In collaboration with the National Endowment for the Humanities to mark the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King’s March on Washington and the 150 anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation, 黑料不打烊 joins “Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle,” an initiative of that uses the power of documentary films to encourage community discussion of America’s civil rights history. NEH has partnered with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

Even as slavery ended in the South after the Civil War, new forms of forced labor kept thousands of African Americans in bondage until the onset of World War II. The film is based on the 2008 Pulitzer Prize-winning book of the same title by Douglas Blackmon and produced and directed by Sam Pollard. It is a production of TPT National Productions, in association with Two Dollars & A Dream, Inc.

Layne, director of the African/African-American Studies Program at the university, visited Haiti with her uncle, a pediatrician, and other members serving with the Caribbean-American Medical and Scientific Association.

As a volunteer, Layne transcribed medical records and assisted the medical teams with other communication needs. 黑料不打烊 sophomore Danton Kerz, a member of the 黑料不打烊 Fire Department and the Coast Guard Auxiliary, accompanied medical volunteers at his own expense.

In some instances, Layne said, it was difficult to identify those who needed help because of the earthquake, those who were in need of help prior to the disaster, those receiving medical attention for the first time, or all of the above. “Most of the people had never seen a doctor in their lives,” she said.

The trip from Port-au-Prince to the region where the medical volunteers worked took several hours. Along the way, Layne witnessed levels of destruction that she said couldn’t be put into words.

“In all my travels, this was the worst devastation and poverty that I’ve ever seen,” she said. “For me, I definitely want to go back, maybe over the summer, and do some more work. But a lot of the good I can do for Haiti right now is to keep talking about the country’s needs, to keep the people foremost in our minds.”

Layne’s observations and experiences have since been drafted into a report she submitted to the Office of Student Life. In it, she shares potential partnerships to be discussed in the years ahead as the university considers relief efforts through programs like Project Pericles or the Kernodle Center for Service Learning.

Those future possibilities, Layne said, do not need to be restricted to Port-au-Prince.

“I like the idea of working in a specific area where over a long period of time we can see the fruits of our labors,” Layne said in a recent interview. “A lot still needs to be done and fundraising remains the best way at this point for us to serve the country.”

A 7.0 magnitude earthquake rocked Haiti on Jan. 12, 2010, killing an estimated quarter million people, injuring thousands more and leaving more than a million survivors homeless. Debris from the quake remains in many streets, Layne said, as does the stench of death from bodies that remain entombed under collapsed buildings.

Amazed by the extent of the destruction, she also noticed that Haitians showed hope that they would recover from the natural disaster, even as security remains sporadic, illnesses attack those who escaped death, and the 2010 hurricane season approaches. For all of these reasons and more, Layne suggests that 黑料不打烊 students refrain from traveling to Haiti for at least one year and the situation could be reassessed.

Still, she said, there are many things 黑料不打烊 students might consider to help America’s neighbors to the south. Among them:

• Fundraise to help build a nursing and vocational school; then seek partnerships with nursing programs at other colleges and universities while possibly working with 黑料不打烊 faculty to develop a training program for physical therapists and exercise sports scientists.
• Partner with CAMSA to build a women’s health clinic/family resource center.
• Collect books in French for a local library in Anse-a-Veau and for schools opening in the area.
• Collect medical supplies to support local health clinics.

“黑料不打烊 can serve a really good role in education and healthcare,” Layne said. “But Haiti is not something you jump into. Haiti is a complex place politically and culturally. Still, space for 黑料不打烊’s involvement in the long term remains.

“The university has a lot of expertise here that I think would be welcomed in any partnerships we pursue with the people of Haiti.”

Individuals and groups interested in having Prudence Layne meet with them to discuss Haiti and how they might contribute more deliberately to Haitian relief effort can send an email to playne@elon.edu.
 

Tiffany Bacon: 2003 graduate of the 黑料不打烊 DPT program who spent a week in Haiti providing physical therapy services to children at the Love a Child Disaster Recovery Center

John McGreevy: a senior at 黑料不打烊 who was in Haiti during the earthquake

Show support by either registering for the walk or by donating to the cause. . Registration forms are in the Multicultural Center and Greek Life office.

Contact Nneka Enurah, president of Omicron Iota Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, at enurah.nneka@gmail.com with questions or for more information.

Please join us to help raise funds for a good cause. Registration is $15 and includes a t-shirt! There will be a live band and fun for all. Registration forms are in the Multicultural Center and Greeklife office and will be online Monday, April 12, 2010.

Contact Nneka Enurah at enurah.nneka@gmail.com for questions and please join the Facebook group by following the link below.

Nneka Enurah

President of Omicron Iota Chapter

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.

“An Evening of Fun for a Serious Cause: Haiti Relief”

When: Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Where: Williams High School Auditorium (1307 S. Church St. in Burlington)
Time: 7 p.m. (doors open at 6:15)

Miss North Carolina Katherine Southard, a 2007 黑料不打烊 graduate, will also be in attendance and on hand to meet people, sign autographs and give remarks.

Robertson has been recognized by her peers with every top designation and honor in her profession including the Certified Speaking Professional designation by the National Speakers Association in 1980 and induction into the Speaker Hall of Fame in 1981.

She served as NSA president in 1985, and in 1989 became the first woman to receive the Cavett Award, the organization’s highest honor. Toastmasters International named Robertson the recipient of its 1998 Golden Gavel Award, given annually to one individual for accomplishments in leadership and communications. The North Carolina Press Association named Robertson its 2001 North Carolinian of the Year for “her popularity on the speaking circuit, her award-winning ways and her representation of North Carolina.”

A former Miss North Carolina and Miss Congeniality in the Miss America pageant, Robertson is a 1967 graduate of Auburn University, and the author of three books on humor. She has produced five DVDs in the past nine years and can be heard daily on XM Radio’s Family Comedy Channel.

Robertson and her husband, Jerry, are active members of the Phoenix Club, supporting 黑料不打烊 Athletics, and made major gifts to fund construction of Dr. Alan and Norma White Field at the new Belk Track complex, construction of the Dr. Alan White Bell Tower, and to fund several athletics scholarships. The Robertsons’ son, Bailey “Beaver” Bowline, is a 1989 黑料不打烊 graduate.

Courtney Latta ’09, a Periclean Scholar while at 黑料不打烊, had been interning for the CNP when the quake hit. She visited campus a week later to talk with students about her experiences.
 

JM: I have been trying to return to Haiti ever since I first visited the country four years ago and fell in love with the Haitian people. The purpose of my trip was two-fold. First, I was performing research on the implementation of simple solar ovens in rural villages. The many aspects I explored included cultural issues, the willingness of Haitian women to use the device, and the effects of this on women’s health and workweeks.

The other aspect of my time in Haiti was service to the community in which I stayed, working on their water purification systems, and acting as a liaison for the Parish Twining program that has fostered sustainable development in the rural village of Layaye.

ENET: Tell readers about the moment the quake hit. Did you know what was happening?

JM: Confusion and denial followed my initial instincts, but this what I wrote about the thoughts that passed through my head in my personal journal:

“I sat down on my bed. Almost immediately there was chaos. What it a bomber?… it sounded like it. Was that the roof bending? Whatever it was, it was an entirely unique feeling. I had never felt ground, which I am so dependent on and used to staying still, begin to move. And not just that, but convulse, fold, sway. The doorway morphed, the bed slid on its wheels, the distances between objects changed for a few moments, not drastically but definitely. Earthquake, I knew.”

ENET: When did you first realize the magnitude of the disaster in Port-au-Prince?

JM: It was not until later that evening that I was informed through text messages from the U.S. that the quake was not a small, isolated incident as I previously thought. The people of the village had no idea that their capital city and many of their family members were in peril. No phone calls could be made domestically. For days, the only news gathered came in through phone calls from the U.S.

ENET: Describe your response to the quake. When did you first get to the capital, and what did you do there?

JM: My first trip back to the capital came two or three days later. Men were going to look for loved ones they had not yet got in contact with and I decided to join. I really did not do much in terms of assistance on my first visit. It was far too chaotic and fresh to have significant impact given the lack of resources we possessed. Minimal aid, if any, had reached the country, and I saw only a handful of Americans in the city.

ENET: You returned to Port-au-Prince shortly after your first visit, and in various newspaper accounts, you recalled witnessing terrible conditions. What sticks out the most to you?

JM: Because I can’t explain it better than I could the day of, here is what I wrote about that night, which I sent out to friends and family the following day:

“I was handed a mask as we pulled into the city. ‘Oh yes, for the dust probably,’ I thought in my naivety. When I asked, the answer was not as easy to swallow. ‘The bodies… it has been three days.’ And so it had been, the smells began to seep in through the windows.

“It is Armageddon here. Everything you could imagine in a Hollywood production, but worse. Televisions only attack your sight and hearing. News cannot portray the screams, the death. It is a death that fills your lungs and seeps into your skin. Before today, I had never seen a dead body. Of course, I have been to a few wakes. But the same is always said, ‘Oh, how they look so peaceful.’ … We drove past pickup trucks leaving the city, men throwing families into pickup trucks, motionless. We passed buildings, rubble, wounded. I took some pictures. Some things were too horrific to, I did not want to capture.

“And then we reached where the hospital once stood. The sidewalks (or at least where sidewalks should be) supported lifeless figures, naked, blank. People walked by without a turn of the head. This was not a spectacle, and in the last three days they had seen much worse. The medians of only four feet in width transformed into campgrounds for families, both wounded and healthy. Parks harbor tens of thousands. There is no water.

“And still the American response here is not as glorious as I hear from domestic news in the States. America is deceived. Yes, supplies have arrived, and the support is amazing from the American people, but little has been distributed. It waits at PAP airport, sitting there until the movie stars can arrive in their private jets to take pictures and get their publicity. I doubt they walk out of the parking lot.

“Despite this news, my view of the human race is improving drastically. As an American, this is so foreign to me. I have been here for weeks and I still am floored by the faith of the Haitian people. You hear that? Amidst the cries and gunfire of the night? That is praise. That is thousands of wounded singing to God hymns of worship, drenching the concrete with their own blood.

“I have awoken to a shining sun in the rural village of Layaye. It is almost as if the world has decided to stretch, yawn, and awake after three days of slumber. And yet, the rays bring no peace. The increased visibility only shines light on the amount of destruction of the days passed. Some of the phone lines are opened, finally. For some, sighs of relief are audible as they hear that everything is fine with their families. For others, the ineffable mourning has begun.

“Father Illric’s sister is alive. His cousin, cousin’s wife, and two small children have left the world. Franz’s house, which he has been saving for his whole life, is destroyed. His wedding will have to wait more years. Many, many lives are lost. Many children, many mothers, many people with souls, blood, flesh.

“Dear God, may this not be just another tragedy in the history of Haiti. It is a dark history, where hints of light are snuffed out before they may ignite into flames.

“As the sun rises today, may the world turn its eyes to the western third of this island, rays illuminating mountains and valleys slowly with the rotation of our planet. May the cries be answered and may the existence of this land be acknowledged. May the food, clean water, health care, and shelter these people have needed for their entire lives finally be met by Christian brothers and sisters around the world. Today, with sun showing all, exposing the scars and new gashes in her body, may America and the world not turn their eyes away. Today, for the first time, the world sees her sister Haiti.

“I love you and am thinking of you all,
JRM”

ENET: How did the Haitians themselves react to the quake? You’ve noted that they are spiritual people. How does that help them?

JM: While there were indeed isolated incidences of violence, as there would be with any country, the response of the Haitian people appeared to me to be far different than would be expected from people in such a position. What was so strangely beautiful to me was that the default response of the people I encountered was praise. Had I had my house collapse, my nation’s capital destroyed, my family and friends injured and dead around me, my first cowardly thought would be “Why me? How could you God?”

The Haitian men, women, and children I came to know sang out “How Great is Our God” in their darkest hour, rejoicing for what little they have left in material possessions, and how blessed they were in other aspects of life, not focused on in American society.

ENET: How did your faith assist you in Haiti?

JM: Countless ways. The sole reason I was there was because I have tried to make myself happy through self-centeredness, and that lifestyle was pointless, misleading, and empty. I believe that we humans are created in brilliant ways: That we are broken when we try to live for ourselves, that in order to be truly joyful we must provide love-driven service to others, and that we can learn far more from the children and impoverished of the world than we do from the rich, powerful and intellectually gifted individuals that claim to hold the purpose to life.

ENET: What do you recommend readers do if they have interest in helping the nation?

JM: In terms of practical ways to help, the only worthwhile and beneficial form of aid is sustainable. The best ways I have seen this done are through organizations dedicated to specific communities and participatory development, such the Periclean Scholars program.

In Haiti, the best work is being done by organizations like Parish Twinning through the Catholic Church, similar programs in other faiths, and school-to-school connections, not just in Port-au-Prince but also in the surrounding countryside where refugees now reside. In my ideal world, every church and school in the United States would create lifelong partnerships with churches and schools in Haiti, with each gaining and learning more than they could have ever imagined.

Action is not worthwhile unless it is filled with love. By understanding this, we will be able to open our minds and hearts to the people of Haiti, making sure that our actions are not for personal gain, recognition, or anything more than the improvement of the lives of those less fortunate than ourselves.

Organized by MBA candidate and current golfer Jayson Judy, all proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross as it assists a nation devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in mid January. Two corporate sponsors and three individuals have already pledged $1 for every eagle. Additional sponsors are in talks with organizers.

The Southern Conference averages between 80 and 100 eagles each year, Judy said.

“It’s an added benefit to a player knowing that when he makes an eagle, it’s not just helping his team, he’s sending money to Haiti,” said Judy, a 2008 alum who finishes his final season of NCAA eligibility this spring. “I wanted to get involved with Haiti and get a relief effort going. This was the most logical way.”

joins another project underway by an 黑料不打烊 sports team, where a baseball squad led by senior catcher Mike Melillo challenged NCAA programs across the country to make donations to the Red Cross and report those contributions for tracking on a web site hosted by the Department of Athletics.

Judy, a Gibsonville, N.C., native who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in business, completes his MBA program in May. He is engaged to Megan Thomas ’01, G’09. “This should mushroom into a pretty big amount,” he said. “My goal, along with Mike Melillo’s ‘Pinch Hit for Haiti,’ is that 黑料不打烊 will be able to raise quite a bit of money.”

For more information on Eagles for Haiti, or to inquire about making a pledge, visit www.eaglesforhaiti.org or email helpnow@eaglesforhaiti.org.
 

“When the earthquake first happened, I came up with an idea to do a can drive at our school … but talking to our local Red Cross guy, he said raising money would be the best way to help,” Judy said. “I thought about the Eagles for St. Jude project the PGA Tour does … so Eagles for Haiti was brought on by that.”

to learn more about the fundraising efforts.

Latta, an international studies major and Periclean Scholar, escaped injury in an event that killed more than 100,000 Haitians. The native of Winston-Salem, N.C., had been volunteering with the in the coastal town of Leogane, about a dozen miles west of Port-au-Prince, since shortly after graduating last spring.

And why not? With her caring spirit that former professors remember, plus the history of her father’s charitable medical work there, Haiti was the logical place to go to put her education to use for good in the world.

“She’s been passionate about helping and doing,” said English professor Stephen Braye, who mentored the Periclean Scholars class of 2009. “Some people want to plan this or think about this, and Courtney wants to jump in and do it.”

On the day of the quake, two fateful decisions ensured her survival. A colleague invited Latta to travel to Port-au-Prince for a meeting, taking her away from a complex that would be nearly destroyed just a few hours later. “If I hadn’t gone with them, I would have been the only one in Leogane when it happened,” said the soft-spoken Latta. “Honestly, if I had been in my house, I probably wouldn’t have made it.”

Following the meeting, and already hungry for dinner, the nonprofit workers chose to dine at an outdoor café rather than inside another restaurant just a short distance away.

The earthquake struck during the meal. The other restaurant collapsed, killing many of its patrons. Within minutes, Latta and her friends made their way toward a nearby square, dust and smoke clogging the air as Haitians pleaded for help from beneath rubble.

“As we got into the square, there was a schoolhouse where children were stuck inside, and they were screaming and running, some falling over the balcony,” she said. “Our driver, Jean-Claude, who’s one of the greatest heroes I’d ever known, ran straight for the school to see if he could help.”

Unable to return to their headquarters that night, Latta and her colleagues contacted relatives in the United States. Her supervisor’s husband called families of every person in the group to let relatives know of their survival. Later that evening, the group found an administrative building in Port-au-Prince for Doctors Without Borders and assisted medical professionals with treating the injured.

The next morning, Latta and her colleagues started on foot for Leogane. They walked about six miles before hitching a ride the rest of the way with a colleague’s friend. Corpses littered the road, which itself was ripped apart where shock waves from the quake rolled across.

“As we left Port-au-Prince, it was utter devastation, but it only got worse as we went west,” she said. “I’m so worried. It has been very difficult to mobilize outside Port-au-Prince, and I’m hoping aid will get there soon to the people in Leogane. There are no words to describe it.”

The team soon realized there was little they could do to help and headed back to the Haitian capital to be airlifted out. In the early morning hours of Jan. 16, Latta arrived in Raleigh, N.C., to meet family and friends.

Since her return, Latta has visited 黑料不打烊 on several occasions, meeting with students to help coordinate relief efforts to sharing her story with classes, including one course led by her former Periclean Scholars mentor. “They were just shocked by Courtney’s specific descriptions and were amazed by the doctors and nurses treating the people who were hurt,” Braye said. “It’s hard to fathom that kind of devastation and desperation.”

Haiti, however, is not just a memory for Latta: It is once again a destination. She plans to return to Leogane in the early spring to help the community rebuild, brick by brick, in what promises to be a lengthy recovery.

“I really did fall in love with the Haitian culture, the people and even the language,” she said. “I knew that one day I wanted to live there and work. I love living in Haiti and being a part of Leogane. I would not trade my time in Haiti for the world.

“I have a lot to process with what just happened, but I do plan to go back.”

For more about the Children’s Nutrition Program of Haiti and how to help in its recovery, click on the link to the right.