#FreeHaiti Movement - There is no Fear in Love

From Adventures of SonSon - Part 2

I’ve been planning to write more about the idea of #FreeHaiti for months. My last post was in May. Around that time I started caring for a baby during the nights, started a new remote job, and in September, school went back to normal. That ended my blogging spree. But it’s time to post this. 

So much has happened in Haiti since I last posted. The president was assassinated in July, there was an earthquake in August which we felt all the way here, there was a heartbreaking immigration crisis with Haitians at the U.S.-Mexico border, and now the kidnapping crisis in Haiti has been brought to the world’s attention as 16 Americans and one Canadian are being held hostage after being kidnapped weeks ago. (Update: I have had this in draft for a bit and two hostages have now been released.)

I want to address the current state of Haiti while touching on the remaining topics discussed in the #FreeHaiti group, which are believed to be holding Haiti down. I mentioned before that I appreciate many of the group members’ thoughts, but there does seem to be a pro-voodoo, anti-Christianity sentiment that I definitely don’t agree with. However, it has brought some things to my attention and I have entered into some good dialogue about it. 

The remaining topics from what I outlined in the original post include foreign interference in Haitian government, US/UN occupation, and corruption. Again, religion is also a topic that I have since observed mentioned a lot in the group. Let me start with religion. 

The basic sentiment regarding religion that I’ve heard from the Free Haiti Movement Facebook group is that Christianity is the religion of Haiti’s oppressors. Ezili Danto is the person who coined the #FreeHaiti Movement and I think she’s actually a mambo, which is a voodoo priestess. I asked my friend and one of our employees about her thoughts on the notion that Christianity is the religion of Haiti’s oppressors, or their God is the God of their oppressors, and here is what she said:

When I first moved here, I thought it would be cool to interview a voodoo priest. I was interested in learning more about it. The youth in our program warned strongly against that. They expressed unanimous fear and made it clear that they had a history of knowledge about the harm these people could inflict. I shared this in another post, but Willy’s interview provides a strong example. 

I’ve had lots of experiences throughout my 15 years here and have many stories I could share. But my thoughts were even more solidified when I recently read a book about the infamous dictator of Haiti, Francois Duvalier. From what the book says, he seemed to start out as a smart young man and doctor who grew up witnessing rapid changes in government leadership, a U.S. occupation, and was a patriot who truly wanted the best for his country. 

However, voodoo was peppered throughout the story. Duvalier was committed to it. When he entered the presidential election, the book says that he sacrificed his good friend and driver in a voodoo ceremony in an attempt to secure the presidency!!! 

Before Duvalier was a candidate in a presidential election, he was highly involved in politics. He spent time in hiding as he was hunted by Magloire, the president before him in the 1950s. A neighboring family helped him while he was hiding. The man was a fellow politician named Clement Jumelle. After Duvalier became president, Jumelle went into hiding because Duvalier became suspicious of him, despite all Jumelle had done for Duvalier, believing that all other politicians would try to take him out. Jumelle eventually came out of hiding to seek medical treatment as he was very sick. He died shortly after. The book describes the funeral preceding and how it was interrupted by Duvalier’s men. As they led the casket down the street, his men intervened, took the body, and apparently went on to take Jumelle's heart for a voodoo ceremony!

Let it be known that the author seemed quite objective and was a Haitian resident, originally from New Zealand. He was the great uncle of one of my Creole students, whom I read the book with in Creole. Reading the book reminded me of the Star Wars movie where you painfully watch young Annikan Skywalker, with all the potential in the world, make decisions out of fear and follow evil influences until he turns into the horrible Darth Vader. Observing the transformation is difficult. You just want to take the young man aside and put him on the right track. It's truly a tragic transformation.

It was understandable that Duvalier was paranoid. He grew up in Port-au-Prince watching president after president overthrown. I even know some Haitians who think he was a good leader. There was much more order when he was president. But on the other hand, I have a friend whose father was an educated man and involved in politics. He was forced to flee Haiti during Duvalier’s regime. Unfortunately, rather than being able to work together with fellow leaders as he seemed to intend early on, he saw them all as enemies, which depleted the country of leadership.  The key word is fear. The result is extreme self preservation and upliftment at the expense of others without any disregard.

Another part of the book I found disturbing was the fact that the U.S. supported Duvalier with huge sums of money even after they knew of the atrocities he was committing. I shared a few atrocities above, but the book became hard to stomach with all of the horrible stories. The U.S. supported him because he agreed to be their ally against Cuba and communism. I believe a key word here as well is fear. 

True Christianity, the teachings of Jesus Christ, replaces fear with love, even when it means sacrificing one’s self. The Bible commands us not to fear hundreds of times throughout it. 

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear.” - 1 John 4:18

"This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters." -1 John 3:16

I now arrive at a current situation some have been talking about, regarding how Christians in Port-au-Prince should react to the kidnappings that have plagued the capital of Haiti more than ever before, from what I understand. I wrote about some experiences I’ve had this past year with the matter here. If you aren’t aware, churches and church leaders have been targeted by kidnappers. Kidnappings have taken place during church services, on camera, etc. This has gotten to the point that some churches have decided not to open. Others have told their congregation to bring weapons to church and to prepare to fight, should they be attacked. 

I recently had a conversation with a Haitian Christian friend about the news that some churches in Port-au-Prince were instructing their church members to come to church with machetes, teaching them to not fear death, but to be ready to fight, and have faith in eternal life that is promised to them in the Bible. She seemed to think that that mindset was one of outliers and radicals. They were not her denomination of Christianity. 

I felt strongly that in this situation, that is exactly how a Christian should behave. She shied away from the conversation when I started getting zealous so I let it go. But when I heard that some churches were preparing in this way, my first thoughts were, “Amen! Men and women of God stand up!” 

In my last post, I wrote about the recent U.S. court decision about Kyle Rittenhouse, the now 18-year-old who shot and killed two protestors a year ago, who was just found not guilty on November 19th. I also mention the death of Ahmaud Arbery who was killed by neighborhood men who decided to take the law into their own hands. Both are examples of arrogant vigilantism mingled with racism, where the killers were highly out of line and should be held accountable. I’m about to suggest the opposite in Haiti. 

In Haiti, unlike the United States which is an extremely organized and controlled country in comparison, the government has been getting its butt kicked by criminals, some from within. At this point, the elected president has been assassinated and who knows when a fair election will be held. Kidnappings are all the norm and families of kidnapping victims scramble to find funds to pay ransoms, thus encouraging the business even more. 

But I know that there are many, many Haitians living in Haiti who are committed to doing the right thing. There are many families that raise their children with a necessary strictness that may be considered abusive in the U.S. but keeps children from falling into the wrong path in Haiti. Whenever we have stayed with my husband’s family in Grisongade, Haiti, I have been amazed by the church bell ringing at 5am in an area with no electricity. As it’s pitch black, people get up out of their beds to go to the church and pray. It’s a dedication that is hard to find in places of more comfort...which is everywhere else I’ve ever been. 

In the same community, the practice of voodoo is near and widespread. It's true that voodoo is not all negative, as many will object, wanting to stay religiously neutral. It does involve healings, but also involves a very large amount of killings, stealing, and trickery. It's hard to celebrate the small percentage of positives when the same person believed to be in charge of the healings is also in charge of inflicting sicknesses.

Some, or perhaps many Haitians, have their feet in both doors. If there’s one thing I have come away with from those visits to Haiti is a tangible feeling of spiritual warfare with very committed warriors on both sides.  

I can’t help but to think that when a kidnapping occurs, others know where the person is being held hostage. Men and women of God stay crippled in fear, wanting to keep themselves and their families out of the line of fire. But by doing so, they've allowed the fire to linger and grow. Or they take their families and flee to the Dominican Republic which is not to blame either. 

I’m certainly a fan of stricter gun control laws in the U.S. I am a fan of the Civil Rights Movement and non-violence. However, I do believe there are times to fight. I do believe there are times to put your life on the line, take a stance against people destroying the lives of others, and the only practical way to do that is to be armed and organized in some way. 

Over and over I’ve seen things done in upside down ways because of fear amongst Haitians. Someone gets fired from their job for very good reasons, yet no one else wants to take the job, although they greatly need the opportunity, because they fear that the person who lost their job will inflict harm on them via voodoo out of jealousy. Grown men throw fits like children, only their fits are much more dangerous than those of children, and everyone decides that the best course of action is to give this man what he wants so that he calms down. These are just a few examples that often shape things in the wrong direction. 

Some people hope and pray that the U.S. sends troops to Haiti. The #FreeHaitiMovement takes the stance that that would not be a good thing, and that Haitians can do this on their own. With that, I completely agree. Although it might not look like it right now, I know they can do it. This country has a history of heroism and victims overthrowing their abusers. Its story of independence dignifies humans of color and ancestors of slaves like no other true story that I know of. I strongly believe that if the infrastructure is put in place and the right people are empowered in the right way, the country will thrive. It will thrive and it will astound the world in the same way it has astounded those of us foreigners who have been captivated by it. 

With that being said, I think the only way for this to happen is for those warriors that have been on the battlefield for so long to practice a fearless love, based on faith, and stand up against criminals in whatever way necessary. I don’t know exactly what that looks like and it’s something that is led by the Holy Spirit, but preparing to fight back when under attack certainly makes sense to me! 

I pray that the spirit of fear is driven away from the country. I pray that a fearless love embeds itself deep in the minds and hearts of righteous men and women. I pray that when the time comes to act out of a fearless love, that there is no hesitation, but it’s automatic. May the Holy Spirit go before them. I know that deep down inside, those practicing evil through such things as kidnappings have an underlying need for a good whooping. They need someone to be stronger and more fearless than they are and to show them the way. They are fatherless and completely lost. 

I don’t pray this as someone on the sidelines. I have practiced it. I have physically stepped into dangerous situations and stood my ground and fought on many occasions. I’ll admit I have no proximity with guns, nor have I had to, thankfully, but have experienced fists flying, rocks flying, machetes flying, etc. I do have such experience and a scar on my head to prove it. I don’t come across this mayhem often anymore, but it was quite the norm when things got started with a group of youth straight off the streets, young leadership trying to do what we can, and a pecking order not yet well established. I touch on this a bit here in this post from 11 years ago. 

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. May your kingdom come. 

Lock Up Kyle for A While

 

I haven't written in several months. Life got busy again. My writing spree was allowed due to kids being home with virtual school, no volunteer groups coming, and not having steady remote work. All of that changed, and more, thankfully, although it was fun learning about current events and developing thoughts during that time. 

Last night I learned about the Kyle Rittenhouse verdict. I was quite surprised to hear that he was found not guilty on all charges. Perhaps I shouldn't be surprised anymore, just continually disturbed. Last February, I wrote a post (here) comparing Rittenhouse (the armed 17-year-old who killed two people at a protest in Kenosha, Wisconsin in August 2020), to Brandon Bernard. Brandon Bernard was an African American man who was executed almost a year ago for being affiliated with a killing over 30 years ago when he was 18 years old, despite jurors who convicted him pleading that the decision be reversed. At that point, Rittenhouse had merely been released on bond. Now that he has been acquitted altogether, the contradiction just looks that much bigger. 

Today was one of those days where I couldn't shake my disturbance. The only way to quench it was to read up, and now to write my thoughts. I read many articles on the verdict, watched some videos from the trials, and conversed online with some folks. Perhaps what struck me the hardest was a statement by Anthony Huber's parents. This statement can be found in this article.  

Huber was the second man shot and killed that night. He was unarmed, like the first. He reacted to Rittenhouse shooting the first man, Joseph Rosenbaum, and likely sought to apprehend him and disarm him. I specifically remember my criminal law instructor telling us that self-defense is a very hard defense to establish to justify a killing. We read several cases that proved what he said, with situations like pregnant woman going to jail for killing their abusive husbands while under attack. I see that in Wisconsin it's a bit easier to establish self defense because the burden lies on the prosecution to prove that the killer did not act in self defense, rather than the burden lying on the defense, which is the norm. But even so, the key word is reasonable. The jury has to believe that the defendant acted reasonably both in believing he was in imminent threat of death or serious bodily injury, and that the amount of force he used was what a reasonable person would use. 

So the jury was instructed to view the situation as a 17-year-old boy like Rittenhouse would. They were asked to view the situation where he was approached and pulled the trigger from that point of view, but they must not have been instructed to view the reasonableness of the creation of the situation itself. Was it reasonable that a 17-year-old be walking around a town he does not live in during emotional protests with a large deadly weapon like that, basically with the intention of protecting property? The situation in itself is extremely unreasonable. 

Perhaps they should've aimed for a lower charge with the killings. It's not that I want the young man locked up for his whole life, but the message this complete acquittal sends is disturbing. 

I also read that the verdict for the Ahmaud Arbery case should be decided and announced this upcoming week. I have investigated that case too. Arbery was not jogging in jogging clothes as some make it seem, (he had cargo shorts on), but was walking and jogging around the neighborhood where his family says he often jogs. He was seen on camera looking briefly into a house under construction. The cameras showed several others peeking in throughout the weeks and months prior. There was no theft, other than some little neighbor boys who took some plywood. The property owner said on the witness stand that he never asked the defendants to protect his home and he barely knows them. Both of these cases are not even in the realm of police brutality, which is trickier because of qualified immunity. The defendants are civilians practicing vigilantism. 

I don't have anything else to say and there's nothing I can do. When that is the case, the only option is to pray, (not that prayer should be a last resort, by any means). 

Lord, God, Jehovah, Yahweh, the Alpha and the Omega, the Begining and the End, please don't let them acquit those men, or at least the one that pulled the trigger. It pains me and I feel the pain of those who suffer from these injustices, this hate, this discrimination and devalution. I feel the pain of the Rittenhouse verdict and I fear the pain of an acquittal in the Arbery case. Please, may justice be served. May the jury's decision reflect your will. May there be healing. May the scales be balanced. May your kingdom come.

Amen. Below is my 4-year-old Gabriel's depiction of God. I guess he sees God as a sun-shaped house-like creature with a smile. 

 

 

#FreeHaiti: NGO Dependency

Adventures of SonSon - Part 2

This is the second post about the #FreeHaiti movement that will be looking at how NGO dependency and the mentality of Haitians is a barrier to their freedom from chains that bind the country. To learn more about the #FreeHaiti movement, check out the first post. I am doing a series of posts to discuss the different problems the Free Haiti Movement has defined as holding Haiti down. 

The other day, I noticed a Facebook post by a former Virginia Tech football player, who I know from tutoring and mentoring athletes throughout my time at VT, a job which I thoroughly enjoyed. Sergio often uses Facebook to speak out about issues. I asked him if I could share his thoughts from the other day in this post to make a comparison to the mentality of Haitians, although the situations are quite different. He agreed. 

His friend Joshua commented below and said: 

"I am glad you're sick of it bro. We need to keep having these conversations so all people can understand. Yes other privileges are prevalent, but none in comparison to white privilege. The big thing is making people aware that it is not an attack on them, they can't help the privilege and no one is negating hard work. 

Yes, let's continue to work hard when doors are closed but let's also continue to have this conversation no matter how sick we are of it. Good post, though. Happy Friday bro." 

Now, I'm not trying to claim that the advancement of African Americans to the country of Haiti are the same, as the situations are very different, but I do want to look at the mentalities that these comments represent. Sergio's words show a victor or fighter mentality. They show independence. He says that challenges only make him stronger and encourages others to have the same mentality. 

His friend Joshua applauds his mentality, but reminds him that even if you are sick of talking about injustice, you should talk about it until it's unnecessary to talk about. Sergio says that "those things will never change, sadly", but Joshua believes that they will if we keep talking about them. Misunderstandings will fade away and better solutions will be implemented.  

I highly appreciate the mindset of both of these men. I believe that Sergio wants to forget that injustice exists or take away its power as a way to plow over it and get beyond it. Joshua wants to point out injustice so that it can't hide or be accepted and thus continue. I talked about this very topic in this post as well. 

So how does this apply to the Haitian mindset and NGO dependency? Ezili Danzo, the founder of the Free Haiti Movement, says "We are enough". This is the strong and independent mindset. This is the victor mindset. It means that they don't need to wait for a foreign country to provide aid and they don't need to automatically make plans to move to a foreign country as soon as the opportunity arises. I have noticed over and over again that our teachers who graduated from high school in Haiti have a strong pride over speaking foreign languages, but generally a lack of understanding in the natural sciences. It seems as though the very school system favors the idea of making foreign connections over problem solving and communicating amongst each other internally.  

This leads me to the meaning behind our English camp called Change My Stars. The message we tell kids is that we are not teaching them English so that they try to go to the United States, Canada, or any other foreign country. We believe that English can give them job opportunity right here at home and that additionally, English can allow them to learn from visitors from English speaking countries who do not speak Spanish or Creole. It can also allow them to learn from resources in English. But we encourage them to use their education to create change at home. We oppose the brain drain where the majority of educated people leave their home country. Who, then, will develop the home country? Sure, they can send money back, but does money alone create development? 

Change My Stars - Camp Prayer

We NGOs can strongly influence this mindset by the way we interact with Haitians or members of any developing country. It's a dance between sharing and caring while also empowering beneficiaries to be independent. It takes an intentional team effort. There are entire books on this topic, but I'll share a few things we do. We ask that short term volunteers plan with us before giving out any gifts to students or community members. We try to plan it in a way that rewards school attendance, participation in a workshop, or something that promotes growth. We do it in a fair and non-political way, directly correlated to participation or performance. Sometimes aid is given to a family facing particular struggles, but this isn't usually something short term volunteers are engaged in, and they don't typically have that discresion. 

When I talk to volunteers about what to do if they are requested 10 pesos or something, I tell them just to say, "No puedo", which means "I can't" in Spanish or "M pa kapab" in Creole. When you say "I can't" you are also sending the message "You can". It doesn't mean that you don't want to help, but you are helping in a systemic way, teaching men to fish, rather than a momentary way of giving a man a fish, which might distract them from learning to fish.

I have started following the #FreeHaiti Facebook group more than Twitter, now, and see mention of dekolonizasyon mantal, which means mental decolonization. Even if Haiti became independent in 1804, they argue that mentally, it's still a colony, and that needs to be broken. While I don't agree with many sentiments that are common in this group, I definitely love their focus on creating a healthy mental state among Haitians, and in seeing that as a needed element that will lead to their flourishing. 

We also tell volunteers that because they come from a country where they have access to much more, (not that I personally think that is always a good thing or a sign of superiority), something that seems very small to them could have a large effect on the community here. One might think it's a small act to give their watch to their favorite child before they leave, but do they realize that doing so might encourage a large group of kids to come and request watches from the next volunteer that comes? Planning and working as a team to use such acts of generosity in a strategic way that promotes growth and development is best. 

As some parts of the world enjoy more and more developed technology, comforts, and conveniences, the understanding of needs versus wants continues to alter. A friend once told me that the way my family and I live is basically what many Americans would consider camping. I remember another friend, when she saw we were moving into our small house on the mountain before it had electricity and running water said, "So you're really gonna Little House in the Prairie it here?" I personally couldn't feel more grateful. There are little things we would like to improve, but all in all, we lack nothing. We are blessed, while living below the poverty line by U.S. standards. 

I recently saw a video of Ron and Johanna Melchiore. Ron says he moved from the city to build his own off-the-grid homestead in the 1970s during the Back-to-the-Land movement in the 1970s, which I had never heard of. He's been living as such, sometimes in remote places where the nearest human is a plane ride away, for forty years. I was amazed and excited to see this video as it confirmed something I had been thinking about. 

As we become more dependent on technologies, comforts, and conveniences, are we getting stronger or weaker? Observing the psychology surrounding the coronavirus, I felt like I could see this conundrum first hand. I am in a country where minimum wage is the equivalent of $200 US per month for a 44 hour work week and people were saying things like, "We can make money later. What's important now is our health". On the other hand, social media posts I saw coming from the US regarding the economic challenges were much more dramatic. 

With this perspective, do us expats have something to give in this sense when we go to countries like Haiti, or something to learn? And when we learn lessons or gain experiences from interacting with the severely impoverished, observing their lives, what does it leave them with? This is the ethical question. I am primarily referring to short term volunteer or mission teams here, but I suppose it could also apply to long term folk as well. Does our very presence leave children with a sense that they are lacking, whereas they may have never thought as much prior? And if it does, is that a step in the right direction? 

Of course we have so much to give by means of education, organization, resources, and more. I in no means am trying to suggest that short term service teams are bad! I am only pointing out unwanted side effects if care is not taken, if sensitivity is not practiced, and if strategy and teamwork are not implemented. 

Adventures of SonSon - Part 2

During law school, I was surprised to learn that if you try to help someone experiencing a problem but end up putting them in a worse position than they already were in before you intervened, you are liable for the position they are in. For example, if you find someone stuck on a tree branch and in trying to help them, you push them further out on the branch, closer to their doom, you now have responsibility in their position and are liable. I was convicted by this. I first thought, well it's better to try to help than to not try at all. While that is true, it's important that when you try to help, you carefully consider the effects of what you do. So if the person you're trying to save gets pushed further out onto the branch, you cannot walk away at that point. You now have the responsibility to do whatever it takes to get him back to safety. 

How many Americans go through places like Haiti and the biggest effect they may have is being the living embodiment of a place that seems better and has more? And how many, after having pushed people further out on their branch in that way, so to speak, leave and never look back?

Dominicans sometimes told me early on, while helping teenage boys from the streets, that if you feed them, they won't want to work anymore. I didn't want to remove anyone's work ethics, or ignore their suffering, but there is truth in what they said. It doesn't mean that you should never provide meals, but any support should be in balance with the reality of their lives. It's a topic that should be highly considered, especially among short term groups. I'm not trying to deter people from going on short term trips, but I do think they should be viewed as a long term commitment to the people, even if you're only in the country for a short period. We do our best to build short term trips in such away that make them a contributing part of an ongoing effort that takes these issues seriously, but a lot still lies in the hands of the groups themselves. Some do an excellent job of taking all of this into account. 

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below. I'm not claiming expertise by any means, but I've definitely not given up, and I don't plan to do so. Check out my commitment statement from 10 years ago in this post about a scene in the movie Finding Nemo: Swim Down Together. The net has not broken yet. We still have brothers and sisters caught up in it. So I'm still in the net swimming down. Let's swim down together! #FreeHaiti

   

The Space Between Us

I mentioned in my last post that I got onto Twitter in order to check out the #FreeHaiti movement. I also have mentioned that I enjoy watching the Holy Post podcasts each week. The hosts and all of the guests always mention Twitter so those were the people and groups I started to follow. While I enjoy reading people’s thoughts, I can only take so much of it, as there seems to be little call to action but lots of philosophizing and book sales promoting. I enjoy it, but in small doses.

Truthfully, the main call to action I’ve been observing is the call of one organization for Black Christian leaders that is encouraging Black Christians to leave churches that are “white dominated” or multi-ethnic. They say that this is important to protect their dignity. They seem to be encouraging Black Christians across the country to stop taking the abuse that they assume they are enduring in these “white dominated” churches by leaving.

Another call to action came from Skye Jethani who assigned his followers to read a Christianity Today article by Timothy Dalrymple that talked about the fragmented church. Although reading is a passive action, it is a call to action. Here is that article.  

It talks about the political divide in the evangelical church and contributing factors like media sources that give completely different points of view and information, causing there to be alternative realities. A few quotes had me strongly agreeing as they articulated something that had been bothering me.

“Rather than withdrawing into communities of common loathing, the church should be offering a community of common love, a sanctuary from the fragmentation and polarization, from the loneliness and isolation of the present moment.”

“Hatred is a poor imitation of purpose, celebrity a poor replacement for wisdom, and political tribes a poor comparison to authentic Christian community. “

In addition to the political divide, the call for action I presented above shows an apparently continuing racial divide. It causes me pain. Perhaps what increased this pain was the remembrance of the Virginia Tech shootings last Friday, which marked 14 years. Many of my friends and classmates shared their memories on Facebook of where they were that day and what they remember. I joined in and shared the following:

Today us Hokies remember the tragedy that happened on the Virginia Tech campus 14 years ago. I myself was in lock down in the coliseum. As we reflect on this today, the news is full of more senseless gun violence. Can we talk? Who would like to talk?

What about a political trade off? God gets brought back into schools (not Christianity or the Bible but the promotion of the intellectual possibility of a loving God) in exchange for serious changes in gun laws. I personally think that would be a compromise and also two big steps toward a solution. Much love to you all.

I also shared this sample site I created that embodies a movement that I think would bring about serious, necessary change in the United States. Here it is. I’m looking for a church or group to adopt this project, as I certainly am not in a position to run with it, but would love to see it take off. I would love to support it, advocate for it, network, and do supportive research.

I am doing remote work for an adult computer school in Indianapolis. I meet with students online throughout the day. On Friday, April 16^th, as we remembered what happened 14 years earlier, I learned about what had happened in Indianapolis the night before. Eight people were shot and killed at FedEx. Others were injured. The news reported 45 mass shootings in the past month. I couldn’t shake a feeling of depression and spiritual conviction.   

I feel as though I have always been a peacemaker. I am not afraid of conflict. I embrace it and can be enriched by it. However, I feel very unsettled when it lingers and no action steps are taken to resolve it. I feel unsettled when people aren’t willing to compromise and come to a common understanding. I have felt frustrated as I observe “communities of common loathing” forming or continuing, mostly in regards to politics, and am refreshed by the truth that “hatred is not a common purpose”.

About the organization for Black Christian leaders and their encouragement for Black Christians to leave white led churches, I have many thoughts. First of all, I love their mission of supporting, training, and funding Black Christian leaders, and I have shared their website on different occasions. But it’s also concerning to see them produce work like an article titled “Why Haven’t You Left yet?” which seems to be promoting church segregation. Is this a protection of dignity or a situation where hatred is being masked as a common purpose? I think on a case by case basis, this decision can surely be made as a protection of dignity, which is so very important. However, is it wise to apply to all Black Christians in the entire country? Is that honoring to the kingdom of God? Is this call to maintain an “us versus them” mentality and promote church segregation a good thing?

Whatever it is, it’s surely sad. I will not conclude that this organization is wrong in taking this stance. I have very little insight into the topic. I don’t live in the United States, although I grew up there, and have not had these conversations pertaining to the segregated church in America. The history and topic of race is viewed and treated very differently where I live, along with many other differences that make it hard to compare. I have only become aware of this particular issue through watching Holy Post podcasts. I can conclude that this situation is not God’s will. However, I cannot necessarily blame this particular organization for taking this stance either. Perhaps they could tweak their approach some, but perhaps the white led churches they feel hurt by should reflect seriously as well. I imagine that many are reflecting, or at least I hope so.

One main reason I conclude that segregation is not a solution is because we know that the only way to learn about each other and grow closer together is to listen to one another and speak with one another. Obviously that is not going to happen if we separate. We can separate to show the other that we are upset, in hopes that they will try to reconcile, whether that be apologizing or explaining misunderstandings. But if it doesn’t lead to reconciliation, then we are at a sad point. If I were the hurt party who felt the need to leave, and reconciliation never came, my competitive spirit might take over. I would want to impress the other party by doing something better than them. That’s just me personally.

So what is the solution? I suppose the solution is for white led churches to take this exile seriously, first. Second, I suppose a solution is for white people who desire reconciliation to go to Black led churches. I appreciate the idea of church membership, but I also like being a church hopper in order to avoid any feeling of division and embrace the body of Christ rather than a particular church. I do hope that this organization stays on the correct side of a fine line they are walking, where assumptions or prejudgments about people and churches because of their racial composition still does fall into the category of racism, regardless of patterns observed.    

If you love to discuss racism but shy away from the examination of the explicit racism in Darwin’s foundational works and how racist groups like the Alt-Right use his logic as their base, I would argue that you are not fully looking for a solution, but are being hindered by politics. If you love to discuss the evils of racism but practice it yourself then we know that that is hypocritical, not innovative or solution based. You can’t eradicate something that you practice yourself, although I surely understand the desire to fight back when one feels under attack.

There’s so much talk about white privilege, but I don’t hear any talk about American privilege. There’s an unfortunate hierarchy in the U.S. and we want it to level out. We want equality for all. But please don’t forget about the unfortunate global hierarchy and work to level it out as well. Even if you find yourself low on the U.S. hierarchy, you’re near the top of the global one. 

Sometimes I listen to class struggles in the U.S. with compassion as the history of race relations was always something that brought about much compassion in me. However, other times I hear things that, to me, show how people are really looking at the glass half empty and forgetting how much more level the playing fields have become, despite there still being work to be done. I sometimes relate it to fighting for the position of king of the world. Prince of the world just isn’t satisfying, it seems. Or does the prince not realize what he is? While it’s admirable to want the best, who would feel very sorry for a prince? (Not that anyone is looking for pity, but in referring to a glass half empty mindset). Princes should use their position to do good and know that they may become king one day. So that’s just another perspective coming from outside of the U.S. of A. If you didn't get the analogy, I'm calling "white America" king of the world and "Black America" prince of the world.

The organization on the matter of racial justice over this past year has been amazing. The fact that incidences are taped and made public has allowed for much more accountability. Change is hopeful with the April 20^th verdict of the Chauvin trial. However, it seems as though the public seeing these incidences also creates more fear and rage. It’s important that we keep things in perspective and do not let fear dominate. While we want police reform, just as us women can’t live in fear of men because abuse to women happens, people of color should not live in fear of police because these incidents happen. The United States is a huge country and these things are comparably rare when you look at it that way.

Cariol Horne

One way I believe such incidents could be further reduced is if there were more minority representation in the police force. I was so pleased to hear the story of Cariol Horne as it serves as proof of that claim. Minorities in the police force create change. It also shows that this has been discouraged historically. Why not make that part of the battle field as well?

Lastly, serving others can be refreshing and empowering, while simultaneously humbling. I invite anyone reading this to consider volunteering with us down here on the island of Hispaniola. Spending time here would give you a different insight into how race is perceived and experienced and also show how privileged you are to be an American citizen!   

Check out this interview with Ivenson, one of the young men who has spent years growing up in our group home. He shares a bit about the issues in Haiti and Cite Soleil, where he is from. I would love to see the Black Lives Matter movement include Haiti. The history of the Haitian Revolution embodies racial justice and dignity, yet so many innocent lives are still in bondage there. At the same time, in some ways, it is an absolutely magnificent paradise. I wish Black Lives Matter and everyone who is sensitive to the cause would help #FreeHaiti. Here's the link to Ivenson's interview in case it's not showing up for you.  

Let’s keep working at this. He has a solution. Iron sharpening iron does not feel comfortable, but it does make us all better over time. Let’s not give up. Let’s not go backwards. Let us not forget that we all have a common enemy and his work is easier when we are divided. Have a blessed day. 

Ken Ham vs. Bill Nye the Science Guy

 
We have a problem with not knowing. Some say that religion is something people believe because it makes them feel better, basically. It gives them an answer. I would say the same exact thing about the theory of evolution. I recently learned about Ken Ham, a creationist who has an organization called Answers in Genesis. He actually built a life size Noah’s ark in Kentucky, among other things!

One item that quickly popped up for Ken Ham in a Google search was a debate he did with Bill Nye the Science Guy in 2014. Bill Nye the Science Guy videos were shown to me throughout public schooling in the U.S. I was very excited to discover and watch this debate! I also learned a lot. So many of the thoughts and ideas that I had formed on the matter were confirmed with the arguments that Ken Ham presented. The biggest point he articulated over and over again was something I had fumbled to say in many more words. He said that the word science has been hi-jacked to include both observational science and historical science, lumping them together and calling them science.

Historical science isn’t really science, or at least it's important to distinguish. When I think of science, I think of the scientific method with a hypothesis, independent and dependent variables, where we can observe that if you try to grow a plant in the dark, it does not work, thus concluding that it needs sunlight to grow.  We can see it, observe it, isolate the variables, and determine a truth about nature. That is science.

In all of my reflections on the matter, I have seen clearly that it is arrogant to make claims to things that happened long ago while only dealing with very limited information and having no witness accounts. To call such conclusions truth is to go completely against the way our court processes work. I’ve also seen that evolution lacks contribution to the scientific advancements we’ve made in medicine, engineering, technology, etc. I'm not claiming to be a young earth creationist. I'm not entirely concerned about the exact age of the earth, but I am surely a creationist. I also don't see that the young earth creation theory has been concluded impossible. 

What does the theory of evolution actually do for us? In all honesty, it seems to primarily be a theory that contradicts creation and the existence of God. It gives an alternative explanation and serves as an option for people who don’t believe in God. That’s its main purpose, not helping us to improve our living conditions, reduce physical or mental disease, or improve efficiency in any way. It seems to have caused lots of conflict during its 150 years and not much help. If anyone has a good argument that goes against that, I would love to hear it. If we stop viewing the world primarily through the lens of an evolutionist and open up the possibility of intelligent design, will our scientific advancements stop? Will they be affected? How so?

On the other hand, we can look at what the Bible does. Christians are not the only religion that believes that the Bible is the word of a living God and surely not the only religion that believes in the supernatural. The Bible, whether you think it was stretched along the way as Ken Ham claims in relating it to a tall tale, is a historical document and witness account. The theory of evolution was simply formed from the thoughts of Darwin after observing bird beak variations, and reported in two books that are filled with white supremacy and the dehumanization of human beings, who I would argue, alongside Ham, are image bearers of the living God. As Ham said, there is much greater variety in dog breeds than there were in the finch beaks Darwin observed, but we have yet to see one of those dog breeds convert into a separate species.

Many will claim that religion has been the cause of all sorts of horrors, and it is true that it has been a source of conflict. However, I would invite those same people to take a look at the country of Haiti. Millions of children have no access to schooling and kidnappings are currently happening on a daily basis. Check out the clips in my last post where I interviewed Jerry Floreal. He spoke about the school he went to as a child and the surrounding schools in the area. All are Christian schools supported by different churches. He also mentions support from World Vision, a Christian organization. This is the truth in Haiti and I believe other parts of the world as well. So the next time you hear someone talk about the bad that religion has done, don’t forget about these teachers being paid and kids being fed day after day, month after month, and what the motivation is for this service.  

Toward the end of the debate, the moderator read questions from the audience and they had a short amount of time to answer. This section really showed to me a strong difference in the two mindsets of these men. I saw Bill Nye display an insecurity in not knowing, a strong need to know, and excitement as well to research and find out. For example, when asked how matter gained consciousness, he said that no one knows! It’s one of the great mysteries! The way he spoke was intense as if not being able to give a scientific explanation was an urgent problem, one that must continue to be addressed until an answer is present. As Ham spoke, especially during the last part of the debate where they answered questions from the audience, Nye’s face was a bit intense and almost angry or at least stressed.
Ken Ham’s face and stature, on the other hand, was calm and cool. When he spoke of not knowing something, he didn’t seem stressed. He spoke of what he did know, gave biblical explanations to match scientific observations, and calmly admitted when there was not yet an answer on a topic.

At one point, they talked about the observation that the stars are getting further and further apart. Bill Nye excitedly explained to the audience that maybe if we knew the answer as to why that is the case, then it would be helpful in figuring out other things! He then went onto tell them that NASA does a lot of research in this area, paid for by their tax dollars.
And here is where I’ll rest my case. When I see that Jeff Bezos, owner of Amazon, is investing his billions in developing a rocket ship experience where people can fly into space like tourists, I see pure heartlessness. Yes, it’s his money and he can do what he wants with it, but how can someone invest in something so unnecessary like that when our planet is full of urgent need still. I suppose it’s no worse than investing in expensive cars, clothing, jewelry, etc. It’s all pretty heartless.

My biggest heart cry is that every child on this island of Hispaniola where I live would have access to free, nurturing education delivered in their mother tongue. I’m sure funding the new schools that would be needed to do that wouldn’t be much for Jeff Bezos. It wouldn’t be much for many other people or for groups of people. If all kids could attend a nurturing school at least up to sixth grade, we know that Haiti would see the change it longs for. And it’s more than just investing money; it’s a project that takes smarts, planning, and dedication. But it’s apparently not as fun and exciting as developing space tourism or sending robots to Mars, so why invest in something like that?

Evolution has been studied for 150 years now. What have we found? What has it done for us? Ham gave an example of a rock and piece of wood found next to each other under the earth’s surface and with radiocarbon dating, one dated 45,000 years old while the other dated 45 million. Nye replied that the wood probably just slid on top of the rock. That was literally his response. This is what we’re calling science? Ham also argued several times that there are dozens of dating methods and most do not support the millions of years theory, which I did not hear Nye reply to throughout the entire debate. 

When do we stop with research for the sake of hopefully finding out something important and instead dedicate time, resources, and brains to proven solutions that just need to be implemented. It’s okay not to know everything. It’s not okay to have the means to help others who live in situations that no human should have to live in but waste your means on sheer pleasure or a desire to know everything. I think we have it backwards.    

 
There are a few other observations about the debate I’d like to make. Nye kept critiquing Ham, saying that his model could not predict anything that would happen in the future. It seemed a bit unreasonable that Nye doubted Ham’s Bible based theory, which does not seem to contradict science other than inconclusive evidence such as the radiocarbon dating example, which again is historical science, when he obviously had never studied the Bible. If he did, he would see that the Bible is far from a simple tall tale. It is so very intricate, diverse, wise, and I have many accounts of how it has been alive in my life, as do many others. It is also full of prophecies that were fulfilled, and to this day, people can share revelations that did let them know something about the future. Don’t let the Trump prophets be your only representation of prophecy! I talked about a video from Transformation Church in this blog post. It is the second video in the post and if you watch it, it shows proof of a small prophecy fulfilled right there.

Another point I’ll make is that Nye shared images of skulls found under the earth that were not human nor monkey on a few occasions. Ham did not address that. To be fair, they had limited time to speak at each opportunity and he must not have found that that was the most important point he wanted to use his time to make. I’m sure his organization has published information on the matter. But I have many thoughts on the matter.  The main point is that it’s not reasonable to draw conclusions with so little information.

Have we dug up the whole world in order to study everything everywhere, or just some spots here and there around the world? Do we really expect to be able to tell an accurate tale of history from archaeology? We have a hard enough time telling an accurate tale of history when it’s full of eye witnesses! Have we been able to observe what happens to bone underground over long periods of time under all sorts of conditions? How do we know that it doesn’t change shape? I’m not saying that I think it does, but I am just saying that we have no idea of all the variables. What explanation of dinosaur bones do we give when we realize that dinosaurs are not present on earth now? We say they went extinct. So why do we not think that perhaps some of these skulls were from creatures that are now extinct, if they are no match to any living creature?

Did the Bible say that God made the earth in a certain way? How do we know that he didn’t form the Grand Canyon? Why do we assume that the earth was a certain way and then formed that way over millions of years? So much of what Bill Nye argued was with the assumption that God could not intervene. Does the Bible say that God created in six days, then wiped a lot out with a flood and it grew back from there, but that all of his creation was limited to those six days? Nye’s whole thought process is very limited by a disbelief in God and then in any attempt he made to consider a creator, he put super limits on God.

The Bible has a consistent message throughout, reiterated hundreds of times. “Fear not”. Now, that doesn’t mean to ignore observations and neglect stewardship of the beautiful earth and its creations. It doesn’t mean that God controls everything as he certainly does not. He is powerful enough to but he did not create robots to control. And we have work to do! So much work to do! But I would rather have a calm and steady disposition like Ken Ham when it comes to where the ultimate control lies over Bill Nye’s stressed out, insecure look any day. Nonetheless, it’s so awesome that these two men came together to do this debate. I respect them both so much for that.

I almost forgot one last point I wanted to make. Throughout the debate, Bill Nye kept turning to the Kentucky audience, feeling like he had to motivate them to become involved in the field of science and warn them that if they didn’t, the U.S. could lose its stance as world power. He said this several times and didn’t use those same words, but did say that the U.S. will fall behind or that it will be harmed economically, etc. This concern reminds me of Richard Spencer’s interview I shared in a post about scientific racism. It’s fear, and this fear makes us see our others as enemies. This fear and attitude does not come from the Bible, but from an atheistic worldview. This doesn't mean that Christians don't adopt it sometimes too, but it does not come from the Bible. 

I would love to know what you think. Please comment below.  Thanks for reading.

#FreeHaiti

Illustration from Adventures of Son Son - Part 2

The first time I traveled to Port-au-Prince was days after the January 12, 2010 earthquake. If it was just for the earthquake, we wouldn't have gone. On the same day as the earthquake, we received news that one of the boys from Project Esperanza, Anol, had passed away. He was diabetic and had gone to visit family in the north of Haiti. We just had to go. We also had a friend that had been sending daily updates from Port-au-Prince so we ended up bringing care packages. 

We brought a Haitian friend who really wanted to serve with us. We stayed with his family in Gonaives the first night, then with Jeres' family in Canape Vert, Port-au-Prince. We ended up pitching a little house made out of wood and plantain leaves in the tent city set up on Plas Mozole. The plan was for our friend to stay there and use it to help set up a sort of government in the tent city that would organize distribution of any aid that came in and just organize life in general. Our efforts were super last minute, as no one knew the earthquake was coming, obviously. We planned on the drive over and stopped at a print shop to make letters in English and Creole, explaining our plan and purpose to any groups we ran into. We slept in the little house on Plas Mozole the last night in Port-au-Prince as an act of solidarity, and then headed up the crazy mountains to the north in the morning. 

I have gone through many bouts of insanity throughout my years and when I regain sanity later on, I can't believe that I did that. This was one. I'm not talking about sleeping in the little house in the tent city on Plas Mozole. I'm talking about going up those mountains with huge potholes, no guardrails, treacherous cliffs, with vehicles going way to fast around the corners! As for staying with the people in Plas Mozole, I wish I could do more of that. 

That night, a group of women talked to me. They were a women's organization fighting for women's rights. I explained to them what our plan was, and when I said our friend was staying in the house to serve, one of them asked, "A man?"

"Yes."

"A Haitian man?" 

"Yes," I replied again. 

"Volo!" A few of them yelled and repeated volo, which means thief in Haitian Creole. My heart sunk a little as they went on to criticize all Haitian men. I ended up asking what they were doing to change things. They replied that they treat their boy children and girl children as equals. If the girls haul water, the boys haul water too. The next day I would travel to my mother-in-law's house for the first time and see more of the gender inequality in how kids are raised in some households. As they spoke to me passionately about this, there was one twelve-year-old boy among them; the son of one of the women. 

They were so passionate and strong. I was honored to be talking to them and honored that God had given me the opportunity and the ability to speak and understand their language. As they talked, there was a rumbling of noise coming from the road. We were in the middle of sea of tents and little scrap houses so we couldn't see the road, but could hear the noise getting closer. As I realized it was people marching and singing, it was time for the chorus of the song and they joined in, with one woman in the middle holding her arms out as if she was worshipping or submitting. 

They sang, "Ayiti pa kapab soufri anko", which means, "Haiti cannot suffer anymore". 

As if it were planned, the singing continued and the woman who had had her arms out now looked directly at me and began preaching in a loud voice. She pointed her finger and declared that, "Ayiti pa kapab soufri anko. Haiti cannot suffer anymore. We have suffered too much. There was a child who died in Carrefour because he thirsted for water!" 

This was one of the most powerful moments for me that I can remember. I was in awe and grief. I wanted nothing more than to help these women. I had no resources beyond what we had spent. Their sons that they were working hard to raise to be responsible... were they able to go to school? Were they drawn into gangs despite their mother's efforts? Or draw in in what they felt was necessary to protect their mothers? I hope not. 

I actually wrote about this short lived Port-au-Prince effort in the first post of this blog in 2010. We tried, and hopefully we helped out some, but we were not equipped for the job.  

In a post I wrote in January called Haiti Cheri Part II, I shared that although there is still much political turmoil in Haiti, it is not at the state that it was in 2019 when schools could not even function. However, since writing that, there has been more conflict about President Jovenel Moise staying in office, saying he's violating the term set out in the constitution. I didn't understand that completely, but our cousin Jerry explained a bit more in the video below. You can see it's a bit ambiguous because the president's term is five years, which he has served four of, but a year was lost between the last president and him. 

I have seen news where the Biden Administration has taken a stance on the issue, saying that Jovenel should not be thrown out immediately as some want, but arrangements for an election should be made. Others conclude that this is simply the power hungry opposition supplying vulnerable youth and men with guns and sending them to the streets to wreak havoc. 

Whatever it is, it's sure sad. We have had boys in our program report that police (I believe it was) had given them guns to do harm with. One of these boys returned to Haiti several years ago when he was ill and ended up passing away. The second boy only came to the program a few times. It was the other boys who confessed this for him. Both boys were quite tiny. 

On March 14th, I posted this in Project Esperanza's Facebook group. 

Here is the article linked in that post. You see it mentions that this sparked #FreeHaiti that is flying around on Twitter. I blew the dust off of my old Twitter account and checked it out. It seems to be started by Ezili Danto. Here is her website.  From her tweets and her site, it looks like she sees the biggest issues that keep Haiti in bondage as foreign interference in Haitian politics, UN/US occupations, corruption among politicians, and the mindset of Haitians themselves, including NGO dependency. I do not see anywhere on the site where this is stated clearly, but I am gathering this from what is posted and from her tweets. She is all about mentally empowering Haitians to lead themselves. She says, "We are enough" meaning that Haitians shouldn't expect help from others, and they don't need it. They are enough.  

I can agree with all of those issues being problematic for the most part and I highly respect her for organizing. And I don't have to agree 100% to be supportive. I am not Haitian, myself. Jerry and I talked about things for over two hours. He ended up concluding that he thinks foreign interference in Haitian politics is 100% bad, but he does appreciate NGO support by means of education. He said that lots of support is wasted. He sees money come in, people drive around in cars, and don't get a lot done. But he went to elementary school at a Methodist school in Grisongarde, Haiti, as did my husband, where their tuition was reduced by World Vision, from what he said. He appreciates that and knows that support is a big part of the solution. 

I was glad that he concluded this and tried not to push him to do so, but let him talk and asked questions. I am glad because this is a solution that I believe with all of my heart. I'm not glad that education is not already provided by the Haitian government, but am glad to be a part of the solution in that way. I believe that a main focus must be providing nurturing education for all children in the country and that there are plenty of Haitians in the country who can teach. I hope we can be of support. As I said in Haiti Cheri Part II, we are channeling funds for Met Dev's school in Maroquee, which we mention in the above video.  

Over a series of posts, I'd like to share more thoughts about the chains that bind Haiti that Ezili Danto proposes, as well as share a few additional ideas. We humans... we have figured out a lot. We have explored space, figured out how to clone, and even have self driving cars. Do you think we can collectively figure out how to free Haiti? Let's not give up. Let's work together as one.