The Times: Essential news from the L.A. Times

How Haiti got here

Episode Summary

Revisiting the crisis that turned Haiti upside down and examining how U.S. foreign policy has played such a pivotal and, in some cases, devastating role in Haiti's history.

Episode Notes

When an earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010, the international community pledged billions of dollars toward recovery. Much of that aid never went to rebuilding Haiti – or even to the Haitian people. But Haiti’s instability goes back even farther. In fact, it has a lot to do with outside political forces dating back to the country’s origin story as the world’s first Black republic.

Today, episode 4 of “Line in the Land,” a podcast from Texas Public Radio and the Houston Chronicle. We’ll be back with episode 5 next Tuesday. We’re airing an episode from “A Line in the Land” every Tuesday through the end of August.

Read the full transcript here.

Host: Joey Palacios with Texas Public Radio and Elizabeth Trovall with the Houston Chronicle.

More reading:

Haiti’s struggle has worsened in the year since the slaying of its president

As Haiti reels from crises, U.S. policy decisions are called into question

Op-Ed: The West owes a centuries-old debt to Haiti


Binge all the episodes of "Line in the Land" here. Episodes are in both English and Spanish. "Line in the Land" was made possible, in part, by the Catena Foundation, providing more than 100,000 asylum seekers in the U.S. with community and legal support. Learn more at asylum.news

Episode Transcription

GUSTAVO: Hey, what’s up. It’s Gustavo Arellano and you’re listening to The Times, essential news…from the LA Times.

Today… episode 4 of “A Line in the Land,” from our friends at Texas Public Radio and the Houston Chronicle. It’s a podcast that explores the human story behind the Haitian immigration journey to the U.S.  

It’s Tuesday, August 23, 2022. 

When an earthquake devastated Haiti in 2010, the international community pledged billions of dollars to help. 

But…a lot of that aid never went to rebuilding Haiti – or even to the Haitian people. 

Haiti’s instability, though, goes back even farther. In fact, it’s fundamental problems are deeply rooted in outside political forces, dating back to the country’s origin story as the world’s first Black republic. That’s the history you’ll hear, in episode four of Line in the Land.

By the way…If you haven’t listened to the first three episodes, you should go back and do that first. And we’ll be back with episode 5 next Tuesday. We’re airing an episode from “A Line in the Land” every Tuesday through the end of August. 

  

Intro mux out 

<<