mothers and French masters, such as Alexandre Petion and Jean-Pierre Boyer, the French colonial power was overthrown and Haiti gained its independence.  Haiti was the first black independent country and the second independent country in Western Hemisphere, the first being the United States.  From the time of its independence to this moment, Haiti has enjoyed only short intervals of stability. This chronic instability and unrest led to the 1952 American invasion.  After the Americans left, things went from bad to worse. Political instability plunged the Republic into a state of dire poverty that has lasted to this day. Haiti, once called the Pearl of the Antilles for its beauty, has become, one might say, the scorn of the region. Haiti went from being a leader in the region, fighting alongside many nations in their struggles for freedom, to becoming the poorest country in the region.