Hey, y’all do know, of course, that I stopped writing this blog several months ago, right? Right?

After a while, Facebook, Twitter et al just became easier, simpler, more efficient. The blog was one thing too many. It’s been great fun, thoughm and thanks to all of you for tuning in. Look for a new Big Ideas forum in another venue. Until then —- I’m out!

–Eric Easter

Civil rights pioneer and activist Dorothy Height died this morning at 5:15 am, according to reports. A full Ebony archival history coming soon. A particularly toss loss in a six month window that has claimed the lives of Percy Sutton, Eunice Johnson, Ben Hooks and J. Bruce Llewelyn.

After 100 years of presidents trying to push some form of health care reform, a comprehensive health care bill finally became a reality - even if it is not as comprehensive as some would have it. But a start’s a start - and Rep. Bart Stupak is a hero.

It was great weekend to be in DC if you love Democracy. Not so much if you love driving from point A to point B without a hassle.

The first weekend Spring in DC as usual brought a torrent of matching t-shirt wearing mobs to downtown DC for everything from a massive marathon through the neighborhoods to a gathering put on by the “teabaggers” who were side by side with a fairly large array of immigrants (mostly Mexican) who marched down 16th Street and up the National Mall to the base of the Capitol Building. Though I noticed that the teabaggers and immigrants seemed to avoid any possible mixing.

These kinds of weekend actually making living in Washington simultaneously lame and wonderful. It sucks if you plan to get anywhere - barber shop, grocery store, church. But if you’ve been anywhere outside of the country where the kind of free speech we enjoy is just a passing fancy, then there is a certain beauty to even the most aggravating and annoying of protests (ex: teabaggers).

I got a note from a longtime friend, South Carolina activist Kevin Gray, who recently went to Haiti to help out as well as get educated on what really is going on. It said: ” I ran into some of your people in Port-au-Prince.”

Now, I’m not from Haiti so I was in a bit of a quandary as to what Kevn was talking about, but it turns out that a few close friends from Howard University have been in Haiti doing what they can with the skills they’ve been blessed with. So a very public shout out to Dr. Broderick Franklin and Dr. Greg Banks - both HU contemporaries and hang out partners who very quietly do what they do every day without fanfare.

And to all others who’ve lent a hand in any way they could - THANKS!  —  Eric Easter

What makes people think that they can go to another country - in a time of dire need, stress and tragedy - and steal children?  Doesn’t make sense to me.  On the other hand, it does.  Missionary zeal has made many a person cross the line of morality and logic for a long time - especially when it comes to black people.  At any rate, the ten zealots with the half baked plan of setting up an orphanage somewhere in the D.R. are now facing a possible life sentence for kidnapping - in a Haitian jail.  That’s hard time if I’ve ever heard it.  I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt and hope that they were sincere in their quest and conviction.  It’s a paper thin allowance though, because I really can’t condone preying on the gross misfortune of others, especially when it comes to children.  I don’t care who told you to do it.  Wrong kids, wrong century.

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My most recent roommate Benjamin Myers, a freelance photographer in Washington, D.C., said that he sometimes feels a little guilty about making photographs of all the suffering and tragedy that we’ve encountered here. There are hungry people just a 10-minute walk away, and some of those who were seriously injured may not have a strong chance of pulling through to a full recovery. A new generation of amputees has emerged, along with thousands of orphaned and displaced Haitians added to the ranks. People will continue to live in tents (or on the streets of Port-au-Prince) for a very long time and the state of shock that many find themselves in may take years to subside – if ever. No one will ever really trust buildings here again and their relationship with the very ground they walk on will forever be different. People need real things immediately and they need their lives back, so I understand Benjamin’s concern.

Just yesterday, I had a young woman in one of the smaller tent cities respond to my request for a photograph by saying, “I need food, I don’t need pictures”. Being the subject of an, out-of-the-blue, photojournalist was definitely not on her ”to do” list for the day. I was feeling her. But I also understand the long-term impact of imagery. And I’ve seen the effects of a well-told, powerful story. Every journalist sent here, or those who came on their own, was here to bear witness - and this was not a simple story. The scale is too large and the layers run fathoms deep. But the word had to go out. It’s kicked most of our butts and I think it really made us question our own professional beliefs concerning commitment to a cause that we cover, empathy towards a subject and our own personal involvement. This was a time for human responsibility. It was too significant an event to keep up the glass wall - at least from where I sit. Haitians are some of the most resilient people that I’ve ever met, and if any group can get past this level of catastrophe it will be them. Judging by the worldwide out-pouring of help, they won’t be doing it alone and that’s a very fine thing.

I said in my previous entry that the “Haitian people don’t need your prayers…(read it for the context)”. I’ll amend that a bit, because sometimes prayer is all folks have to work with. And after spending two weeks watching people survive in the most extreme situations possible, sometimes faith is what gets you through. I suppose that prayer has a lot to do with that. But there’s another type of faith, and it’s not the fatalistic or religious type. It’s the type that says, “I’m going to make it regardless, against any odds. This life will work for me and I’ll be the one to kick in”. That type of faith has been demonstrated here to me everyday. Peace to all.

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I walked up on this white guy today, as he was unloading a full to the brim truck of small kitchen supplies and food items outside of one of the tent cities in Petionville. My driver Onel and I were just cruising, when we spotted one of the many lines of people you see all over town now.  We almost didn’t stop. But this one had U.S. military support, so we decided to check it out. I asked the dude what he was giving away. “Just basic supplies”, he said. He had a fairly dutiful vibe and looked like most of the other aid workers you see here, with a baseball cap and shades – except this guy hadn’t missed a gym day in years and there was something a little different about him. Turns out it was Sean Penn, in Haiti doing his thing. He and his team finished the unloading, and while he was taking a break, I asked him how important it was for the Hollywood community to get involved in the relief effort. Without missing a beat he said, “I think it’s important for all communities to get involved in any way they can”. Way to go Sean.

I’ve heard of a few notables who’ve actually hit the island - Wyclef, Alonzo Mourning, President Bill Clinton, Rev. Jesse Jackson and Reverend Al are just a few. And there’s probably a big fund-raising effort taking place right now, organized by some major black power brokers. Being here, I’ve just been a little out of the loop. But if there’s ever been a time for boots on the ground, this is it. The people of Haiti don’t need your prayers and they don’t just need your money – they need your time, resources, knowledge and energy. There’s a lot of chatter about a rebuilding effort – and most of these ideas get filtered to me from the States. It’s very lofty, but doable, and it needs to be addressed. But when you’re here, you realize that we still haven’t gotten past the stage for basic needs. Where can I get my haircut? Where can I get a meal? Where can I get another job? What will happen to my tent when it rains? Where can I wash my clothes? When will the children go back to school? Where can I find a place to sleep – besides the streets? These are real, life altering questions and the consistent answers to all of them are just being slowly supplied and won’t be worked out for months. Realize this, there are still bodies buried in the rubble. I pass by them everyday.

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