Humanitarian and Political Crisis in Haiti: A roadmap for the future

In mid-August, Haiti was struck by both a 7.2 magnitude earthquake, which devastated the southwestern part of the country, and Tropical Storm Grace. Both occurred during a period of political instability caused by intense and persistent gang violence, and massive political protests against President Jovenel Moïse, which ended with his assassination in July. Haitian officials estimate over 600,000 individuals are in need of humanitarian assistance, but relief has been slowed by impassable roads, mudslides resulting from heavy rains, and gang violence. Despite these hazards, locally-led community groups, many formed after the 2010 earthquake, are providing immediate assistance and care. The cumulative effects of these events risk further destabilizing fragile political and economic systems. Panelists will discuss the historical and political context in Haiti, the current political and humanitarian situation, as well as pathways forward.

Panelists – Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall, Professor of History, California State University San Marcos; Jean Eddy Saint Paul, Professor of Sociology, former Founding Director of the CUNY Haitian Studies Institute Brooklyn College of the City University of New York; Louino ‘Robi’ Robillard, co-founder of Konbit Soley Leve movement; Konbit Bibliyotek Site Soley and Program Director of Future Generations Haiti and Rasin Devlopman; Cécile Accilien, Chair of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies and Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies, Kennesaw State University; Emmanuela Douyon, founder of POLICITÉ and leader of Nou pap dòmi and Petrochallenger; Sabina Robillard, Associate on Humanitarian Aid and Accountability at CDA Collaborative Learning, a researcher at the Feinstein International Center at Tufts University, and a doctoral candidate at Tufts University.