Boston CHALLENGE Readers Expose Haiti-Katrina Racism

BOSTON, MA, February 3 — Two weeks after the earthquake in Haiti, it was standing room only at a meeting of the student club, Pizza and Politics, on our community college campus. The initial comments students made showed very little political consciousness. In response to the first discussion question, “Who or what is to blame for the social catastrophe, besides mother nature?” students thought it was ridiculous to introduce a political analysis of the role of imperialism and capitalism in the catastrophe. Many, including Haitian-Americans, reflected the same racism in their comments that are implied by TV and radio announcers; “Haitians are crazy,” meaning that in the face of chaos, Haitians will resort to a dog-eat-dog mentality.

But students responded very positively when CHALLENGE readers brought in an anti-imperialist perspective, explaining how colonialist and imperialist policies devastated the country and left it vulnerable to mother nature. They spoke of the capitalist-controlled aid efforts, compared Haiti to New Orleans after Katrina, exposed the racism and paternalism of the media. They also spoke of the proud and rebellious history of Haiti’s working class.

By the end of the discussion, some of the same students who initially resisted a political analysis were expressing anger toward all the rich countries of the world and blaming the capitalist system for the devastation in Haiti. A new CHALLENGE reader was heartened at how the discussion clearly progressed “in the direction of communism.”

Many students expressed the desire to organize an aid effort that would bring the aid directly to the people. The club is also planning a forum that will bring political understanding to the campus. PL’ers and our friends have a very important role to play at this working-class, largely immigrant college. The crisis in Haiti gives us an opportunity to expose the racism and utter failure of capitalism and to build international class solidarity — workers helping workers — an antidote to the cynical individualism that students resort to when they don’t see an alternative to capitalist greed and inequality