Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Haiti remembered




[Click on each image to see in larger format]

Last weekend I was in New York--Brooklyn actually--for the NY Photo Festival. After three full days and nights of photo-related activities and exhibits, I decided it was time to be a tourist. So around noon on Sunday I scooted across the Brooklyn Bridge. What a stirring experience! The bridge actually vibrates with a sense of history. It is a reminder of what amazing things we humans are capable of when we dream BIG and then dare to act on our dreams.

After a brief scoot around the Manhattan neighborhoods near the bridge, I bought a salad at a deli and took it over to City Hall Park to eat. I had a plane to catch later in the day so couldn't stay very long. I returned to the bridge and was not surprised to find it crowded with tourists and locals. After all, it was a beautiful Sunday in May.

When I got to the first tower there was a group of NYPD officiers standing around. Soon I saw why. Almost immediately they stopped all pedestrian and bicycle traffic to let a parade of persons pass. It was not a large parade but one that touched me deeply as soon as I read the first sign. It said,

"KORETH: Kombit Rekonstriksyon Haiti.
A Day of Solidarity and Prayer for Haiti's Lost Sons and Daughters.
Sunday, May 16.
Help us honor the 230,000 lives during the January 12 magnitude-7 earthquake."