Three hours ago, Wyclef Jean posted this message to his instagram page.
My Uncle Raymond Joseph, former Ambassador of Haiti to the United States would be “denationalized” today if he had accepted the offer of a Dominican citizenship that was made to him in 1976 by the Dominican Consul in New York.
Having attained some notoriety at that point in his career as a highly regarded political activist, organizer and Wall Street Journal reporter (in the mid 70’s), it was unfathomable at that time for him to renounce his Haitian roots to become a naturalized citizen of the Dominican Republic.
As a point of historical reference, Mr. Joseph was born in the Dominican Republic in 1931 and was never issued a birth certificate. As such, he entered Haiti when his parents fled the Dominican Republic (after the 1937 massacre of thousands of Haitians) by the dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo.
It is noteworthy to cite that this Caribbean holocaust has never raised the ire of the international community to date.
Furthermore, in 2015 it is absolutely unconscionable that the world has assumed a passive stance yet again while Dominican officials perpetrate ethnic cleansing and, in effect, are setting up a form of apartheid at the doorstep of the United States – while the Dominicans continue to benefit from billions of US dollars being spent annually on tourism, trade and real estate development in the region. This is reprehensible. Dominican officials should endure the effects of their gross violation of the human rights of thousands of victims who have toiled for decades to ensure the prosperity of the Dominican Republic.
At present, it remains evident that the Dominican Republic should revoke posthumously, the citizenship of José Franscisco Peña Gomez who was born of Haitian parents in 1937 and died in 1998. For he is still considered one of the most highly esteemed politicians of his country. Twice elected mayor of the capital of Santo Domingo, it is widely believed that he would have been elected president were it not for the colour of his skin. His name should be removed from the Santo Domingo airport.
In case you’ve never heard of Mr. José Francisco Peña Gómez. He was a politician from the Dominican Republic. He was the leader of the Domin
ican Revolutionary Party (PRD), a three-time candidate for president of the Dominican Republic and former Mayor of Santo Domingo. He is considered, along with Joaquín Balaguer and Juan Bosch, as one of the most prominent Dominican political figures of the 20th century. His widow Peggy Cabral is currently one of the two co-Presidents of the PRD.
Born to María Marcelino, a Dominican woman, and Oguís Vincent, a Haitian immigrant, on March 6, 1937 in Mao, Valverde, Dominican Republic, Peña Gómez was adopted as an infant by a Dominican peasant family when his parents had to flee to Haiti (where they died) in order to save their lives as the Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo enacted the Parsley Massacre against Haitians that same year. In later years, Peña Gómez’ opponents would use his Haitian ancestry against him; Dominicans have a deep fear and mistrust of anyone with Haitian blood owing to Haiti’s occupation of the country from 1822 to 1844.
Peña Gómez received a BA-equivalent degree from the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) in 1966 before going on to higher studies at the Sorbonne in Paris.
Peña Gómez died on May 10, 1998 in Cambita Garabitos, San Cristóbal, 6 days before the mayoral elections of Santo Domingo, in which he was running.
Peña Gómez was one of the most popular leaders in recent political history in Dominican Republic, especially among the poor masses. Being a key political figure until his death, the main Dominican Republic international airport was renamed from “Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas” to “Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas José Francisco Peña Gómez”.
The Dominican Government and this hateful racist Charleston, SC gunman share one thing in common; a racist philosophy with deep hatred of black people. For this reason, we, as Black People, should BOYCOTT the Dominican Beaches. WE all should STOP going over there and spend our money.
Why don’t each goverment in the world that think Dominicans are doing something wrong by protecting it’s boarders take at least 100,000 of the 2,000,000 haitians curently living in the DR to their country. I guess not case closed. It’s easy to talk crap when an issue is not happening to you.
But not the right to massacre human being, I am happy for you that your nation is economically stable and stay forever like that, btw life isn’t only make of materialistic things, looking for a better life isn’t dishonesty, hopefully you dnt get to do that cause your way of living is so amazing, keep encouraging murderers…jubrivin…
If you care a lot for this people you ca take them to your country and to your home. why nobody talk about the massacre what happend right now in south africa.
There are no Haitians being massacred in the Dom Rep. Please do not continue to promote these lies. The DR does nothing but help the Haitians.
i have been to dominican many times and they treat dark skinned people badly they make the Haitians do the jobs that your people think are beneath them. somar22 you are a liar they do not help the people from hati AT ALL the funny thing is you guys are so stupid because anywhere in the world 95% of you so called dominicans would be considered black. i hope people stop going to your country and you guys suffer considering all you have to offer the world is a few baseball players and resorts. i will never go back until you guys get with the program
Brian Carty, dark-skinned people hold high political positions in DR and are respected like how Peña Gomez was regardless of the fact that he had Haitian ancestry. The fact is that Haitians like you are envious that Dominicans managed to form a better country on the eastern part of the island. By the way Haiti has the same citizenship law as the DR. If a Dominican is born in Haiti he is Dominican not Haitian. So does The Bahamas, another country that is deporting Haitians, but you guys only want to hurt DR with your calls for a boycott. You’re hatred and jealousy of Dominicans is clear. What is happening in DR is the same thing that happens in every country that receives a large number of immigrants. After a certain point, the citizens of the host country feel resentment of the immigrants because they are taking jobs, not assimilating as quickly and etc. But to say that there is rampant racism is wrong. Dominicans are primarily dark-skinned also so you can’t play the race card. And of course Haitians being primarily illegal immigrants who cross the border will be working in menial jobs that Dominicans don’t want. What do you expect, them to be offered executive positions on a silver platter when many Dominicans are poor and unemployed.
We are talking about DR Citizens….born in the DR but of Haitian heritage…..the systematic ethnic cleansing and genocide taking place in the DR is comparable to Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa……your attempt to defend the indefensible is despicable. Your time will come!!
You are 100% wrong, we are talkin of people that enter illegally to DR, and we have the right to deport them. The one that born in DR are not the one that’s going to be deported. You are talking with out the write knolage.
Dear Lord, nobody is killing anyone. I hate how this media circus got out of control. Plus illegal haitians living in the DR got 2 years plus extentions to issue their documentation (tell me which country of the world, give that chance to a person who enter a country illegally?). This is not a matter of racism, have you seen a dominican family picture? There are more colors than in a crayola jumbo box.
I am not going to mention all the methods of deportation used in “civilized”country of the world, because is just a matter of regulations. All this is satinized, by people that live happily in their lovely countries, and just turn on their channels, and do not understand, read or live the real situations of Haitians and Dominicans.
John doe
Have the decency to post with your real name. Point any real evidence of mass murder in Dominican Republic of any kind, please, do so.
We are a Free Land, independent since 1844, I believe you should do the same and care for your country.
Trujillo was a dictator who killed more Dominicans than Haitians. The Americans put him into power. So sick of hearing the lies that Haitians talk about without mentioning the whole history including how they massacred women and children during their invasion and somehow we are supposed to thank them for invading us. Kindly remember we have reasons to distrust Haitians and still we opened the door to them during the earthquake.
Do not forget, you wouldn’t be free without the help of Haitians. At the end of the day;the color of our skin do not matter….we ALL bleed red.
CU-atian: Haiti INVADED the eastern half of Hispaniola known back then as Santo Domingo current day DR for its own interest. Haiti feared the Spanish, French and other European powers of the time would launch an invasion from the east. DR, like other Spanish colonies at the time, was not seeking independence. Yes we all bleed red and must find a way to get along but let’s call it what it was, an invasion. Haiti invaded the DR twice! Look it up on Wikipedia.
Well said!!!
Hey bitch u better shut ur mouth u guys r so hater there I believe you re not living in Dominican republic and I believe u ve kids in America and if u pregnant I know you wld love to make that baby born in the U.S to get the citizenship. What the fuck u talking about.maldita ke sea
GINA LOPEZ Educate yourself you racist peasant…theres only about 500,000 haitians living in the DR…stop trying to add dark skin dominicans and dominicans of haitian decent into your stupid figures. Educate yourself, look at how many countries such as U.S,Spain,Panama and Puerto Rico take in DOMINICANS!
Dominicans are good hard working people . It not our problem that your nation is not economicly uns unstable and everyone is jumping the borders illigaly.
I always believed that if you are ilegal in any country that country have the right to to deport you !
@luis gomez& Gina Lopez you people better get your facts right, how would you feel if the US government came out with a law and claim every Americans who’s mother and father are not natives American will not be recognized as US citizens and will face deportation, some of these people don’t even speak the language never been to Haiti before, deported with nothing, this is inhuman
This is our Law. And all the world have to respect that.
thats right its your law and we have to respect it even though myself and the rest of the world knows how stupid it is . But i guess we should not expect anything better because dominican politicians have low education and their stupidity is reflected in the laws we have to respect….. But guess what Fernando we don’t have to respect it and we don’t have to go to your ugly country either yes UGLY!! because your racist views have made your country VERY UGLY to the rest of the world. The thing is that YOU need US to travel to your country and spend money so you people can eat and feed your kids. all you are doing is spiting your own selves without tourism you would all be destitute and begging for things just like i see when ever my my tour bus goes through your towns and i see you guys running down the bus screaming “MATTA MATTA” yeah go fuck yourself Fernando and every Dominican that shares your view
The law has been in place for almost 100 years. Foreigners’ kids born there doesn’t make them citizens. The law didn’t just magically appear recently. They are just going to enforce it with deportations. Just how thousands get deported from US.
Because UNITED STATES was a nation formed by inmigrants!!!! ALL INDIANS were killed by INMIGRANTS!
We are not deporting people born in DR, we are deporting illegal people.
There was and especial program to regularize all the people born in DR, the y just have to sow any kind of prof.
If you won’t born in DR it’s going to be deported. As happen in USA.
Although we give the opportunity to all the illegal people living in DR to show them self on a special offices creates to that Mather and sow prof that is working in DR, and will not be subject to deportation, but the Haitian embassy in DR was charging a lot of money for they own people to give them bird certificate,?and many people don’t show them self.
Steve John or whoever you are;
1st – 99% of Dominicans in the US are Legal
2nd – Our citizens have been deported by hundreds of thousands
3rd – The US is already deporting hundred of thousands and millions of immigrants from south america with US Citizen Children, who have not other choice that leave the country with their parents, even they are US Citizens.
Dominican Republic made a Law to correct an unjust Article or Our Constitution that cannot be changed, because it was established since 1844 to avoid exactly what is happening now; That Haiti is Pacifically invading DOM REP and our country in solidarity with our poor sister nation allow it to the point that is almost out of control.
this enacted law in 2013, gave Haitians of National Ascendence 18 months to adjust their status, it was extended 6 months more after its initial expiration, and all the government asked was that their parents provide a credible identification; Birth Certificates or Passport, and the Current Government of Haiti provided less than 10% of such applicants with valid ID’s. Which country in the world will accept to validate regularization without knowing who you are or who you said you are.
Everybody is Making the Pendejo, specifically those that wants to take advantage of this and create chaos to continue milking the foreign aid Haiti has been receiving for the last 5 years, 10 billion dollars, which is the whole PBI of Dominican Republic.
Get your facts straight and speak the true
Except the (country) belongs to the Haitians bf and Spanish or french s.o.b even set foot there. Dominicans are watered down hatians. Dominicans are a products of Haitians and white devil. No matter how hard you wish, no matter how white washed, no matter how much perm. You will never be white. Never.
I don,t understand why can,t haitian stay home and help our country grow.most of them go to dr to slave them self for less.they could,ve stay home instead and work just like they working hard to help dr grow strong.they need to change they mentality .they stil have slave mentality they need to research on haitian history.they need to hold they head up as haitian and be proud of who they we are as the fist black country to get our independence 1804 was that year.we need a strong leader and strong voice wich we don,t have.it,s time we as haitian people come together and reunited as one stop all that negativity that,s happening in dr .that need to sto right now.they have so little respect for haitian life .I can,t stop crying all those enocent haitian my people who didn,t deserve to die .please all you haitian my people let,s do some thing .just like desalune capoix lamour and toussaint louverture would do.jean claude duvalier and more .they were true leaders in they name and god n as me we will be strong fight bck.
It’s so sad that the government is so ignorant.. And that the people are actually allowing this to happen… I am a product of a Dominican immigrant who risked her life to come to the US to give me and my siblings a brighter future… Like many other Dominicans how can people turn around and commit such acts of cruelty to humans who are seeking a better living.. We are all humans this is so sad.. I say that president is unworthy of his title and of such a beautiful country..
@markenson toussaint, I share your sentiment, but those Haitians bring these tribulations upon themselves. They knew very well what they were getting themselves into. They went anyway.
They could have stayed in Haiti, do the same things that they were doing in the Dominican Republic. No, They decided to go to someone else country to destroy their Social Welfare structure. They could have stayed in Haiti to farm, do things to better their lives. The Haitians should stop saying: ” the country doesn’t offer them anything “. they should ask themselves: ” what do they offer the country? ”
They should revolt against their corrupted leaders form the top to bottom, president, vice president, senators, judges, police…..
My heart goes to the kids that were born in the Dominican Republic that are now stateless.
Referring to the Haitian leaders you mentioned. Jean-Claude Duvalier was one of the worst. He took money in advance from the Dominican Republic government to send our people to work as slaves in the DR plantations. He was well aware of the Hatians situations the entire times he was in power. The Hatians tribulations in the Dominican Republic are not new.
Our corrupted leaders in the past, present, Haitian population, and few super power nations that depend on the sugar to consume are responsible for what is happening now. The DR government has right to enforce its laws , right are wrong.
We dont care about be white. im sorry this is not a racist problem..
Yes it is what’s the saying if your black your no good if your black your Haitian..
Don’t forget about Sammy sosa
Luis Gomez, if you are born in a country, its your country, their are many Dominicans and other cultures of people entering in the US illegally but when their children are born here, your child is a citizen. Haitians are hard working people as well. Other than tourism the Dominican Republic is impoverished. Tourism is about to take a major hit. Trust me.
This is about race. Amazing how people discount the facts!
This is not about racism.
Ok I completely understand that the actions of my country are unaceptable, however don’t need to be offensive towards us. A lot of us actually condem the government and its hateful and racist policies. But please get your facts straight, the island belonged to the Spanish n later Dominicans way before the French set foot on the island. to be honest many of us considered ourselves to be a mix of African and Spanish, there’s nothing shameful about our African heritage. It has actually permeated every aspect of our culture. And no, many of us don’t try to be white. So please don’t generalize a whole grioup of people based on the actions of a few
@Hispaniola, I understand the Island was Spanish first before becoming French. But that was the Haitians that chase Spain out of the East Side of Island and unified it. You had your independance from Haiti. If Haiti did not show the world slavery was wrong there would still be slavery to this day.
Freedom is nerver given by the oppressors, it is taken from them. That was exactly what the Haitians did. Even though the Haitians pay a heavy price for the freedom. They are happy today you can say you are Spanish or Dominican. French and Spain weren’t going to free the slaves on the island.
Haitian posting above, you are so ignorant that I think your head’s inside your A$%Whole. You and I are from the same ascendance, stop making yourselves a victim.
We are sons and daughters of Slaves from Africa and Spanish Colonialist. We are brothers and sisters, but you screw it when you decided by force to make the whole Island one and make hispanic ascendence of the rest of the Island to speak Creole. For 22 years you occupied the entire Island after invading us in 1822 with the excuse of freeing slaves in the east side of the Hispaniola.
Haiti was the second country to get its independence in 1791 on the whole hemisphere after the US, and you got trained by Napoleon’s Army in the art of War and couldn’t avoid the temptation to own the whole Island without thinking through our differences, which is not color, but our culture, language and customs.
For 22 years you massacre each an everyone that did not comply with you Emperor Toussaint Louverture orders of submission and slavery of our Criollos; Mulattos of African and Spanish ascendance, that rejected slavery because had no desire of making their brothers, sisters and children slaves, because we were not different of each other.
The Island was divided in two by the Treaty of Aranjuez between France and Spain and must slaves escape to freedom from Spanish Slavery to the West of the Island that was occupied by France after this treaty.
So for you and any other one with the same idea. The Hispaniola, today’s Dominican Republic is and have been free from Haiti Occupation since 1844, and it is a sovereign nation until the last dominican is standing in their own feet. Make no mistakes, you have lost 5 times already in all your previous armed invasions, and if you try it one more time, I am sure you will lose again.
We are Dominicans and will remain dominicans for the rest of our existence. The island is divided in two and has two separated Nations: Haiti and Dominican Republic, so is time we start to learn to live with each other pacifically.
Here is the problem, Haitians think DR belongs to them. Do you think is easy to be sleeping with your enemy? just read this message it says it all!
Your right what if PR did this to Dominicans who are illegal there.
In Europe they don’t give to the citizenship to people born there. Thad they law. Every country have they own law.
The Haitian constitution said that all the child’s of Haitian parents are Haitian no Mather were they born.
They do, Puerto Rico Deports Dominicans every week, and dominicans get back to their county with their head high and they are received with their head high.
Israelitesking It seems you don’t read news. Every year we receive thousands of Dominicans from USA and PR deported because they are illegal there in those territories. And you know what? We don’t blame those countries because that is their right, and those Dominicans that go there illegally are conscious about the consequences that being illegal there may bring.
What do you think would happen if I go illegally to the USA with my family? You think they will give me access to hospitals, schools, college, jobs, food? NO! But you know what? Illegal haitians have had all that for decades here in DR, but we are a poor country, we cannot afford it for centuries, we have to put order in the house, and we are giving them the opportunity to have a legal status for FREE. But it seems they don’t want it. If they don’t want it, then they have to go back to haiti. There are more than 300K haitians now susbscribe to the legalization process. Those 300K can freely work and have access to all rights as Dominicans.
Now the million dollar question: Have any other country offered this help to Haiti?
Freddy My friend, you are on fire, well done! I pay my deepest respect to you and your love for our country, Bless you!
Luis Gomez, if you are born in a country, its your country, their are many Dominicans and other cultures of people entering in the US illegally but when their children are born here, your child is a citizen. Haitians are hard working people as well. Other than tourism the Dominican Republic is impoverished. Tourism is about to take a major hit. Trust me.
Kim do you know what is the Constitution? Every country has their own and none of them have the same laws. So learn the DR and Haiti constitution before you talk. It’s better to talk when you know what you are talking about. Also responding to everybody here talking about massacre, that happened when Trujillo was a dictator and he just didn’t kill Haitians
, He killed thousands of Dominicans. Also when the Haitians invaded DR they asked Dominicans to get together in the church and they killed them all with Bayonets including children, babies, newborns. Learn our History before you talk including you Wyclef Jean, you area shame to your country; you took their foundation money when the earthquake and never gave them a cent. You are worst, SHAME ON YOU!
I agree with you.
For you to equate the racist hatred that existed and still exists in the United States to the Dominican Republic and Haiti is ignorant at best. The Dominican Republic has never had institutionalized racism, segregation, or covenants preventing people of any race from living in the same neighborhoods as caucasians, attending the same schools, or using the same bathrooms. The Dominican Republic has been racially integrated from the onset, its current population over 85% mixed and unlike Haiti, DR has never had reverse racism laws that prevented its economic growth.
Dominicans do not hate Haitians. If like me, you were to walk the streets of Santo Domingo, or even visited a relative, you would see Haitians living peacefully among Dominicans, working as security guards, in grocery stores, agriculture, construction, selling fruit. They speak Spanish and go about their lives. No one bothers them or walks the other way when they see a Haitian hanging out on the street. The highest form of racism anyone will experience in the Dominican Republic is to be called “black”, usually by a friend who is also black, or mulatto. Opportunities or lack thereof are contingent on education, social status, and connections, not race.
Yes, Dominicans have reservations about Haiti as a country because it is in bad shape and the international community seems to want to shove Haiti down Dominican’s throat, while there are millions of Dominicans still living in extreme poverty. Everyone cares about Haiti, including DR, but who cares about DR? Dominicans are friendly, hard-working people who wake up every day to a myriad of obstacles many Americans will never encounter. Haitians have it worse and they would not hesitate to flee to DR and empty Haiti given the chance. I do not blame them, but putting pressure on ONE country as a way to solve the problems of another is NOT a sustainable answer. The Dominican Republic did not cause Haiti’s problems. Not even one of them. Haiti occupied US for 22 years and tried to take OUR land. They are still taught that the island should be unified and that DR belongs to them. THAT is what Dominicans don’t like. We never took any land from Haiti. We had a crazy dictator (Trujillo) who killed many Haitians, but who tortured and killed even more Dominicans.
Those Americans sitting in the comfort of their homes trying to find something to get angry about should ask themselves “What have I done for Haiti?”. If the answer is, you have never even been there because you don’t dare, you’ve never volunteered to help them learn to cook with gas so they don’t burn up Dominican forests for charcoal, you’re not advocating for their corrupt leaders to educate and help their own people instead of pocketing aid money and buying vacation homes in the Dominican Republic, you haven’t been to the Dominican Republic to SEE for yourself how Haitians are treated, then do the world a favor and remain silent until you actually know what you are talking about. If after doing all of the above you truly find that boycotting DR is the answer, more power to you. DR will continue its path to development in spite of the haters, the occupations, military or otherwise, the international pressures, and celebrities like Wyclef Jean, who believe it is more important to incite hate than to actually help his country by being on the ground, facing the mess and the complication of Hispaniola.
To all those that wants to boycott DR over a made up racist rant, feel free to stay where you are. Those who knows DR very well and visited for many years knows that we are as black as Haitian People. Why you guys want to stay with us if you think we are such despicable people or race?
Haiti has the article in their constitution as Dominican Republic Constitution, in which any foreign national children born in Haiti soil does not get Haitian Citizenship. Why would you want to impose on us something that you guys are unable to change?
You have lived in Dom Rep for decades, study, have hundred of thousands of babies without paying one cent for it; jobs, respect, housing and now, after increasing your population over 500,000 in the last 5 years and we realized that we can’t handled it and put a stop to it, now we are racist. I cant tell you right now what we are. We are a grateful nation, that knows to respect and receive respect, because we are deported by hundreds of thousands from Puerto Rico and US, and not once, ever we have protested for it, and much less call the US and Puerto Rico Racist because they are enforcing their immigration laws.
Have some respect for yourselves and pride of your identity and build your nation, a country where your brothers and sisters can live free and with better prospect and stop depending on us.
Dominicans are mixed and just as black as Haitians. For Peña Gomez to be so revered in DR proves that we are not a racist people. The problem is illegal immigration. Instead of trying to ruin the DR, an impoverished country just like Haiti, you should join the DR government in asking for aid for Haiti. After the earthquake DR opened its hospitals, airports, schools and wallet to help Haitians. What has the industrialized world done? Nothing. The wealthy countries have the means to take refugees and immigrants but refuse too. Let’s not go so far though, do your research and you will find that other Caribbean countries deport Haitians as well. I don’t hear a call to boycott Puerto Rico, U.S. (Miami), Bahamas, Jamaica and all the other nearby wealthier islands of the Caribbean. I’m deeply saddened by what is happening with the illegal in DR but the law is the law. Each country’s sovereign laws need to be respected. In order for the Haitians to stay the DR govt went so far as to start a migrant registration program where the illegal immigrants had the opportunity to register themselves to obtain resident status, like a green card in the U.S. But no the Dominican govt is racist for enforcing its laws. Give me a break. Instead of asking for a boycott that will hurt poor Dominicans and Haitians in DR, you should pressure the international community to give aid to Haiti so it can give birth certificates to its people so they can resolve their residency status in DR. Pressure the Haitian government to stop its corruption, enough is enough, it’s 2015, why is Haiti so poor when all the countries around it are moving forward. Blame Haiti please, not DR or its people.
AMEN!! Louis they are doing us a favor with there RACIST ACT…we will over come Trust me…they fear Haitian since 1804….22years under the power of Haitians..VICTORY
Queen Haitians, thanks for point it that out, it is exactly what we have been saying all along; that after you destroyed and wasted every corner of your own country, under this whole charade and defamation campaign, the only purpose is to keep and live in a place that isn’t yours to do exactly the same thing; Make the Dominican Republic another Failed Nation as it has been your Haiti since its foundation.
The envy of not being able to have the same kind of life that we have build for ourselves is so killing you.
Ohhhh! But I can’t wait until we kick all of you out!!!!!!
Don’t come to our beaches, don’t visit us, we don’t want you here!!!!
Your Beaches is worse than South Beach in Miami Beach with all those H.I.V. Gay man and woman its not looking so pretty anymore DR will be vanish it will be a dead desert some people black or white was saying they always wanted to visit DR but after what they hear and see they rather go to Turks and Caicos.
I am so thankful for your hateful comments that I think you are doing a better job than us on defending our nation. It is obvious that you lack of the minimal capabilities of analysis to talk on public or private, how old are you? Five? Now you are blasting communities that had nothing to do with this problem, and bashing on LGBT community on the entire world won’t help your cause, you are just a vulgar ignorant that doesn’t know where you head has been placed; but I think I know where it can be found; under your rear part of your legs.
Just hateful, your ignorant mentality is setting the right example as of why it’s so impossible to communicate in a civilized manner. Sister, we are two poor countries trying to survive, to flourish, and to remain free of domination. I believe there needs to be much more help from the greater potency countries to Haiti so they can develop and sustain a better way of living. DR can’t and is not in the economic position to make this happen by itself. We are trying to thrive as a nation, as a third world country just as Haiti is. To assume the weigh of a nations needs by itself will cave our way of living. A way of living that is already majority poor and deficient as it is.
No Envy my dear, we have something you will never have: the distinction of being the “First Black Republic in the Western Hemisphere!” We are aware of our economic situation, its culprits and I understand your fear. Once powerful always powerful! . Send us back our people! One day we will surprise the world once more by building a nation that will regain it’s status of Pearl of the Caribbean.
My people, let them talk, let them hate, we deserve it for forgetting who we are and the greatness that lies within us. Come home! Let’s work together to take care of our country. God is on our side.
Trujillo was a dictator who killed more Dominicans than Haitians. The Americans put him into power. So sick of hearing the lies that Haitians talk about without mentioning the whole history including how they massacred women and children during their invasion and somehow we are supposed to thank them for invading us. Kindly remember we have reasons to distrust Haitians and still we opened the door to them during the earthquake.
I don’t think any immigrants should be allowed in any country illegally. Especially in the United states. This Haitian vs dominican problem is a racism problem which is very sad. This has been happening since Trujillo. Dominicans believe they are more of the Spaniard side rather than African side.
Wyclef Jean it bother me when people like you only remember Haitians for own benefit and RP. Why you don’t ask to your President Martelly why they don’t provide at not cost documentation to apply for residency in the Dominican Republic… have you ask to the Haitians how much money the Haiti consul ask for documents?
Let’s be clear…. for people like you and other lobbyist in Washington, Canada, France the Haitian status in DR is very profit move with ONG that never help the people of Haiti. Why don’t you ask to Red Cross why they didn’t invest enough in Haiti with the millions given to them?
I am very sorry for Haitians families without documents in Dominican Republic, like many latinos in the USA and other in France, Italy….Europe… and in Haiti, the people need to elect real good politicians to have a better country.
It is easy put the finger in someone else or country, but WHAT DO YOU FOR HAITI? Stop getting 15 minutes of TV!
Thank you!
I was honored of meeting Peña Gomez and he did not win cause of the elections were corrupted and manipulated by Balaguer. He was a great man, and it was sad to loose him so early. He was one of the most popular and loved person in the DR. His many contributions in politics are remarkable and shaped a lot in our democracy. His widow still contributes to the political scene. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peggy_Cabral
What Wyclef Jean will never tell you is that the ”Haitian Elite-mañé” gave a warm wellcome to Dictator Trujillo with parties, lots of drinks and toasts, banquest and great speachs. Haitian army gave him parades and haitian president almost cleaned Trujillo’s shoes.
We killed the bastard Trujillo. This masacre of the 1930’s those not compare the more than 10,000 killed by dessaliness in 1805 and the 2000 or less killed by Trujillo.
He is just sending misleading information to his followers… I don’t know if it is because of lack of information or any other intention, but that’s not cool Wyclef, you are a public person, you should get documented first.
Wyclef, thank you for posting this article. Your facts are correct! I also appreciate the fact that you are keeping the conversation going.
We need to know the history of Haitian migration to the DR to better understand this issue. Haitians started migrating to the DR during the American occupation of that country and that of Haiti in the early 1930’s. they needed cheap labor for a job Dominicans refused to do. Contracts were signed between the 2 governments for decades, the latest being by baby Doc in the 80’s to send Haitian “Braceros” to live in cane plantations called Bateys working in conditions reminiscent of slavery. I visited a Batey and felt like I stepped into a slavery movie. These collections of barracks have no electricity, no basic sewage services, and no potable water. There are no health services, recreational spaces, or schools. The people work 12 hours a day or more and make between $1.00 to $3.34 per ton of cut cane depending on the master oops company. They don’t get money, but a voucher that must be redeemed for food. They live in shacks are taxed and never make enough to return home with something to show for all their suffering. If an accident occurs, they don’t get paid leave.
In 2013, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Trade and Labor Affairs in response to Rev. Hartley’s allegations, “found evidence of apparent and potential violations” of labor law and workers’ rights called for in the free trade agreement signed in 2004 by the United States and the Dominican Republic. The US imports about 220,000 tons of sugar annually from the DR.
— USA Today
The racism is such that many have even been lynched by Dominicans. There would not be a problem if that population remained in the Bateyes and not spread into mainstream DR. “Stay in your Bateyes and cut cane, don’t darken our population” is the sentiment of many Dominicans.
So you see, we’ve paid and are still paying our dues in your country. We’ve been helping your economy since the 1920’s and still are. As a thank you, you portrayed us as an unwanted nuisance, an infestation that must be removed. You are welcome!
Well, since you must deport, deport the braceros also. Let them come home to cut cane and work the land in our country build our own economy so we won’t have to import at the rate of millions a year from you. You cut your own cane.
The real issue is the hundreds of thousands of Haitian cane workers working in the Dominican Republic Sugar cane plantations like slaves. Let’s do something about that!
Your sugar tastes like Haitian sweat so I can’t use it.
First of all, I have always respected all Haitians living in the Dominican Republic, you guys are our neighbors and I think that this subject has been taken in the wrong direction, in some cases by lack of information, in other cases by other intentions.
I would like to make clear some information about Jose Francisco Pena Gomez. He was for a long time the maximum leader of DR politics, and the reason of not “winning” the elections was not his skin color my friend Wyclef, he technically won the 1994 elections. The only reason for not being president was the corruption and addiction to power that the actual president by that time Joaquin Balaguer had. Not only Jose Francisco Pena Gomez suffered from this, also did Professor Juan Bosch, one of the most brilliant minds of Latin America, and at one moment, the most popular leader and winner of 1990 elections. He was not black, and the same happened to him.
It is important to make clear that Jose Francisco Pena Gomez was a very beloved person in DR. I was not a supporter of him in the elections, but he was admired even by supporters of different candidates… he was a brilliant man, a very respected one, and he will be remembered forever in The Dominican Republic.
I am sorry Wyclef, maybe you should read a little bit more about politics in the Dominican Republic, and please do not write comments without base to confuse people. You are a very famous person, a very admired person in DR, I include myself; but my friend, misleading information is not the key to solve the problems of our nations.
Have a good one!
Ah! By the way, if you say Jose Francisco Pena Gomez was born to María Marcelino, a Dominican woman, and Oguís Vincent, a Haitian immigrant, on March 6, 1937 in Mao, Valverde, Dominican Republic then our constitution grants him the citizenship as his mother was Dominican. So there’s no way to revoke his citizenship. Another lack of information my friend.
You should get documented on the subject first.
The discussion on this forum is bias, because Jane Doe and John Doe are fake usernames used by the own magazine or site moderators. You guys are part of the campaign of defamation against Dominican Republic. Have the decency to state facts and build a reasonable discussion that is constructive and provides everyone with sense of reality.
Even the Racist white people in America is calling DR Racist…wow….I cant wait to BOYCOTT THAT SO CALLED TOURIST PLACE.
Nancy, Where u From? Have u ever been in DR or Haiti? Have u ever read the Article 18 of Dominican Constitution? It is easy to boycott a country only to follow trends. You don’t know how many decades this problem has been here between these two brother countries. Where u helping Haiti past the earthquake in 2010? Do you at least have an idea of all the help DR offered to Haiti at that moment? Let me just write some of that help for you:
1. We were the first country to go to Haiti and help.
2. We used our public hostpitals and doctors to attend victims of the earthquake in DR land, not in Haiti. We brang them to our country and offered medicine and medical attention for FREE.
3. We hosted more than 1 million haitians when the earthquake hit Haiti and we gave them health care, hospitals, food, clothes, jobs, and a place to live.
4. Five years later, we need to organize this million people that came to the country without any papers, giving them the change to become a legal resident of DR, FOR FREE!!!
Now some facts about the regularization process:
1. We gave them 18 months to get papers. When I say paper I don’t say paper demonstrating they were born here. We are accepting papers even that demonstrate they were born in Haiti to give them a LEGAL Residence here in our country, because this way they can continue having access to hospitals, jobs, schools for their children, and any other right that Dominicans have.
2. Only TWO months away of the due day for filing the subscription to the plan, less than the 20% of them were subscribed to the plan. more than 80% of them even bothered to move a finger, gambling that the process will fail at any point. Unfortunately, DR is not a rich country, it is a very poor country, and we cannot hold Haiti in our arms without order.
3. The government in Haiti was denying papers to those that went to Haiti to ask for them, again, gambling to a failure in the process. They set very high prices to those papers, so they made sure most of their own people wouldn’t be able to get those papers, and go back to DR.
4. The Nationality in Dominican Republic is defined by our constitution, as in most countries in the world. Just to let you know, 80% of the countries have the same regulations about nationality. USA is different on this, but DR is just as the majority of the countries, INCLUDING HAITI, which has an even tougher law in terms of nationality. (You may want to read more about these statements in both constitutions)
Now, having said the above, I would like to ask you something:
1. Have any other country in the world done anything similar to help Haiti?
2. USA took 100K haitians after the earthquake in 2010 and deported them in 2011 in the worst conditions that a country can do it. For more details read here: http://www.democracynow.org/2011/3/30/haitians_deported_from_the_us_held
3. Have you or have any other person that are criticizing this process ever helped Haiti in any way?
It is easy to criticize from the outside without knowing the real facts, only having in mind the social network trends and following those trends to damage reputation of a country, saying that we are racists, inhuman, and much more.
If you want to know what is inhuman, let me know and I can send you documentation and information about USA and other countries being inhuman with Haitians, Dominicans, Mexicans, and other latin countries.
Have a good day, and please stop talking if you don’t really know the problem, It will affect both sides, haitians and dominicans. That doesn’t help at all.
Freddy, My deepest gratitude for your professional and human way to respond to all these false and undeserved accusations. I know you must be a busy person and making space on your busy itinerary to write on this way, is very much appreciate it.
DR has every right to have it’s own citizenship rule and enforce them.
These are two different people and two different countries.
It is up to Haiti to develop itself so haitians can stay home. And that starts with replacing all these products purchased from DR every day.
DR needs to protect its border from haitians and Haiti needs to protect its border from dominican goods.
We haitians need to stop the whining when haitians are sent home and Dominicans need to stop the whining when Haiti ban some of their products.
Sealing the border is the best solution.
My thoughts exactly! Bring back agriculture to Haiti so that we have enough for all as it was until the embargo the US put on Haiti in 1991! Although there isn’t a proof yet, THE question is: did the americans knowingly used this embargo to help the DR’s economy?
Trujillo was a dictator. I can not believe how writers skip that fact. In the time of Trujillo,if you did not have a picture of the president in your living room, odds were you would soon be dead. He did not killed Haitians, he killed BOTH Dominicans and Haitians. It is a testament to how biased this article is, that this *detail* was not mentioned. There is movie about it, ‘In the time of the butterflies’.
With all this arguing about Dominicans doing this to Haitian is unfortunate. Facts: There are many Haitians leaving well in the DR: studying, working and helping to better themselves because their country (Haiti) political, selfish and disorganized policies fail to recognized the potentials of their citizens. So they go to foreign lands to better themselves. Some are professional and others work medial jobs in the fields, constructions etc. Haitians are smart, strong and like Jews, they have been treated like the worst but they always have a way to survive the worst…but we are a disorganized people who unfortunately cannot come together to create a stable nation. DR has been doing much better than Haiti. They are not perfect but they are stronger and more organized. It is not of the color of their skin but they think of country and self while Haitians think of self and not country. Haitians and Dominicans share African ancestry as well as European ancestry. The only difference is during revolutions, Haitians did what they could to erase their European blood while Dominican embraced theirs and continue to add to their lightness. Biologically we are the same. It is wrong for Dominicans to treat Haitians labor workers that way. It is wrong to leave them stateless. It is wrong to treat many without dignity. There could have been a better way. It is also wrong for Haitians to think they can go to anther’s man country without proper control. Haitians and Dominican are divided not only because of stupid theory of skin tone but to historical issues. we had our differences and politician only those past issues to continue to divide us. We has a new generation needs to stop this. I am a black person regardless if my skin is lighter and a darker person. I have dated darker and lighter Dominican women… I even have a beautiful daughter with one. We don’t see each other’s ethnicity because we know each other. I urge you to do the same. Haitian needs to get their S%$#@ together at home and stop blaming others and the DR need to see Haitian as their blood cousins and they also need to be treated humanly as such. No need to hate each other but we need to work together to find common ground. God Bless both nations and peoples.