Dr. Lisa Tomlinson
The immediate response to the unjust treatment of Haitian-Dominicans by the government of the Dominican Republic should be a collective one. The opposition to the slated deportation or expulsion of over 200,000 Haitian-Dominicans is a cause that needs to be taken up not only by Caribbean leaders, but also by the people living in the region and its diaspora.
Haiti has frequently been lauded for her historical revolution that led to the freedom of enslaved Africans in 1804. Haiti is also admired for its vigorous and principled support for the independence movement in South America. Historians, academics and even creative writers throughout the Caribbean have used the Haitian Revolution in their work as the backdrop to symbolize the emancipation of black people living in the diaspora. They have also used it to promote a black consciousness, which challenges a colonial system that dehumanized and berated the cultural values and practices of Africans.
Historically, the relationship between the Dominican Republic and Haiti have been smeared with brutality and war. In 1822, Haiti occupied the Dominican Republic emancipated enslaved Africans, but brutally mistreated and suppressed the culture of her people. The October 1937 massacre of approximately 20,000 Haitians on the order of the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo (known as the Parsley Massacre), further worsened relations between both nations.
In his famous novel Home to Harlem, Harlem Renaissance writer Claude McKay does not focus the reader’s attention on the historical rift between the two countries. Instead, he intentionally uses his Haitian character Ray to dispel the negative stereotypes of Caribbean people as savages. More profoundly, McKay begins a conversation between his main characters to shed light on the significance of the Haitian Revolution.
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Campaign to End the Occupation of Haiti 