All Eyes On: Marc Becker
Jennifer Lewis
Issue date: 2/4/10 Section: TruLife
Six days before the massive earthquake rocked the country of Haiti, Professor of History Marc Becker was there. He saw the conditions of the poorest people, made friends with those he interviewed and returned to Truman with no idea a natural disaster was about to destroy everything he had witnessed.
Becker said he had wanted to go to Haiti for years because he said he has become very interested in the Haitian slavery vault.
"It [Haiti] got its independence in a way completely different from any other country in the Americas," Becker said. "So I got more and more interested in going to Haiti, but at the same time there was a military coup that removed the president from power, so the country had become more politically unstable, more dangerous."
Becker said his opportunity to travel safely came in the form of a solidarity delegation organized by Marin Interfaith Task Force on the Americas, an organization devoted to improving human rights in Central America. He said he has gone a lot of trips organized by that organization because they are put together by connections.
Becker said there are benefits with traveling in a formal group because it would take years for him to come up with his own travel plans and being in a group allowed him to get an in-depth look.
"We went into Cité Soleil, which some people call the most dangerous slum in the world, but we went in with people from Cité Soleil. If you wander in just as a tourist, it's probably a stupid thing to do, but going with people who live there and work there, it makes more sense."
Becker said the trip involved 10 days of interviewing human rights experts, organizations that represent marginalized people and common citizens about their treatment at the hands of UN peacekeeping troops and their experiences living in the slums. He said the earthquake was a really bad shock after having only recently been there.
"I'm never quite sure how to talk about these experiences because now I see them through the lens of the earthquake," Becker said. "For example, the place we stayed was called Matthew 25 House, and it was run by some radical nuns who had some medical training. They've apparently become one of the main field hospitals in Port-au-Prince, the capital, for providing medical aid.
Becker said he had wanted to go to Haiti for years because he said he has become very interested in the Haitian slavery vault.
"It [Haiti] got its independence in a way completely different from any other country in the Americas," Becker said. "So I got more and more interested in going to Haiti, but at the same time there was a military coup that removed the president from power, so the country had become more politically unstable, more dangerous."
Becker said his opportunity to travel safely came in the form of a solidarity delegation organized by Marin Interfaith Task Force on the Americas, an organization devoted to improving human rights in Central America. He said he has gone a lot of trips organized by that organization because they are put together by connections.
Becker said there are benefits with traveling in a formal group because it would take years for him to come up with his own travel plans and being in a group allowed him to get an in-depth look.
"We went into Cité Soleil, which some people call the most dangerous slum in the world, but we went in with people from Cité Soleil. If you wander in just as a tourist, it's probably a stupid thing to do, but going with people who live there and work there, it makes more sense."
Becker said the trip involved 10 days of interviewing human rights experts, organizations that represent marginalized people and common citizens about their treatment at the hands of UN peacekeeping troops and their experiences living in the slums. He said the earthquake was a really bad shock after having only recently been there.
"I'm never quite sure how to talk about these experiences because now I see them through the lens of the earthquake," Becker said. "For example, the place we stayed was called Matthew 25 House, and it was run by some radical nuns who had some medical training. They've apparently become one of the main field hospitals in Port-au-Prince, the capital, for providing medical aid.
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