Martin Luther King Day

January 15th has been a holiday in the United States of American in memory of  Dr. Rev Martin Luther King.

Here are some of our thoughts on a man known by many but still not truly understood.

As we see the sunset on another MLK (Martin Luther King Jr) Day, which incidentally is celebrated as an official holiday in the US.  I do wonder if we even know what the dream is, today. As I go through my personal experiences in general, I realize aesthetically it seems that we have come quite far but when you go more in depth we are following a course that has been set for us and it’s an unconscious journey.

Forty-nine years later, we are coming out of the worst economic crisis most of us have seen in our adult lives and it gives reason for pause as the rich seem to be getting richer and the poor, even poorer. Despite the glimmer of hope that has been the realization of the dream with the election of President Barrack Obama being one of the most influential leaders in the western hemisphere. I think that we have forgotten that a dream of this magnitude requires all participants and an excerpt from another one of Dr. King’s speeches reminds us (by my interruption) that only collectively do we achieve. Although at this juncture we do see these glimmers we have to be cognisant that there is a legacy to overcome, and it will not, and cannot be done overnight. Therefore it is time for all people of the human race to recommit to the “collection dream” that does not set us apart but puts us side by side.

As we celebrate this 49^th Anniversary of the Dr. Rev Martin Luther King Jr’s speech “I Have a Dream” remember the  MLK DreamKeepers (Ottawa) but also remember we all have a stake in making the dream an everyday reality.  

208 Years of Independence and 2 Years Later!

Port-au-Prince from a layman's prospective

After the catastrophic earthquake that hit Haiti 2 years ago today(January 12). They are still questions as to the status of the rebuilding efforts on the island. It should be noted that their is still no clear indication as to the death toll in the area and this maybe related to the fact that there was no clear indication of the population in the area prior to this natural disaster. However, it is reported that they are still 634,000 people in the displacement camps as reported by the IOM.

On the brighter side the cholera out-break that hit the island subsequent to the earthquake did not affect the island as first anticipated and Cuba played an integral roll in insuring this outcome.

After this natural disaster some visionaries recognized that this may have been the opportunity they have been waiting for to address a problem that has long been identified but never rectified. The overcrowding, chronic unemployment, poor infrastructure and historical despair. As with previous attempts this seems to be running up against the same barriers experienced by this island over the years with the major obstacle being the lack consistent international interest and funding. This time we hope that with high powered people involved such as former United States of American President Bill Clinton, former Governor General of Canada and appointed Special Envoy for Haiti Michaëlle Jean just to name a few. This trend will dissipate and a new trend would emerge lead by the following flickers of hope.

These flickers of hope are being shown by companies from South Korea such as Sae-A, the biggest clothing manufactures, Marriott International in association with telecom giant Digicel will be building a 173 room hotel to be opened within the next 2 years. (We will be watching and hoping to be on the ground at the grand opening). Another economic driver to help stimulate Haiti's economy would be a return to agriculture to assist in the reduction of food imports which has drop significantly over the few years.

Our hope for Haiti and Haitians in this New Year is not to continue business as usual but be rejuvenated and reflect the pride of being the first independent island nation in the region celebrating 208 years of "drinking soup".