Hope for Haiti Now Telethon

"Hope For Haiti Now: A Global Benefit For Earthquake Relief" announces lineup of superstar musical performances.

Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting Will Appear in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift, and a Group Performance by Keith Urban, Kid Rock, and Sheryl Crow in Los Angeles; Coldplay, and a Group Performance by Bono, The Edge, Jay‐Z, and Rihanna in London.

All Performances to be Available for Purchase from Apple® iTunes® Store with Proceeds Benefiting Select Haiti Relief Funds. More than One Hundred of the Biggest Names in Film, Television, and Music to Appear on “Hope for Haiti Now,” Along with Wyclef Jean in New York City, George Clooney in Los Angeles, and CNN’s Anderson Cooper in Haiti.

The telethon will air commercial-free across MTV, VH1, ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, BET, the CW, HBO, CMT, PBS, TNT, Showtime, Comedy Central, Bravo, E! Entertainment Network, National Geographic Channel, Oxygen, G4, Centric, Current TV, Fuse, MLB Network, Epix, Palladia, SoapNet, Style, Discovery Health and Planet Green. Canada's CTV, CBC Television, Global Television and MuchMusic also will air "Hope for Haiti," as will BET International, CNN International, National Geographic and MTV Networks International, making the event available in 640 million homes worldwide.

You can also view the entire "Hope for Haiti" telethon online, at www.facebook.com/DisasterRelief.

Information from Hope for Haiti Now Facebook page.

Celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The holiday was yesterday, but the dream lives on everyday.

Save Haiti Now

A fierce earthquake labeled as the worse in 200 years devastated the Haitian capital of Port-au-Prince on January 12. The 7.0 magnitude earthquake left the capital in shambles, with toppled buildings strewn all over. The death toll has not been estimated, however, it is sure to be high, in a city were overpopulation is an issue. That Haiti should suffer a catastrophe of this sort is quite sad, given that Haiti is without question the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

Over the next couple of days, I will blog more about Haiti. I have a special interest in the country, that began with Dr. Paul Farmer, renowned Harvard University professor of medicine whom I had the pleasure of meeting a few years ago in Denver and the famed writer Edwidge Danticat, who introduced me through her writings to the immigrant experience of Haitians in America. To help the relief effort in Haiti, please visit the following charities and follow their links to contribute monetarily.

yéle haiti
American Red Cross
Unicef

Please be a savvy giver. If you are unsure about any organizations soliciting funds for victims of the earthquake, do your research before making a donation.
Photograph courtesy of the New York Times