It has been exactly two years to the day, since a 7.0 magnitude earthquake ravaged Haiti, which was without a doubt much maligned even before the natural disaster. An estimated 220,000 Haitians lost their lives that day with over 1.5 million losing their homes. Still, even two years later, over 500,000 people reside in camps in and around the capital — Port-au-Prince (PaP). Personally, I can only speak to how blessed I was to not lose any family members in spite of the fact that several of my aunts and uncles flew down to PaP on the day of the quake for a funeral. My grandparent’s lost their home and I spent the next week or so literally holding my breath as my family and I tried to make contact with our family members on the island. Considering how difficult that task tends to be on a normal day, you can imagine what it was like immediately following January 12, 2010.

After visiting PaP and Cap-Haitien last spring I can say that there is more to be done than one would like to see at this point, but progress is being made and that’s better than nothing even if it’s at a snail’s pace. The song I included above is by the extremely popular kompa group, T-Vice, and was released following the earthquake to inspire, unite and give people hope. I can honestly say that I listen to the song on a regular basis am inspired each and every time that I do so; although I wouldn’t listen to the song immediately before a competition or workout. The gist of the song’s lyrics, for those who don’t speak creole, encourage the country as a whole to never let go and never give up especially since Haiti has been fighting (whether other natural disasters, the French or ruthless dictators) since 1791. The country’s history is one that could truly be made into several, distinct and individually moving Oscar winning productions and a happy ending/2nd act is slowly but surely being penciled into the story. I’m looking forward to playing my role in the more recent, more positive stories of the island, both as an athlete and as someone who actually made a difference working hands-on on the island.

“L’Union Fait La Force.”