Kendrick Meek: “this is a subject that I know something about. One of the neighbors in my district, one of the largest neighborhoods is…”

“this is a subject that I know something about. One of the neighbors in my district, one of the largest neighborhoods is called Little Haiti, and it is one of the largest concentrations of Haitians in the world outside of Haiti itself. While Haiti is an abstraction for many Americans, to many of my constituents it is their place of birth, the place of birth of their mothers and fathers, and still home to friends and family. The human suffering in Haiti in this hemisphere, the poorest in the world, is something that no American would be proud of if they really understood what Haiti is going through and what the people in Haiti are going through. Let me give my colleagues just a little background as to why we should be more aware of what is going on in Haiti and try to help America understand the plight of this country. Sixty percent of 8.2 million people are undernourished. Think of it, 60 percent of the people who live there. Their illiteracy rate is 48 percent, and 85 percent of Haitian adults are illiterate. The United States has made some efforts in Haiti, not enough, but we are here today to say that the efforts that have been made are not in jeopardy. Only 40 percent of the population has access to clean water. Think of it. We take all of these things for granted, but only 40 percent of the population in Haiti has access to clean water. The per capita income of people living in Haiti is only $460 per year.”