Haiti Rising - The Meaning of Mourning
Robert Hill, UCLA professor of History
Duration: 05:23
Robert Hill, UCLA professor of History, gave an unscripted talk about his struggle to understand why he mourns for Haiti. Death encompasses excruciating repetition. It seems like Haiti's hope and beauty has been replaced with powerlessness. However, Hill acknowledged that healthy mourning can be empowering. It can unite dispirited individuals under a common destiny. Haitians will recover from the incident because they can tell stories of what happened. Hill emphasized that storytelling remedies human madness.
This was part of Haiti Rising, whereby discussion panelists presented different perspectives on Haiti's situation, converging on the main theme of empowering local Haitian communities and being sensitive to their cultures and needs.
The free event was organized by International Development Studies students and faculty. They collaborated with African Studies, History, the Bunche Center for African American Studies, the UCLA Center for Black Studies Research, and the University of California, Santa Barbara. Support came from the UCLA Graduate Division, International Institute and event attendees.
Undergraduate International Relations Society
Published: Friday, March 05, 2010
