On February 26, 2010, Briar Woods High School received an honored and highly distinguished guest – the Haitian Ambassador to the United States. Annually, the Black History Month assembly is held to remind students of African American heritage. This year, in light of the recent disaster in Haiti, the country’s Ambassador, Raymond Josephs, was invited to speak. His speech was preceded by the award-winning Briar Woods Jazz Band, a photo montage of the disaster, and a music video for “We are the World” featuring today’s most renowned voices.
The History Club, sponsored by Mr. Whitehead, joined efforts with the Briar Woods for Haiti Club to organize this year’s assembly. Senior Christine Edeline and Junior Alexandra Edeline were the motivators behind the Briar Woods for Haiti club, and with help of its club members, they have worked hard to sell bracelets and raise money for Haiti; their donation table outside of the assembly raised $1,400. Their father, Patrick Edeline, is a close friend of Ambassador Josephs.
Members of both clubs helped to introduce Ambassador Josephs by presenting facts about his past. When he took the stage, he told students “My eyes got misty hearing these young students talk about me.”
Ambassador Josephs was not in Haiti when the earthquake struck, but visited one month later on February 12. His first reaction to the event was to visit immediately, but when he spoke with an official, they told him it would only be troublesome. There was no bed for him, and he would only be another mouth to feed.
Although Josephs sadly stated “It’s not the city I knew when I was young,” he does have hope for his home country. When he visited, he noticed that the only things still working were the traffic lights, because operate on energy from solar panels. He hopes that they will use solar panels throughout the city, and use the opportunity to rebuild wisely – “The new Haiti will have to go green,” Josephs said.
Throughout the speech, Josephs spoke with emotion of his people in Haiti. “I don’t think you could find people more resilient,” he said. He knows that in their unity, they will find their strength.
He added that it could take 5 to 20 years to rebuild the recently flattened capital, Port-Au-Prince, but that it is impossible to estimate how long it will take to raise enough money and obtain the resources needed.
However, his speech was not focused solely on Haiti’s future and devastation. Instead, he used the opportunity to provide the students with some historical highlights of cooperation between the United States and Haiti. He said “Haiti is responsible for the US to be as big as it is,” in reference to the land sale of 13 states that cost the US a mere $15 million.
In his historical evaluation of the troubles between Haiti and France, Josephs was still able to see the light. “Those who conspired against Haiti in the beginning are in the forefront to help.” Josephs was warmed by the President of France’s initiative – he was the first President to set foot in Haiti following the earthquake.
Ambassador Josephs described his work in the field of journalism and his work as an ambassador as “Two sides of the same coin.” His voyage into journalism began when he brought the first printing press to Port-Au-Prince, which still stands today. Later, he worked as a financial writer for the Wall Street Journal, which he explained was a job he took to support his family. Now, as a diplomat, Ambassador Josephs works as a liaison between the US and Haiti. Although his work may seem unrelated, he expressed its main similarity: “When I was a journalist, I put people’s secrets out. Now, as a diplomat, I hide them.”
Following the assembly, Ambassador Josephs joined members of the History Club and Briar Woods for Haiti, along with esteemed faculty and school board members in the library for a luncheon. Students were given the opportunity to talk to him and ask him personal questions, which he responded to sagely. To the students of Briar Woods, Ambassador Josephs gave this advice: “Find passion for something, and do it well.”