In another international humanitarian effort to help our people, the St. Louis community rose to the occasion in successfully aiding the people in Haiti who had been victimized by Hurricanes Ivan and Jeanne in the summer of 2004.
Under the auspices of the St. Louis Project for Haiti, a number of progressive and faith-based organizations came together to generate over 450 boxes of clothing, medical supplies, bottled water and food that was shipped in a 40-foot ocean container to the impoverished and tragedy-struck island of Haiti.
This island nation was the first black republic established in the Western Hemisphere after a lengthy slave revolt in 1804.
The project began in late October 2004 with the needed supplies being delivered in January 2005 and received by the Haitian-based non-profit organization Project 2000 International for distribution to the Haitian people.
This humanitarian effort to help the people of Haiti was very similar to the one in 2003, when the St. Louis community sent over 350 boxes of supplies to the people of Zimbabwe in Southern Africa.
“Whenever and wherever our people are in need, it is our Pan-African duty to help one another, whether we live in St. Louis, Rio De Janeiro, Cairo, Port Au Prince,” said Zaki Baruti, one of the chief organizers.
“It is our hope that we will sponsor a yearly international relief effort and hopefully other Black communities throughout American will follow our example.”