Twenty-four years ago, I made a promise that has shaped my life and my work ever since. My beloved partner, Eddie, a talented musician, was dying of AIDS. At the time, we felt powerless, isolated and angry. In 1992, there were no effective medical treatments and there was no hope for recovery. There was too …
Read MoreAlmost immediately after Heidi Feldman, a professor at Georgetown Law, learned that Donald Trump had been elected president, she decided to make a range of donations to organizations that supported civil liberties. “In addition to supporting more general organizations,” she said, “I thought it was important, with the rise of anti-Semitism and anti-black rhetoric, to …
Read MoreAsheville rallied to support Haiti after the 2010 earthquake, investing in ongoing relief and development projects headed by local organizations. Last month, however, Hurricane Matthew became the first Category 4 storm since 1964 to make landfall on the island. Nearly seven years after the quake, it’s no secret that the multibillion-dollar aid response did little …
Read MoreOn November 15, 2016, the American Jewish World Service (AJWS) honored Ruth Messinger at Pier Sixty for her dedication to social justice as a leading and progressive elected NYC official, president of AJWS, and the Global Ambassador for AJWS. Guests were welcomed to a cocktail reception followed by an elegant dinner as well as a …
Read More“Haitians are eager to do things differently this time: to control their own recovery, to empower each other, and to rebuild better and stronger.” Recently, the New York Times recognized the American Jewish World Service(AJWS) for its leadership in Haiti and published a letter to the editor from our in-country consultant in Haiti pleading that …
Read MoreThe U.S. Agency for International Development announced Wednesday that its contractors cannot discriminate based on race, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation or gender identity. The policy does not apply to employees of foreign aid contractors and grant recipients. Rights groups cautiously welcomed the announcement. “We applaud the Obama administration for taking a bold and principled …
Read MoreAdvocacy groups have applauded the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and Administrator Gayle Smith for ensuring that LGBT people will have equal access to services and aid delivered by contractors and sub-contractors of USAID that work internationally. This policy, announced Wednesday in a speech by National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice at American …
Read MoreA U.S. Agency for International Development rule that formally bans contractors from discriminating on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity took effect on Tuesday. National Security Advisor Susan Rice made the announcement on Wednesday during a speech at American University’s School of International Service in Northwest Washington. She said the rule means that …
Read MoreTo the Editor: Re “After Storm, Haiti Tries to Avoid Flaws of 2010 Quake Relief” (news article, Oct. 22): As a Haitian professional working on the front lines of disaster response to Hurricane Matthew, I applaud your reporting on the need to ensure that international aid agencies give generously while respecting and collaborating with the …
Read MoreLast week I messaged a source of mine in Haiti near Port-au-Prince to ask how he’s weathering the storm that hurricane Matthew has wrought upon his country. He replied that houses in his neighborhood had fallen “victim to floods.” The good news? “No one has died.” That’s more than people living on Haiti’s southern peninsula can …
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