Racism In The Dominican Republic Essay

“Say, what right and what justice do you hold in such cruel and horrible servitude to these Indians?” Friar Antonio de Montesino claimed these powerful words in 1511 AD to the Spanish. The Spanish were racist to the Dominica’s and treated them like slaves. Although many people think that the Dominican Republic is only a wonderful island with amazing beaches. Although true, the Dominican Republic has always some racism issue and still deals with some even now. In the Dominican Republic racism has occupied a place in history, modern day society, and everyday life.

To start with, from the discovery of the Isla Hispaniola by the Spanish, racism has placed a mark in the Dominican Republic’s history. When the Spanish first arrived to the Isla Hispaniola they enslaved the Taino people who were dark skinned. Here racism makes an entrance! The Spanish took them up as slaves, worked them and used them very unfairly. They treated them like animals because of their color and could have cared less that God had created the Tainos the exact same way as them. Even though the Dominican Republic did achieve independence later racism play a huge role in their history. Now a day, in the Dominican
Republic the racism between Dominican’s and Hattian’s shows up very clearly. The Dominican’s look down on the Hattians calling them black when in reality both Dominicans and Hattians darker colored skin. Dominicans in general blame everything wrong with their country on the Hattians claiming that they take advance and bring horrible things to this country. Although some of the Hattians might do this many of them are good and kind and not all the faults of this country come from the Hattians. Dominicans also claim that Hattians do all the stealing and other crimes when in reality fifty, fifty chance whether or not a Hattian did the crime. Even now in the Dominican Republic racism still shows everywhere.

In my everyday life the racism in this country projects itself clearly.
For example, when I first arrived in the Dominican Republic in 2013 I could not tell the Dominicans from the Hattians. Now because of the culture and the ways people treat Haitians I can tell if a Dominican or Haitian person walks down the street by the color of their skin. Another place which racism appears is when people see African American frizzy hair they call it pelo malo (bad hair) and they call my hair pelo bueno (good hair) because of its straightness and fineness. This custom creates sadness because God created everybody different and he purposely gave these women frizzy hair while the Dominicans reject it and call it bad. Through many other example racisms in this country shows itself
clearly.
Sad to say, the Dominican Republic has been the abused and abusers of racism throughout history. From the beginning of their history racism had place a mark in this land. It started with the Spanish treating them wrongly but now they have racism problems with the Hattians. In everyday life the Dominicans struggle with treating people equally as God has commanded them. In James 2:9 it says, “But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.” Here it is clear that God commands people to treat others equally and the Dominican Republic history shows people breaking this commandment.