Article: Social Media Activism: Adding to the Haitian Narrative

Susskind said it's more important now than before that everyday Haitians have a voice and are heard. "The single most important thing that can happen is that the reconstruction process is administered by Haitians through a democratic process," Susskind said. Conley said Project Haiti Speaks supports Haiti and wants to build coalitions one partner organization, one citizen journalist and one survivor at a time.

"Through Project Haiti Speaks, we are able to provide and facilitate communication platforms so people can share, document, and report on stories from their points-of-view," Conley said. "It's a way for survivors, volunteers, and citizen journalists to engage with the world community by raising the awareness and inciting activism."

The five ways you can help Project Haiti Speaks according to the Media Make Change's web site:

1. Send your used cameras. Don't let your old digital camera sit on the shelf and collect dust. Give it the chance to collect critical information on current events and social/political crises. We are currently collecting donations for Haiti in Chicago and New York City. Contact us to find out where you can send your digital media equipment.

2. Post about Project Haiti Speaks on your blog, Facebook, MySpace, or Twitter. Tweet about making change in Haiti today. Write a blog post about what you did to help earthquake relief, and then post it on YouthNoise to raise an extra $1 for Haiti.

3. Read blog posts and watch videos produced by Haitian citizens. The media giants get enough attention. Seek out the stories that are produced by the people. You'll get a much more balanced perspective on current events. Check out Global Voices and the CinÃ � Institute for digital media produced by Haitian citizens.

4. Contribute to the conversation about what we, as concerned global citizens and cit-journalists can do to make a difference. Learn about Haiti's history, comment on blog posts, talk about what's going on, and engage in the process of making social change.

5. Check on Media Make Change for updates on Project Haiti Speaks. Or better yet - stay in the loop by signing up for our RSS blog feed, following us on Twitter, friending us on MySpace, and becoming a fan on Facebook.

Contact Media Make Change at mediamakechange@gmail.com

Crossposted from Race-Talk.org.

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Jamaal Bell is the executive editor for Race-Talk and the media relations manager for the Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity. Jamaal has also served four years in the United States Navy. He holds a B.S. in Journalism and Public Relations from Ball State University. Follow him on Twitter @Jrbizzy.

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