LITTLE HAITI — On a typical hot and humid January day in Haiti, the sky was clear and the weather simply beautiful in the morning. The streets of Port-au-Prince, the capital, were busy and everyone moving around, going about their business as usual without thinking once that later in the afternoon a magnitude 7.0 earthquake would strike the country.
It was a Tuesday, the 12th day of the New Year 2010, at 4:43pm when the first tremor rolled and rattled the ground below Port-au-Prince. It quickly ratcheted up its intensity with relentless force, inducing terror everywhere.
The sad news took the world by shock, particularly the Haitian communities living aboard. We had learned days after days the magnitude of the natural disaster. With approximately 3 million people affected, this earthquake was the most devastating natural disaster ever experienced in Haiti. Roughly 250,000 lives were lost and 300,000 people injured. About 1.5 million individuals were forced to live in makeshift internally displaced persons (IDP) camps. As a result, the country faced the greatest humanitarian need in its history.
As the years have drifted by, that date has become one of sorrow, an unforgettable moment for the resilient people living in the first free Black republic. And those living outside never miss the opportunity to remember those who perished on that dark day. It is also seen as a day of reflection dedicated to the memory of the victims.
Last Sunday, January 12, 2020, marked a decade since this tragedy hit Haiti. As it became a tradition in South Florida, members of the Haitian Community commemorated that sad moment in the history of the motherland.
As the ribbon bears the motto of Haiti’s national saying in French ‘L’Union fait la force (Unity Makes Strength)’, this year, 2020, Haitian leaders exceptionally showed unity to remember those who died ten years ago. For this 10th anniversary, elected officials and community leaders joined forces to organize one special event, where more than 25 local community organizations which used to organize their own separate events, came under one umbrella for a well-organized event, supporting this year’s commemoration’s theme: “ONE NATION ONE VOICE”.
The Procession
Around 3:30pm, participants started arriving at Toussaint L’Ouverture Place (Southwest corner of 62nd Street/North Miami Avenue). They observed a moment of silence at 4:51 pm (to correspond with the official moment the earthquake hit Haiti that Tuesday in January 2010) in memory of the victims.
Around 5 pm, the participants silently started marching on 62nd Street eastbound and then turned south on Northeast 2nd Avenue. The procession reached Little Haiti Cultural Complex (212 NE 59 Terrace) around 5:50 pm., where the main commemoration was held for about four hours.
The gathering was a way for members of the community to not only recognize those who died and the many more who continue to struggle in the aftermath, but also to show love and unity among them.
Young Haitian-American Community organizer Sagine Taluy and rap artist Mecca aka Grimo co-emceed the event.
At the opening, singer Adlore Casseus sang both the American national and the Haitian national anthems. Pastor Joanem Frandy ‘Fanfan’ Floreal was then called to deliver the invocation and benediction for the night. In a short but powerful sermon, the senior pastor of Shalom Community Church of North Miami made a call for unity among the politicians in Haiti. He also made a call for action, asking members of the audience to get involved, each one at his/her capacity level, in order to help rebuild Haiti.
Mambo Ingrid Llera started off the cultural activities of the commemorative event with a traditional song. Dancers from Nancy St. Leger NSL Danse Ensemble followed to perform a set of two of their wonderful dance routines that were well received by the audience.
City Miami Mayor Francis X. Suarez then addressed the crowd. “As our brothers and sisters from the Haitian Community go through these trials and tribulations, we want you to know that your brothers and sisters from your extended home here in the City of Miami stand with you in this time of remembrance,” said Mayor Suarez.
Miami Commissioner Keon Hardemon, District 5, who represents portions of Little Haiti and other areas of central Miami, followed his mayor colleague to salute the resilience of the people of Haiti and brought comfort to those still affected by the loss of their loved ones.
“How do you close a chapter on someone that you have never found? How do you move on to continue taking care of your family knowing that the pain of your love one is in the back of your mind? All of us, especially from the diaspora carry this pain. It is in this experience that we show how much we care for each other. It is in this experience that we show the power of the people of Haiti,” Hardemon said.
Addressing the predominantly Haitian crowd in Creole, Miami-Dade County Commissioner, District 2, Jean Monestime, told them that, as members of the diaspora, we need to stop criticizing those in power in Haiti for what he calls the bad governance, and we need to show more unity in the communities where we live, that before we can judge the actions of our brothers and sisters living in the motherland.
“We need to be careful in criticizing people in Haiti. We need to act in a way to avoid repeating the mistakes the leadership in Haiti has been making for years because of their selfishness. It is not a time to point fingers at others, but instead a time to unify ourselves as community and for each one of us to try to bring positive changes in a way to help people around ourselves. If it is true we want to bring changes in Haiti, we need to start showing what we can do here in our community,” added Monestime.
City Miramar Mayor Wayne Martin Messam, Audrey M. Edmonson (Chairwoman of the Miami-Dade County Commission), North Miami Councilwoman Marie-Irivin Estime, and North Miami City Clerk Vanessa Joseph, were among other elected officials who took part at the commemorative event.
A very emotional Sandy Dorsainvil, head of the Little Haiti Cultural Complex, thanked the people gathered at the vigil in memory of the victims of the earthquake. “This is a time for the community to honor the victims and families of those affected by the catastrophic event that took place in Haiti ten years ago,” she told the crowd. “This is an opportunity for us to come together and stand strong as one community and show our support and respect for the lost lives.”
A young man who survived the earthquake when he was 9-years old told the audience an amazing survival story.
Another woman recounted to the audience some terrible scenes (the pungent scent of dead bodies) she witnessed in the streets of Port-au-Prince, after flying from Miami to the Dominican Republic to reach Haiti by road, searching for her loved ones who perished in the earthquake.
During the commemoration, Marleine Bastien, Executive Director at Fanm Ayisyen Nan Miyami, Inc., took the podium to defend the Temporary Protected Status program (TPS). She was joined by a young female beneficiary who eloquently made the case for that program.
Leonie Hermantin, Director of Development, Communications & Strategic Planning at Sant La Haitian Neighborhood Center, also addressed the attendees.
After all, participants were invited to go to the Earthquake Memorial site built at the Little Haiti Cultural Complex to place flowers in the name of the victims.
Later that night, while participants enjoyed some ‘bouillon’ and hot chocolate offered by the event organizers, several perform ers, including a gospel group, BIC, BelO, and Mikaben put on a good show. They had the crowd partying a bit. They found the right songs to make the crowd cheer with their music and clapping and dancing along sometimes, bringing a wonderful celebration of life to this somber commemoration.
One of the attendees who requested we only publish his first name as Pierrot described the 43 horrific seconds of the earthquake and the aftermath of the disaster in Port-au-Prince he survived. “First,” he said, “I thought it was a big truck passing— normal things that make the streets rumble in this megalopolis. But the second shock hit with a force that launched me to my feet. The house swayed and twisted as if it was made of paper, and the city erupted into a cacophony of sirens and sounds of destruction as I stumbled out the front door.”
Another witness noted, “You heard the noise under the ground and it’s shaking and shaking, and everybody started running. Houses were falling and falling, all of the fences were falling, people were falling, people were crying. You cannot see the air. All of a sudden it was dark,” said Nadège, a Miami Gardens resident who was visiting relatives in Port-au-Prince that January in 2010.
“I still have nightmares about those 43 seconds of that Tuesday afternoon. To God be the Glory! He saved my life,” she added.
Ten years on, the earthquake in Haiti continues to rumble through the lives of millions of Haitians and the diaspora. Tremors rattle our communities each and every time we begin a new year, knowing what January 12th commemorates. The Haitian people are resilient and continue inspiring the world as they recover from that natural disaster. Courage is a powerful force and for this Caribbean nation, theirs offers a beacon of hope to the world.
Dessalines Ferdinand
ferdinand@lefloridien.com