Think Global

Global.

I understand, I understand, I understand. I was born in Haiti, one of the poorest islands. I know that other countries need our help. I know that the devastation of AIDS in a “third world country” cannot compare to what slips through the cracks here in America. I know that the global quest is what drives the machine. BUT, I also know that people are dying from AIDS everyday right here in our country, down the street from us, our neighbors. People that shop for groceries in the same stores we do, that drive their cars on the same streets. What about them? When did they fade from the forefront replaced by images in countries that the average American would never see except for TV and magazines? Where are all the red ribbons among the pink, yellow, blue, green, orange……?

I understand.

I always thought that my mission would be global. I wanted to work with AIDS in Africa. I wanted to go back to Haiti, my birthplace and fix EVERYTHING!! I carry Haiti in my heart, always. I educated myself and I planned, but then my life happened. I got married, I got pregnant. How the hell was I supposed to leave my husband and daughter? I’m not a celebrity that can afford to travel around the world for months at a time using their fame to draw attention to their cause of choice. I have obligations and constraints like most people trying to carve out a life in a country that gets meaner and uglier to the ones who carry most of its burdens on their shoulders.

I made a choice. I chose my own backyard.

I work within my community, I work with people who have AIDS and are dying and have nowhere or no one to turn to. I sit with them when they’re scared, I laugh with them when the rarity of joy comes. I hold their hand as they take their final breaths. Dying from AIDS is horrible wherever you are, is it uglier in Africa? Yes! Of course! But that doesn’t mean that Ms deserved less attention as I watched her eyes roll back in her head and thought that every breath would be her last. She suffered too, her last weeks were hell, and I bet you may have had more luck running into her at some point in your life than someone halfway around the world.

Think global. Educate yourself. Understand the needs and conflicts. Help when you can. But, don’t forget the person around the corner. Don’t forget that your community is just as important. You can’t fix the world with a broken tool.