DOMINICAN REPUBLIC TRIES BLEACHING AWAY RACISM, AGAIN

Like others before him, Dominican Republic Minister of Foreign Affairs Roberto Álvarez Gil tried whitewashing his country’s historical identity in an April 2024 interview with @aljazeera. 

‘Unlike Haiti, unlike the United States and unlike most [Caribbean Community] CARICOM countries, the Dominican Republic is mestizo or mulatto,’ according to Gil, which apparently frees the island from racism. It’s a hard sell not only because the Dominican Republic has deported tens of thousands of Haitians back to their half of the Hispaniola island amidst political instability due to foreign interventions, but it fails to address what happened to Gil’s compatriot, former Major League Baseball slugger Sammy Sosa. Responding to comments about his new complexion, several shades lighter than his former self, Sosa said, ‘I do whatever I want.’ 

African Stream’s William Sakawa unpacks the contradiction. Take a look and let us know what you think in the comments.

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsley_massacre

https://books.google.com/books?id=tFToAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA51#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://books.google.com/books?id=2uK6bR9byVIC&pg=RA1-PA133

https://books.google.com/books?id=CMya7T_-dRYC&pg=PA1933#v=onepage&q&f=false

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/dominican-republic-s-enduring-history-racism-against-haitians-explored-stateless-n1270499