Different Perspectives, Different Countries, Same Race

             One of the topics discussed in the pbs documentary that really drew my attention was Haitians and Dominicans view each other and view their race. Santa Dominicans want to fit in with their white community and have forgotten their past, whereas Haitians are proud of their past and have special traditions and values to commemorate them. These two countries are just a river apart from one another, and yet Haitians are looked down upon by the Dominicans, and Dominicans refuse to refer to themselves as black. I believe this is important because of how these people learned about what being black truly means, and proves that the idea of race is all based on the idea of perception.

              In Santa Dominica, they were taught about the black race the same way that Americans were taught throughout the twentieth century about black culture. They are taught through caricatures and through characters like Sambo. Dominicans are also taught by what they see, which was fellow countrymen discriminating against Haitians, who referred to themselves as black. Therefore, the black community of Santa Dominica came up with names other than black to avoid the same fate, and to differentiate themselves from the Haitians.

              In Haiti, race to them is an entirely different story. Although many consider Haiti the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, its important to not think of them as simply a poor nation. They are rich in their culture, their heritage. Haitians, along with practicing Catholicism brought by colonization, they practice vodou, an ancient practice practiced for centuries. They teach the next generation the ways of their past, of life in Africa, and traditions such as drumming and vodou. Even in some points in history, there have been plots by the Dominicans to wipe out the Haitian vermin in their country, although it proved unsuccessful. Although one country is Spanish and the other is French, they both suffer from similar issues dealing with race and identity. Should it be expressed and passed down through the generations, like Haiti, or should we conform to those around us and deny where we came from, like Santa Dominica?