Submitted by Marjory on Fri, 2010-02-05 12:24

Filed under:

• Social Change in Oregon
• Haiti

Like many people, I donated money for earthquake relief in Haiti. My first gift went to Mercy Corps because of their commitment to creating jobs for local people.

At the same time, my partner and I set a goal for giving four times that amount in the months ahead as we learn more about long-term rebuilding efforts. We’re both aware what happens after a massive natural disaster can have devastating effects and deepen existing inequities based on class and race.

In the weeks after Hurricane Katrina, developers with deep pockets and the politicians who love them talked about the flooding in New Orleans as an opportunity to raze the city and start over. Grassroots activists knew that would mean the people with limited means who lost everything in the storm would be shut out of the reconstruction.

Naomi Klein called it “disaster capitalism,” and similar talk is already starting in Haiti.

People who value social justice need to do our part to support the Haitian people’s movements for self-determination in the months ahead. We can do this by advocating for policies that support Haitian refugees and disaster relief efforts that respect the human rights of the Haitian people.

In our giving and grantmaking, we can prioritize organizations that have deep relationships in Haiti and knowledge of cultural norms. And we can support Haitian workers as they try to provide for their families, through fundraising efforts like the one hosted by MRG grantees CAUSA and PCUN.

Naomi Klein writes, “When [a] crisis occurs, the actions taken depend on the ideas that are lying around.” That’s true for developers that have reconstruction plans ready in their back pockets. But it’s also true for human rights workers and community organizers that have networks of grassroots leaders and a clear sense of what a just rebuilding process would look like.

Watch for their stories in the months ahead, and help them take action.