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The 2010 Haiti Earthquake

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Haiti may have gained its independence from France in 1804, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t had its own share of hardship since. For one, Haiti’s geographical location above a major fault line has made it a prime target for earthquakes.  On January 12, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 7.0 hit Haiti, leaving 220,000 people dead and 300,000 injured. Humanitarian aid immediately began to pour in from countries and disaster relief organizations all over the world as the Haitian government scrambled to supply essential services to its citizens. This proved to be difficult because the earthquake had taken the lives of many government officials and demolished the UN headquarters, parliament, and National Palace. Even more recent events have challenged Haiti to devise a plan of action after disaster—examples being the 2021 earthquake and assassination of President Jovenel Moïse, just to name a few. It’s important to understand the responses to these events because, in a sense, disaster rec...
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Haitian Reparations

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As you know, in history Haiti wins their revolution and gains freedom from France in 1804. Yet, even over the last two centuries, Haiti has not been able to stabilize their economy and become a successful nation in the eyes of the world.  Last year, thousands of refugees fled Haiti and arrived at the US-Mexico border after the 7.2 magnitude earthquake they were hit with. Most refugees had left Haiti in 2010 when another large earthquake caused their already dismal economy to further weaken. Now, the United States under President Biden was not able to accept these refugees and they were forced to return the disaster zone that Haiti has turned into.  Haiti is a country that is constantly in crisis, and with its poor infrastructure that stemmed from the aftermath of the slave revolution, they have never been able to recover. Last July, Haiti's president Jovenel Moïse, was assassinated by Colombian mercenaries, and the man that took over the position -  Ariel Henry - is ...
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As with much of the colonial history of the Americas, slavery played a major role in shaping the economies and societies of the colonies under the control of European powers. While slavery was a cruel system of exploitation across the board, colonies under the control of the French were known to be particularly brutal. In the years prior to the Haitian Revolution, Saint-Domingue was France's most valuable colony, making up a huge portion of sugar and coffee exports to Europe. The enslaved population that drove most of this plantation economy was subject to extreme living and working conditions--conditions so harsh that the average life expectancy for enslaved adults was 7-10 years. Code Noir - 1742 edition (Buchanan) Ironically, the French colonies were supposed to be governed according to the Code Noir, a legal policy issued by King Louis XIV in 1685 that regulated the treatment of the enslaved population. The Code included many provisions such as education in the Catholic faith, ...
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Populations of Saint-Domingue

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Free Women of Color with Their Children and Servants in a Landscape - Agostino Brunias As we enter conference, it will be important to consider the space that your character occupies within the racially and socio-economically stratified populations of Saint-Domingue, which you should already have some basic familiarity with from the topic synopsis . If you haven't checked it out yet, please stop reading and go do that first!  The people of Saint-Domengue consist of three major racial groups (terminology used here in an effort to accurately reflect attitudes at the time of the Revolution and not the ideology of our dais) that can be further divided into sub-divisions related to wealth, national origin, and other factors, all of which had significant influence on the direction of the revolution from its origins and ideals to the factions it involved. Bossales and Creoles: The Enslaved Population Bossales: Enslaved people of African birth. Creoles: Enslaved people of Caribbean birth. ...
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Head Chair Introduction and Welcome!

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 Hello, delegates and welcome to the Haitian Revolution crisis committee of BMUN 70!  My name is Mathilde McKeever and I am thrilled to be serving as the Head Chair for this committee. I’ve been imagining a Model UN crisis committee focused on the Haitian Revolution for some time now, and I am excited to see how it plays out during our conference! A little bit about myself. I am currently in my fourth year at UC Berkeley, studying Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. In my free time, I love to read, swim, bake, and go on road trips around California.  I also have a particular fondness for snowy days (though sadly we don’t get many of those in Berkeley) and hot fudge sundaes. Aside from BMUN, I am involved in various teaching organizations on campus and I am a TA for Berkeley’s introductory computer science course.  I am also joined by my lovely vice-chairs, Aisha, Alana, Chloe, and Srisai in chairing this committee. They have also introduced themselves in ear...
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Vice Chair Introduction: Aisha Gupta

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Hey everyone! My name is Aisha and I'll be one of your Vice Chair for the Haitian Revolution this year! I'm a freshman at Berkeley intending to major in Physics and Data Science. I've done MUN all throughout high school, and now I'm excited for the opportunity to finally chair a committee! Aside from BMUN, I really enjoy watching Marvel movies, playing boardgames, and exploring restaurants in the Berkeley area! Crisis is my favorite part of MUN because you get to act as a director, scriptwriter, and actor all at the same time. I'm excited to see how you all use these roles to navigate through the Haitian Revolution. I look forward to meeting you all in March!   
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Vice Chair Intro: Chloe Frank

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Hello and welcome to the Haitian Revolution committee! My name is Chloe Frank and I will be serving as one of your vice chairs this year. I'm a sophomore majoring in History and got my start in MUN at BMUN's very own Delegate Workshop back in 2016, an experience that influenced my decision to attend Berkeley. I also, predictably, really enjoy chairing historical crises. Outside of BMUN, I'm involved in the DeCal Program, which supports student-taught courses; explore Cal's many amazing libraries, museums, and maker spaces; and play soccer.  I'm looking forward to meeting you all and seeing the great work you will do. Please don't hesitate to reach out to me at cfrank@ HIDDEN JUNK bmun.org with any questions :)
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