Celebrity response to Haiti: Part I

"Not on our watch!" a humanitarian assistance program, founded by actors Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Jerry Weintraub. "Not on our watch" has raised over $1 million for Haitian relief efforts. Actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, otherwise known as "Brangelina," donated $1 million to Doctors Without Borders immediately after the devastating quake. Actress Jennifer Anniston also pledged $500,000 to Doctors Without Borders. Actor Leonardo DiCaprio donated $1 million. Actress Sandra Bullock and model Gisele Bundchen both wrote out checks to Red Cross; Bullock in the amount of $1 million, and Bundchen, who had a salary of $40 million in 2009, $1.5 million.

Madonna donated $250,000 towards relief efforts. Professional cyclist Lance Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer, and his LiveStrong Foundation also pledged $250,000 to go towards Doctors Without Borders as well as the Partners in Health Foundation. Actress Alyssa Milano, who is the goodwill ambassador for UNICEF, wrote a $50,000 check to the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, and asked other corporations to match her donation. Actor Tyler Perry pledged $250,000. Actor Ben Stiller is raising money for a school in Ceverine in Haiti through "Save the Children." He also asked fans for $10 donations charged to phone bills by texting "Haiti" to 90999.

Magician David Blaine, who once shot a TV special in Haiti in 1999, worked with the Red Cross to raise funds for Haitian earthquake victims by performing his street magic for 72 hours non-stop in Times Square. Lady GaGa stated that all proceeds from her New York City concert would go towards Haitian relief efforts. The concert raised just over $500,000. Irish businessman Denis O'Brien and professional golfer Tiger Woods both donated $3 million of their own money. John Travolta piloted his own private jet to Haiti on January 26th, bringing six tons of ready to eat military meals and medical supplies, as well as bringing over several doctors and ministers. Professional baseball player Miguel Trejada personally delivered several humanitarian supplies to Haiti.

Many celebrities, in one form or another, have aided Haitian relief efforts since the devastating quake in 2010. Whether it be in the form of a large monetary donation, physical help, etc., the celebrity response to a disaster generally helps it become and maintain popularity. If not for the celebrities, the mass media would probably begin to lose interest in the story over short time. At the same time, the humanitarian response from celebrities often helps them in return, by offering positive feedback, publicity, and popularity in the public eye.

Sources:
Petry, R. (2010). Should you use a celebrity?
http://www.responsemagazine.com/response-magazine/should-you-use-a-celebrity-491

Us magazine. (2010). Gisele Gives $1.5 Million to Haiti Relief Efforts.
http://www.usmagazine.com/celebritynews/news/gisele-give-million-to-haiti-relief-efforts-2010151

ROC4Life. (2010). Top Ten Celebrity donations to Haiti.
http://www.roc4life.com/profiles/blogs/top-10-celebrity-donations-to

Wycleaf Jean runs for President of Haiti

Shortly after the January 12th earthquake, singer/rapper Wycleaf Jean, a natural born native of Haiti, announces his candidacy for President. Jean was one of the first celebrities to offer aid to the Haitian community after the devastating earthquake. "I knew I'd have to take the next step,"  he said, after spending days delivering corpses to morgues in Haiti. The singer claimed that if it were not for the earthquake, he still would have ran for President of Haiti, "If it wasn't for the earthquake, I probably would have waited another ten years before doing this." He also stated, "the quake drove home for me that Haiti can't wait another ten years for us to bring it into the 21st century."

Not only is Wycleaf Jean popluar in Haiti for his music, but his charity work as chairman for the Yele Haiti Foundation. After the quake, Wycleaf was allegedly accused of mishandling funds through his non-profit organization. It was investigated that Jean was supposedly paid for performances at fundraising events, and used some of the funds to purchase advertising air-time on a television station he is co-owner of, among other suspicious irregularities. The foundation quickly hired a new accounting firm after the accusation, to whip the accounting books into shape. Jean publically denied the allegations, calling them "accounting errors," and eventually resigned as chairman, after raising more than $9 million post-earthquake.

Among Wycleaf, dozens of others announced their candidacy for President, including Jean's uncle, Raymond Joseph, who is the Haitian ambassador in Washington. Other candidates include former mayors, prime ministers, and another Haitian-born musician, Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly. Many thought Wycleaf's candidacy for President would be a huge help to the devestated society, win or lose, given his popularity here in the United States. It was thought that the media attention would be far greater with him running for President, as well as more money being donated to help victims. On the other hand, some were worried about his lack of a political career, as well as the fact that the rapper had spent most of his time residing in the U.S. His secret weapon in his Presidential candidacy is that the "enormous youth population doesn't believe in it's politicians anymore."

Sources:
CNN World. (2010). Wycleaf Jean runs for President of Haiti.
Retrieved from
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-08-06/world/haiti.wyclef.jean.president_1_yele-haiti-foundation-jean-shot-haitian-people?_s=PM:WORLD

The Huffington Post. (2010). Wycleaf Jean to run for President of Haiti.
Retrieved from
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/08/03/wyclef-jean-to-run-for-pr_n_669480.html

Padgett, T. (2010). Wycleaf Jean to run for President of Haiti.
TIME news. Retrieved from
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2008588-1,00.html

Early Response

In the days following the earthquake, President Obama gave an inspirational speech of what lies ahead. "I’ve directed my administration to launch a swift, coordinated and aggressive effort to save lives and support the recovery in Haiti. The losses that have been suffered in Haiti are nothing less than devastating, and responding to a disaster of this magnitude will require every element of our national capacity — our diplomacy and development assistance; the power of our military; and, most importantly, the compassion of our country." He concluded his speech with a personal message of hope to the people of Haiti, "Finally, I want to speak directly to the people of Haiti. Few in the world have endured the hardships that you have known. Long before this tragedy, daily life itself was often a bitter struggle. And after suffering so much for so long, to face this new horror must cause some to look up and ask, have we somehow been forsaken? To the people of Haiti, we say clearly, and with conviction, you will not be forsaken; you will not be forgotten. In this, your hour of greatest need, America stands with you. The world stands with you. We know that you are a strong and resilient people. You have endured a history of slavery and struggle, of natural disaster and recovery. And through it all, your spirit has been unbroken and your faith has been unwavering. So today, you must know that help is arriving — much, much more help is on the way."

The United States Agency for International Development's (USAID) Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART), as well as other search and rescue teams, arrived in Haiti less than 24 hours after the quake. The teams came from all over the world, including some of the urban areas of the United States, such as Los Angeles, Miami, Virginia Beach, and New York City. Their mission called for a "swfit, coordinated, and aggressive effort to save lives," as mandated by President Obama. Together, the teams rescued a total of 136 survivors, that were pulled out of the rubble.

The United States' initial response began with a pledge of $100 million to the relief efforts in Haiti, and President Obama promised more was to come. The U.S. quickly deployed staff from 17 government agencies and departments, including USAID, the Department of Defense, etc. Our response included over 20,000 civilians and military personnel. Together, they were responsible for the largest urban food distribution in history, delivering food to 3.5 million people. Emergency shelter was immediately given to 1.5 million.

Sources:
President Barack Obama's statement regarding relief efforts in Haiti. (January 14, 2010.)
http://www.jdnews.com/articles/obama-71790-president-recovery.html

The USAID/Haiti: Post Earthquake Response Homepage.
http://www.usaid.gov/ht/helphaiti.html

Office of the Press Secretary. (2010). The United States Government's Haiti Earthquake Response. The White House.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/united-states-governments-haiti-earthquake-response

January 12, 2010

At roughly 4:53 p.m. on January 12, 2010, an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0, shook Haiti. This was one of the most destructive natural disasters in history. The quake instantly reduced buildings to rubble, while taking lives and destroying homes. It is estimated that nearly 230,000 people were killed, 300,000 were injured, and over 1.5 million were left homeless. America quickly reacted.

When the earthquake hit, we were instantly taken back to the devistation of Hurricane Katrina. Katrina was the perfect example of what not to do after a natural disaster of that magnitude. How would we use what we learned from the disaster of Katrina to better our relief efforts for Haiti? Though there are significant differences between the two incidents, the end goal would inevitably be the same; to reconstruct a distressed nation.

The earthquake hit Haiti with little or no warning. Three million civilians were going about their normal, everyday routines, with no idea that their lives were about to drastically change. The residents of New Orleans had warning of the storms approach days in advance, which gave some citizens time to evacuate. The death toll of Katrina was numbered in the thousands, while Haiti lost over 200,000. Both left massive numbers of people homeless with all the damage. Hurricane Katrina took place in the richest country in the Western hemisphere, while the earthquake in Haiti took place in the poorest.

Sources:
Office of the Press Secretary. (2010). The United States Government's Haiti Earthquake Response. The White House.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/united-states-governments-haiti-earthquake-response

Gioia, C. (2010). Comparing the Haitian earthquake with Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.helium.com/items/1717383-comparing-the-haitian-earthquake-with-hurricane-katrina

Gillhouse, S. (2010). Comparing the Haitian earthquake with Hurricane Katrina.
http://www.helium.com/items/1715494-katrina-and-hait-tragedies-similarity