A Call to Action

Let this image disturb you into action. A life lost. A country poor. Help Wanted.

Once again the country of Haiti is faced with some disaster or another. Whether it’s man-made or natural, Haiti keeps getting dealt a bad hand. Yesterday’s earthquake leveled the capitol city of Port au Prince, taking an undetermined unimaginable number of human lives. This is a country that is rife with poverty that stunts its growth even before a large scale natural disaster.

It’s times like these when I feel too disconnected from the world at large. When Hurricane Katrina hit, followed by it’s levee loosing aftermath, I was practically itching to figure out how to get to my once upon a time home of New Orleans. When the displaced families came to Chocolate City I was busy trying to figure out how to infiltrate where they were housed. I wanted to touch the children and tell them it was going to be OK [somehow], personally hand them the clothes that my family ended up sending instead with a cadre of Howard University students who went down to be a part of the relief efforts.

This morning I sat and watched the news, as it all happened yesterday while I was out, completely disconnected at work and then visiting with friends, and wished I could be joining the rescue guards preparing to be deployed. I longed for one of those ginormous bags of supplies and the camo[uflage] gear with the fluorescent orange that always signals help of some kind. Instead, all I’ve got is Haitian friends with families I’m sending Light & Love to, and numbers I can text to in order to add my pennies to the bank. I’m usually skeptical of most ways to donate because you never see where the money goes. This time, I MUST take a chance that my dollars will be used for good instead of padding the pockets of the quick schemers and help someone, anyone, in Haiti feed, clothe, and shelter.

No need to be long winded. The point is, if you’ve got a couple of dollars to spare, do so. If you don’t, encourage someone else to so we can make this happen in a way that we’d want it done if we were in this situation. The concept of Hands Across the World comes to mind here. I’m taking your hand, you take someone else’s, and lets build this chain. Then we’ll pass these dollars from hand to hand until they reach Haiti and help the people we intend them for.

Thus far, I only know of 2 quick and easy ways to donate. You can text YELE to 501501 and donate 5 important dollars to Haitian born Wyclef Jean’s foundation, or you can give 10 critical dollars to the Red Cross by texting HAITI to 90999. Or...you can do both.

I’m about to hit SEND. What about you?

Watch [us] move [in unison].