he first and only successful slave revolt leading to free nationhood, Haiti has a tradition of collectivism and activism. Despite this strength of the culture that includes a vibrant tradition of music, art, literature, dance, and spirituality, Haiti has become the economically poorest country in the hemisphere. Haiti's descent is a result of collusion between elites and the state on the one hand, and the inequality of the world system.

Haiti's contemporary political and economic crisis has multiple roots. Haiti's people, the poor majority, have been excluded from power. Given Haiti's extreme poverty and the world labor market, Haitian workers' wages are among the lowest anywhere. At its peak, the export processing industry employed 80,000 Haitians, but current estimates are at 14,000. With few other choices, a job making $1.70 per day producing clothes for the U.S. has literally thousands of applicants. At any given moment, "50,000 people are behind you" competing for your job. In this context, workers are intimidated against speaking out to demand that their rights are respected and scared to join unions.

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