White Supremacy In The Dominican Republic Essay

White supremacy is not a social issue that only affects the United States. In all parts of the world, people of color are seen as inferior compared to those with more standard European, “white” features. A place where this ideology takes a rather ironic twist is in the Dominican Republic. Although a grand majority of the Dominican people can be considered mulatto or of a mixed European and Black genealogy, many rejected their African descendants. Being “negro” is frowned upon in the Dominican Republic because it is a characteristic associated with the country’s neighbor on Hispañola, Haiti. The feud between Haiti and the Dominican Republic can be traced back to the 19th century and can be seen in modern times in the Dominican Republic’s attempt
If it is so unreasonable for them to introduce these policies, why is it being done? The answer is simply racism. The sad reality is that many Dominicans are still Trujillo sympathizers and believe in the cleansing of our race. Our forefathers are seen as these destroyers of the evil, oppressing Haitians. Trujillo is seen as a nationalist who would be praised by Duarte. We not only hate the Haitians for their past offenses towards us, but for their African heritage. We consider ourselves superior because we have Spanish, white descent, but the ironic, sad reality is that 90 percent of Dominicans have African ancestry. The first slave rebellion happen in the Dominican Republic in 1522. Dark skinned Dominicans take offense at being considered black because it is a characteristic associated with the Haitians. Similarly to how black people in America are often the butt of racist jokes, Haitians are dehumanized in jokes made by Dominicans. Dominicans glorify white skin. In Columbus Square, there stands a gigantic statue of Christopher Columbus, who is idolized, although he stripped the Dominican people of their freedom. This speaks volumes about how race is really viewed in the Dominican