Xenophobia and Ethnic Cleansing in the Dominican Republic: A Desperate Act of Self-Hate

I initially refrained from debating the inhumane acts and the ill treatment that Haitians have been enduring in the Dominican Republic (DR), mostly because of an overwhelming feeling of helplessness and sadness. Also, I felt that our cry as a people seemed to consistently fall onto deaf ears — whether at home or abroad.

This is not the first time that the Dominican Republic has engaged in ethnic cleansing against Haitians. In 1937, Rafael Leonidas Trujillo, the former president of the Dominican President, ordered the massacre of over 30,000 Haitians, in what was known as the Parsley Massacre. As a result of the world remaining indifferent and silent to this pre-WWII brutality, DR was never held accountable for this heinous crime. The First-World media probably never even knew what genocide was until Adolph Hitler; but before Hitler, there was Trujillo.

The international community must not remain indifferent and allow another form of the Parsley Massacre in the Dominican Republic to take place. The United Nations must hastily take appropriate measures, in order to stop the foreseeable genocide of Haitians in the Dominican Republic.

One must understand that the poor treatment of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian origin has little to do with immigration. It is classified as ethnic cleansing, xenophobia, racism, and it is a crime against humanity.

Numerous Haitians have been the victims of hate crimes in the Dominican Republic. Recently, a young Haitian man was publicly lynched. The victim, identified by his nickname Tulile, was found hung at Ercilia Pepín Park, according to Listín Diario.

Daily, young Haitian students in the Dominican Republic are being humiliated publically even by their own professors and peers. During one of my trips to Santiago de los Caballeros, the second largest city in the DR, I encountered a young female student who explained how her professor had overtly and systematically stigmatized Haitians students in the classroom.

The Haitian community has long waited for President Barack Obama’s statement in regards to this situation in the Dominican Republic, but we have heard nothing. Ironically enough, the United States’ occupation of the DR from 1916-1924 was what put Trujillo into power in the first place, according to a June 16, 2015, article by The Washington Post. As the leader of the Free World, I believe that President Obama has a moral obligation to assist in establishing equality, justice, and fairness for all. The Haitian community takes a hearty note of Pope Francis’ concerns in this matter, for he too knows the consequences of remaining silent to injustice.

The ceaseless demise of the land of Haiti must be stopped and it must be stopped instantly. It is time for those who confess their love and their pride for Haiti to acknowledge and to combat the injustice that has been done to us throughout the years. It is our duty and responsibility as human beings to stand up, to raise our voices, and to denounce the cruelty of the Dominican government against Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian decent.

Self-hatred is, in my sense, a disease that could only be treated through education. The healing of racism, self-hatred, and xenophobia is promising should the psychological work of Trujillo is undone in the hearts and minds of the Dominican extremists.

I commend the Dominicans who are not supporting this injustice that is being inflicted upon both Haitians and Dominicans. May they continue to show the world that their country is much more than what Trujillo and extremists like him wanted it to be.

*Georges Bossous, Jr. is the Executive Director, Word and Action, Inc. He is a community leader and child advocate. Bossous earned a Masters Degree in Psychology from Barry University. He is currently a Doctorate Candidate in Public Health at Walden University.