January 12, 2011
The Green Family Foundation participated in several events commemorating last year's earthquake in Haiti. Kimberly Green, the Green Family Foundation's president, participated in a Teach-in Panel alongside distinguished FIU professors. The university also observed a moment of silence at 4:53 PM in remembrance of those lost in the disaster. President Green also spoke at Hope for Haiti: Night of Commemoration event held in the Florida International University Ballroom. Following is a report of the day.

FIU Haiti Teach-In
The cast of experts ran the gamut, from the earth sciences to culture, and they were received with all due reverence.

The panel consisted of:

Grenville Draper, professor in the Department of Earth & Environment in the School of Environment, Arts and Society, who presented the latest geological findings and the potential for future seismic activity in the country.

Richard Olson, professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations in the School of International and Public Affairs, who discussed the current reconstruction efforts and long-term plans for Port-au-Prince.

Jessy Devieux, associate professor in the Stempel School of Public Health, who gave give an update on the cholera epidemic and address other critical public health issues. Alex Stepick, professor in the Department of Global & Sociocultural Studies in the School of International and Public Affairs, who discussed the ongoing displacement of Haitians and the migration to the countryside and abroad.

Eduardo Gamarra, professor in the Department of Politics and International Relations in the School of International and Public Affairs, who discussed discuss the recent elections and the current political climate of the country.

And Kimberly Green, president of the Green Family Foundation and rapporteur for the Clinton Global Initiative Haiti Action Network, who discussed the changes she has seen in the country and what she envisions for the future of the Haitian people.

Moment of Silence - Bells for Haiti
At exactly 4:53pm Eastern Standard Time, FIU joined the entire nation in a ringing of the bells to commemorate those lost in the earthquake that devastated Haiti on January 12, 2010. It was a spirited if sullen affair; made all the more resounding by the knowledge that thousands upon thousands of others, throughout the country, were doing the very same thing. Following the ringing there was campus-wide pause for a moment of silence. To see a bustling university, the size of a small metropolis, come to a complete standstill in respect for their Caribbean neighbors, was a wonder to behold. As FIU began to return to business as usual, a spirited group gathered to watch a screening of the film Ayiti Leve by Tatiana Magloire. Shot in the aftermath of the tragedy and made possible by the Green Family Foundation, Magliore’s movie was a moving tribute to Haiti – and to Haitians – of yesterday, today and tomorrow. Hope for Haiti: Night of Commemoration Hosted by Bruno Phanord, Chairperson of FIU’s Haitian Student Organization (HSO), the proceedings included welcome remarks by FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg and Leonie Hermantin, Deputy Director of the Lambi Fund for Haiti, as well as kind and inspiring words from Sandy Gonzalez-Levy, Sr. VP External Relations and Chairperson of FIU’s Hope for Haiti Task Force and GFF president Kimberly Green, who introduced the film Ayiti Leve Kanpe. The Danny Glover-narrated and Jean Jean-Pierre-composed cinematic homage to Haiti, was followed by a monologue and dance from members of HSO. Mr. Phanord closed the proceedings with a fitting summation that encompassed all that had happened – and will happen, with a united and informed front.

Click here to see more photos of the candle-lighting ceremony at FIU

Hope for Haiti: Night of Commemoration
Hosted by Bruno Phanord, Chairperson of FIU’s Haitian Student Organization (HSO), the proceedings included welcome remarks by FIU president Mark B. Rosenberg and Leonie Hermantin, Deputy Director of the Lambi Fund for Haiti, as well as kind and inspiring words from Sandy Gonzalez-Levy, Sr. VP External Relations and Chairperson of FIU’s Hope for Haiti Task Force and GFF president Kimberly Green, who introduced the film Ayiti Leve Kanpe. The Danny Glover-narrated and Jean Jean-Pierre-composed cinematic homage to Haiti, was followed by a monologue and dance from members of HSO. Mr. Phanord closed the proceedings with a fitting summation that encompassed all that had happened – and will happen, with a united and informed front.

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