the haiti earthquake.pdf

Journal of Black Studies42(2) 127–130? The Author(s) 2011Reprints and permission: : :// munity CollegeCorresponding Author:Garvey Lundy, PhD, Social Science Division, Montgomery munity College, 340 DeKalb Pike, Blue Bell, PA 19422. Email: ******@ Haiti Earthquake of 2010: The Politics of a Natural DisasterGarvey Lundy1This issue of the Journal of Black Studies (JBS) explores Haiti in the context of the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Hence the title “The Haiti Earthquake of 2010: The Politics of a Natural Disaster,” where the word “politics” is used broadly to mean the varied social and historical forces that predate the earthquake and have played out in the aftermath. Haiti—the country that occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola—has fascinated schol-ars for centuries. As the first Black republic in the Western Hemisphere, its people—“Gilded African[s],” to borrow a phrase from Napoleon—lifted itself from the wretches of slavery to create a nation ruled by Blacks and for Blacks. This collective act of self-determination shook the modern world to its foundation. During an era of revolutions, the world was simply not prepared for the singular revolution that gave birth to Haiti. Isolated, occupied, and manipulated by outside forces, Haiti has paid dearly for what