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Tout moun se moun “Every Person Is a Human Being”: Understanding the Struggle for Human Rights in Haiti

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Bringing Human Rights Education to US Classrooms

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Abstract

Kole Zepól, shoulder to shoulder. This expression demonstrates a sense of unity, compassion, and solidarity, which has impacted me most about the people of Haiti. I first witnessed and experienced the resistance and hope for the future of Haiti as I stepped into a youth community center in Cite Soleil in July of 2010. It was in this Sun City, located in the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince, that I experienced the radiance of the youth in the community. Having joined the Haiti Action Committee and Haiti Emergency Relief Fund, I participated in a delegation with teachers and students to distribute materials to grassroots programs. At Fondasyon Kole Zepól Sove Ti Moun Shoulder to Shoulder Foundation to Save Children program we learned of the photography and journalism programs offered in a small, makeshift space with youth from 3 to 14 years of age. The community welcomed us with songs as well as curiosity toward the contents of the bags carried in by the delegation. As I was distributing the food donations of rice, beans, cooking oil, and other items, I began to wonder how long the contents would last. How far would this bag go toward helping the people of Haiti, when a need exists far beyond the food staples we could provide?

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Authors
  1. Victoria Isabel Durán
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Susan Roberta Katz Andrea McEvoy Spero

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© 2015 Susan Roberta Katz and Andrea McEvoy Spero

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Durán, V.I. (2015). Tout moun se moun “Every Person Is a Human Being”: Understanding the Struggle for Human Rights in Haiti. In: Katz, S.R., Spero, A.M. (eds) Bringing Human Rights Education to US Classrooms. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781137471130_7

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