Wake County School Board Has Me Fired Up...and Worried

Our school board has bullied, bushwhacked, and axed a wedge clear through the county, and it reeks of party line politics. I'm up in arms, fancying myself an activist these days. Read on to see what has me so irate.

Here's a hint: Diversity isn't just about color.

Haiti: "Te a fatige."

The earth is tired.

Words spoken by forlorn Haitian farmers. One cannot help but sigh. Or moan.

From National Geographic: "So what do you do if you live in the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere, and the price of the primary carbohydrate—'Miami rice' from the U.S.—doubles? Mostly, you go hungry and watch your children do the same."

Such grim conditions are reality to Haitian mothers. Can you even bring your mind to the hell theirs must occupy? I simply cannot. I watched my sons inhale two helpings of sesame chicken at dinner tonight. As I watched them dawdle and chat and chew, all I could think about was Haiti. The people of Haiti. The mothers. And their sons.

Haiti has seen its share of hell. It is the Western hemisphere's poorest country. A long history of war, pillaging, greed, and destruction has made it so.

The recent earthquake devastation reeks of Katrina in its imagery, social classism, and utter despair. The income gap is more a canyon. The race and class divide is astonishing. The destruction is beyond my grasp. Katrina and the tsunami all rolled into one whirling nightmare.

Despite the bigotry masked as Christian righteousness that Pat Robertson spews, Haiti, and her people, did not deserve this. There was no pact with the Devil. Do people really buy this shit? If the Devil does indeed exist, I believe he looks a lot like Pat Robertson.

We are citizens of this planet. We share our humanity. Poor people do not love their children any less. Disenfranchised masses don't deserve less. We waste in one day what could clothe and feed a family of four in Haiti for days. As human beings who have so much, it is our duty to be giving. If you cannot open your passport to join an aid mission, then open your checkbook.

For just one day, I ask you to forgo that latte, Target impulse purchase, or eBay pair of Frye boots. Donate that money instead. What is so small to us makes an enormous difference to those in need.

We're giving here. Stop Hunger Now.

You can also give here:

Unicef

Yele Haiti (You can text "yele" to 501501 to automatically donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund. The 5 bucks will be charged to your regular cell phone bill. It doesn't get any easier than this.)

International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (Text "HAITI" to "90999" to donate $10 to the Red Cross.)

Doctors Without Borders

Charity: Water


And one last thing, don't wait for tragedy to strike or the advent calendar to count down, be giving everyday, in whatever small ways you can. We recently wrote down our family values on a board in our mudroom, an exercise I often do to help my clients define their brand and messages. I figure we represent brand Dirt & Noise so why not give this a shot. Here are the values that define our family:

Respect.
Kindness.
Generosity.
Gratitude.

Now, to make those four little words come to life....

This isn't just about Haiti; it's about Humanity.

Poverty is Alive and Kicking

My children scarfed down a huge meal last night. Macaroni and cheese, barbecue meatballs, peas, and sliced tomatoes. All topped off with a butter pecan ice cream cone treat. Did I mention they also each ate an entire peanut butter and jelly sandwich an hour before their dinner? Then they woke up and each ate one sunnyside up egg, buttered toast, a whole pear, and bowl of yogurt. They count their servings of fruits and vegetables everyday to ensure we don't gyp them of their five servings. I have written before of what super champ eaters I have. I have also written about how much I love food and how much of it I eat. Food is a part of our family's brand DNA.

I am grateful. Grateful for the healthy options we have, for Farmer Tom and the insanely delicious organic veggies he provides us, for the family meal times we share, for food coma, for smeared chocolate on my kids faces, for drips of syrup on my pajamas, for sticky fingers, for flour in the crevices of my stove, for a full belly.

We have so much.

We have so much more than most.

Children in our proverbial and literal own backyards are hungry. They fall asleep to the grumble of their bellies and awake to the nausea of hunger. They eat meals at school and go without on weekends. They know nothing of organic strawberries and pulled pork simmering in sauce. They learn to live without while we cut off crusts and pour out half drunk apple juice boxes.

We can help those kids. Help them grow and learn and have faith in the power and goodness of others. Inspire them and your own kids to take note of hunger and more importantly, take action.

Today is Blog Action Day. Bloggers big and small are using our voices to speak out on eradicating poverty. I pledge to donate $1 to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina for every single comment I get on this post. I totally filched this fabulous idea from Magpie Musing. I don't think she'll mind.

So what are you waiting for? Leave a comment and forward this to everyone you know. I promise you there is no easier way to help the poor. Your words equal my money. Now that's putting your money where another's mouth is.