No time to waste; help Haiti now
- By Marc Morial
- Published 01/25/2010
- Political
- Unrated
Marc Morial
Marc Morial has been president and CEO of the National Urban League since 2003. Prior to taking the helm with the NUL, he served as a Louisiana State Senator and Mayor of New Orleans. Currently, he also He serves as an Executive Committee member of the Leadership Conference
on Civil Rights, the Black Leadership Forum, and Leadership 18, and is
a Board Member of the Muhammad Ali Center, and the New Jersey
Performing Arts Center.
But, as governments, the United Nations and relief organizations
scramble to rescue an already distressed nation from a crisis of
biblical proportions, there is still a need for all of us to donate
whatever dollars, supplies and expertise we can. This tragedy also
challenges the United States and other countries to change
long-standing policies that have contributed to Haiti’s status as the
poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.
It is clear that right now, cash donations are the best way to help. We are urging everyone to donate to the Haiti Support Project’s Haiti Relief Fund at www.ibw21.org. Headed by noted political scientist and scholar, Dr. Ron Daniels, IBW, or the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, is committed to an enhanced quality of life and the overall development of Black people and the Global Black Community. The group’s Haitian Support Project provides humanitarian and economic assistance to Haitian non-governmental organizations seeking to ameliorate the dire conditions of the Haitian people, most of whom live on less than $2 dollars a day. You can also go to www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake to choose another organization to contribute to.
While we applaud President Obama’s swift response and commitment of $100 million in immediate emergency relief, we urge the government to take further steps to rectify years of U.S. trade and immigration embargoes that have had adverse consequences for the people of Haiti. In the wake of this disaster, the Obama Administration has halted deportations and has granted Temporary Protected status to 100,000 Haitian nationals who, prior to Jan. 12, have been living in the United States illegally. This will allow them to continue living and working here for the next 18 months.
For years, the Congressional Black Caucus, the IBW and others have been fighting for more aid and engagement with Haiti. CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee has made an impassioned plea that we take this opportunity to bring more of those efforts to fruition. We agree. In our view, the United States has both a moral and political obligation to lead a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Haiti, like the Marshall Plan, to ensure that the physical infrastructure and human lives are permanently rebuilt.
It is clear that right now, cash donations are the best way to help. We are urging everyone to donate to the Haiti Support Project’s Haiti Relief Fund at www.ibw21.org. Headed by noted political scientist and scholar, Dr. Ron Daniels, IBW, or the Institute of the Black World 21st Century, is committed to an enhanced quality of life and the overall development of Black people and the Global Black Community. The group’s Haitian Support Project provides humanitarian and economic assistance to Haitian non-governmental organizations seeking to ameliorate the dire conditions of the Haitian people, most of whom live on less than $2 dollars a day. You can also go to www.whitehouse.gov/HaitiEarthquake to choose another organization to contribute to.
While we applaud President Obama’s swift response and commitment of $100 million in immediate emergency relief, we urge the government to take further steps to rectify years of U.S. trade and immigration embargoes that have had adverse consequences for the people of Haiti. In the wake of this disaster, the Obama Administration has halted deportations and has granted Temporary Protected status to 100,000 Haitian nationals who, prior to Jan. 12, have been living in the United States illegally. This will allow them to continue living and working here for the next 18 months.
For years, the Congressional Black Caucus, the IBW and others have been fighting for more aid and engagement with Haiti. CBC Chairwoman Barbara Lee has made an impassioned plea that we take this opportunity to bring more of those efforts to fruition. We agree. In our view, the United States has both a moral and political obligation to lead a comprehensive plan for the reconstruction of Haiti, like the Marshall Plan, to ensure that the physical infrastructure and human lives are permanently rebuilt.