Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry: A New Era of US-Haitian Relations

The election of Barack Obama and Joe Biden this month marks a milestone in American history. I believe it can also serve as a watershed event in the history of US-Haitian relations.

In the summer of 2007, when it came time to make a final call on my own presidential preference, I sat down with my husband and we talked. Mostly, our thoughts turned to the two people who matter most: our two young children, ages 4 and 1 at the time.

What kind of world would they inherit from us when they come of age? The world as George W. Bush prepares to leave office is one in which America’s reputation has been tarnished by misguided and seemingly unending war. I want my next president to restore our country’s position in the global community through smart diplomacy, the prudent use of military strength and the renewed good works of that “shining city on the hill” that has inspired the world in years past.

Senator Obama, I concluded, offered a unique opportunity to reach out to our allies — and potential enemies — in a novel and transformative way. While I believe that this is particularly important in some of the world “hot spots,” including the Middle East and the Persian Gulf, I also want our next president to be proactive and more aggressive in building productive relationships with other emerging nations in Africa, Latin America and Asia.  We must act in good faith now — in times of peace with these nations — to protect our long-term national interests and compete with other emerging superpowers, like China.

Of course, as a first-generation American, my thoughts so often turn to the plight of my cousins, friends and extended family who are citizens of Haiti. Of all of the world’s troubled corners, perhaps no single place demands more compassionate attention from our government than this island nation, just 600 miles off of our coast.

The great majority of Haitians live in desperate circumstances that Americans can barely begin to imagine. Homegrown corruption and centuries of international meddling have conspired to hold the people of Haiti hostage.

And, in recent years, the consequences of environmental neglect and poor planning have compounded natural disasters, turning tropical storms that would be minor events here into ruthless killers.

The situation in Haiti has become dire. From the American perspective, Haiti’s present reality is striking evidence of our own failed foreign policy in the region and a symptom of a larger failing of our nation.

It has become an imperative, both morally and from the vantage point of our own strategic interests, to make the stabilization of Haiti a top regional priority.

We are at a unique moment in history. The world community has taken notice, yet again, of America’s greatness through the milestone election of Barack Obama. His election— and the peaceful transition that now follows — is something that has sent a clear message about the promise of our nation.

It is true that in the context of the two wars that we are now engaged in, in Iraq and Afghanistan, Haiti is not the most pressing agenda item for the American military. Nor should it be one.

Finally, a note on the role that we — as Haitian-Americans — must endeavor to play in this new day for US-Haitian relations. Each of us who are American citizens must recast ourselves as individual US ambassadors to Haiti, rather than as Haitian ambassadors to the US.

I know many of us have longed for the day when we can do our part to make a difference in Haiti. I think that moment is at hand. I ask all of us to join together — not as partisans in a political contest — but as Americans who care deeply about the land that our families call home.

Working together, I believe it is possible for us to help drive our nation’s leadership towards a more responsible, progressive and sustainable relationship with Haiti.

In the words of our next president: “Yes, we can.”

Massachusetts state Rep. Linda Dorcena Forry represents the 12th Suffolk District in the House of Representatives.  She is the wife of Bill Forry, the managing editor of the Boston Haitian Reporter.