Today marks six months after the 7.0 earthquake that devastated the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Rep. Yvette D. Clarke released the following statement in commemoration of this disaster.

“Today marks the six month anniversary of the 7.0 magnitude earthquake and its aftermath that brought on a new era for the Caribbean nation of Haiti. Through this disaster we witnessed the great resilience of the Haitian people. We also witnessed the outpouring of compassion, humanitarian aid and support from our global community. While much has been done since the initial response to the disaster, it is clear that there is much to do in order to bring forth a stabilized and prosperous Haiti,” stated Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke.

Here are some of the legislative initiatives and activities that Rep. Clarke has coordinated to help Haiti recover:

•traveled to Haiti on a Congressional Delegation trip to survey the damage of the earthquake firsthand;
•joined her colleagues in the call to the President to issue Haitian Temporary Protective Status;
•introduced the Haitian Emergency Life Protection Act of 2010 (the HELP Act), which would allow the estimated 55,000 Haitians who obtained approved immigration petitions to join their relatives in the United States while they wait for their green cards;
•introduced H.R. 4961, The Haitian Private Sector Encouragement Act of 2010, which establishes the Haitian-American Enterprise Development Fund, encouraging sustainable economic development through loans and equity investments in small and medium-sized indigenous businesses; and
•teamed up with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to host a procurement briefing on how Haitian and Haitian allied businesses may obtain a USAID contract in Haiti.

“As the Representative of the second largest Haitian immigrant population in the country, I have heard my constituents express the importance of Haitian immigrants having access to Temporary Protected Status (TPS) in light of the earthquake. That is why I applaud the U.S. State Department for extending the deadline to file for TPS to January 18, 2011,” added Rep. Clarke. “I will continue to fight to ensure that we as a global community do not drop the ball when it comes to forging a long term strategy to rebuilding Haiti’s social, political and economic infrastructure.”

“The international response to this crisis has been commendable, but Haiti cannot be restructured without the full participation, resources, knowledge, and expertise of Haitians, the African Diaspora and those sensitive to Haitian the plight of Haiti. Let us never forget that as we unite with the people of Haiti, Haitian-Americans and the Haitian Diaspora to assist with the development of this great nation, we are forever guided by the words etched indelibly on the Haitian flag, ‘L’Union fait la force’ (Loon yon feh la force)…through unity, there is strength!” concluded Rep. Yvette D. Clarke.

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