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Ron Daniels: The U.S. Owes Haiti a ?Special Debt?

CAP-HAITIEN, Haiti (NNPA) ? The year 2004 was supposed to be spectacular for Ron Daniels, founder of the Haiti Support Project. He had planned a ?Cruise into History,? taking 500 African-Americans to Haiti to commemorate the 200th year of independence. Descendants of Africa in the U.S. and those in Haiti proudly recall that Toussaint L?Ouverture led a successful slave revolt against the French in 1804, chasing Napoleon Bonaparte?s troops out of the country and making Haiti the first Black independent nation in the Western Hemisphere.

?There is a special debt we all owe to Haiti,? Daniels explained.

?Haiti did, in fact, give us our dignity back when we were on our knees. It did that at the height of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Of the three greatest revolutions ? American, French and Haitian ? only the Haitian Revolution really emancipated the slaves. In that sense, it was the greater of the revolutions from a human rights perspective.?

But the celebratory ?cruise into history? from Port of Miami-Dade in Florida to Labadee beach, the private landing for Royal Caribbean Cruise Line near Cap-Haitien in the northern part of the country, ran into some troubled waters. Backed by the United States, democratically-elected President Jean-Betrand Aristide was forced from office, making Daniels decide between canceling the trip and risking his reputation with Haitians who had looked to him for support and risking lawsuits from passengers who had paid in advance to see the famous Citadel, the mountaintop fortress often referred to as the 8th Wonder of the World, and the nearby San Souci Palace.

It didn?t help that activist Randall Robinson had publicly called for Daniels to cancel the trip because of what Daniels calls the ?orchestrated ouster? of Aristide or actor/activist Danny Glover?s decision not to accompany Daniels on the trip.

?The trip became controversial because people were saying we were going to legitimize, re-enforce and provide cover and protection for a illegitimate government,? Daniels recalls. ?We took hits because of that.?

To convey a different impression, organizers decided not to the visit the Citadel or the San Souci Palace, two of the highlights of the tour. Instead, they remained docked at Labadee.

?The real painful part was that upwards of 10,000 people ? even when the word went out [that they were coming inland] ? literally lined up at Cap-Haitien, all along the road, waiting to see their African-American brothers. People were shattered that we didn?t come. It was one of the most painful things in my life.?

National Urban League President Marc Morial, his wife, Michelle, and a few others left the ship to meet with some of the local residents. But that did not satisfy everyone.

?Business people were supposed to come on the ship. People were enraged. We tried to explain that we were in an impossible situation. This was not about the Haiti Support Project, it was about the treachery of Haitian politics.?

Many passengers brought numerous school supplies ? HSP has donated more than two tons of school supplies to students in Milot ? and Daniels made plans for them to be left at Labadee for them.

?This is what I like about the Haitian people,? Daniels said. ?They said, ?We know you have come bringing school supplies. But, Ron Daniels, if you?ve come to do this just as a publicity stunt, you can take those school supplies and put them back on the ship and go back to New York. We will not accept them.? It was that level of pride.?

They accepted Daniels? word that he would return with another delegation of African-Americans when the political climate was more stable. Earlier this month, he returned with a group of 50 opinion makers, whom he hopes will become unofficial ambassadors for Haiti.

Arriving by plane, Daniels party was greeted at the airport by a United Nations escort, the opening night reception was hosted by Patrick Delatour, the Minister of Tourism;

private receptions were held at the residence U.S. Ambassador Janet Sanderson, and President Rene Preval and Prime Minister Jacques-Edouard Alexis hosted a reception in the Presidential Palace. Rep. Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-Texas), vice chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, served as co-chair of the delegation and expressed support for the Haiti Support Project.

This time, people again lined the main street, particularly in Milot, at the foot of the Citadel. Excited children waved and marveled at three busloads of African-American tourists, bands and dancers led a parade down the main street and residents were perched on tree limbs and rooftops, waving at and smiling to their fellow African descendants.

In addition to building support for Haiti among African-Americans, Daniels also unveiled the architectural drawing of a multi-purpose community and visitors center that will include an elementary school, a computer center and vocational education programs. It?s part of a 5-year project to help empower Milot as a tourist attraction and foster economic development.

Upon arriving in Port-au-Prince, Daniels proclaimed, ?Not only do African-Americans owe a debt to Haiti, the United States owes a debt to Haiti. Haitian troops fought in the crucial Battle of Savannah in the Revolutionary War and helped secure the Louisiana Purchase, which nearly doubled the size of the newly-emerging nation. That would not have been possible without the success of the Haitian Revolution.?

He knows that Haitians are appreciative of the support.

Referring to the 2004 trip, Daniels recalled: ?We left those school supplies on the beach and walked away. Nine months later, we came here and that committee came in and one woman opened up a ledger that had the names of every child that had gotten school supplies and every school. They never gave up on us.?

And Daniels has never given up on Haiti. With 80 percent of its 8 million residents living in abject poverty and almost half illiterate, Daniels recognizes the country faces serious hurdles. But he argues that Haiti is much more than the sum of its problems.

?As long as Haiti can be despairingly talked about as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere ?that we can?t get it right, that it was the first Black Republic in the West, but look at them now ? I think that reflects on all of us,? Daniels said.

?I look forward to the day when Haiti is no longer seen as the basket case of the hemisphere or it can be referred to as the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. It?s a developing nation that is vibrant and thriving. When it?s elevated, we?re all elevated.?

(The Haiti Support Project is headquartered at 31-35 95th Street, East Elmhurst, N.Y. 11369. Telephone 718/429-1415 or 877/424-8404. E-mail info@ibw21.org).