Grades 5-12: Haiti

Presenter Jane Landers will discuss how French Saint Domingue (HAITI) became the richest sugar colony in the world and how its oppressed slaves accomplished the revolt that led to Haitian independence. Presenter Colin Dayan will discuss current events in Haiti and discuss what is needed to provide real help to Haiti. On January 12, 2010, a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck Haiti and devastated the capital city, Port-au-Prince. Colin says the best aid for the earthquake-ravaged nation of HAITI is to empower the Haitian people.

Haiti, in the West Indies, occupies the western third of the island of Hispaniola, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. About the size of Maryland, Haiti is two-thirds mountainous, with the rest of the country marked by great valleys, extensive plateaus, and small plains. Haiti was the first independent nation in Latin America and the first independent black-led republic in the world when it gained independence as part of a successful slave rebellion in 1804. Despite having common cultural links with its Hispano-Caribbean neighbors, Haiti is the only predominantly French-speaking independent nation in the Americas. Haiti is the poorest country in the Americas.

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 28, 2010 - "HAITI"
Presenters: Colin Dayan and Jane Landers

Target audience: students in grades 5 -12
Times: 9:00 - 9:45 and 10:00 - 10:45 AM (CENTRAL time zone)
Format: 45-minutes formatted into 30-minute presentation, and then
15-20 minute Q & A
Cost: $75 per site
Questions: Chandra Allison, at (615) 322-6511 or email chandra.allison@vanderbilt.edu