BROOKLYN, NY, November 6 —  “While demonstrating for education for all Haitians outside the Ministry of Education in Port-Au-Prince, a teacher was killed by the Haitian militia.”  There was a gasp from the audience as the details of the assassination were described.
As the speaker made clear, even though it was a cop’s bullet that ended the life of Louis Jean Filbert on October 9, 200 years of racist imperialism are as much to blame. Haitians have never been forgiven by the rapacious capitalists of the world for freeing themselves from the yoke of slavery. As the speaker finished, it was clear that viewing the current catastrophe as simply the result of a geologic event was seriously one-sided.
This speaker and others were part of a forum called “Haitians Abandoned,” attended by 80 people, which was held in the chapel of our congregation. Communist ideas are present in this church through our social justice group, which organize activities such as the forum.
There was an air of expectancy at the beginning of the event. The forum had been collectively organized between the Haitian community and the church community. The event was a success in that there was a great response from the Haitian community. In fact, they outnumbered the church community, clearly pointing out that we have to organize better in our church.
The speakers also made the point that it is not charity the Haitian people seek, but unity with their brothers and sisters in the rest of the world. The willingness of many hundreds of honest working-class people (including many Party members) to go to Haiti should offer us a small reminder of the Spanish Civil War, when thousands of workers from around the world streamed into Spain in an attempt to beat back fascism. In Haiti, like in every “natural” disaster, the class-consciousness and solidarity of workers pokes its head through the unrelenting individualism and cynicism that capitalism heaps upon us.
After the two-hour presentation and question time, attendees shared a meal together, supplied by both the Haitian and church communities. The multi-racial unity on display in our church spoke well for the future, not only of the church, but of our class. Armed with communist ideas, a future of multi-racial unity is one that the working class can achieve.
In one conversation a church member spoke about the horror of 200 years of imperialism that had made Haiti almost the poorest nation on Earth. The visitor, with boundless positive energy  said: “A new day will come. Nobody will put up with this for much longer. “
The Haitian pate, chicken, salad, fruit and cheeses and the coffee brought conversation to an even deeper and friendlier level. We will continue to work with our Haitian brothers and sisters and within our church. There is great desire on both sides to continue the relationship and to stand together against imperialism and its racism. Coming out of the forum we will organize a CHALLENGE readers group in the church to continue this struggle.
In a moment of excitement during the forum, one of the speakers called out a Haitian expression which talked of the freeing of the people. The applause was astounding. The echoes will not be forgotten. Those in power had better tremble.