January 26th, 2010: DR Response to the Haitian Earthquake

The Haitian Earthquake.

It’s been two weeks now since the earthquake in Haiti, and though it is not in the headlines anymore, people here in the DR are still thinking about it. In my community, as soon as the earthquake happened everybody was glued to the television. Most people are second and third generation Dominican-Haitians, so though they know they have family in Haiti, they have lost contact with them. However everyone in my community was deeply saddened and concerned about the Haitian population. There are several people in my town that do have known family in Haiti, and they have still not been able to contact them to see if they are alright.
I expected the people in my community to feel solidarity with the Haitians affected by the earthquake due to their roots, but what most surprised me was the reaction of the Dominican population. It is not a secret that Dominicans frequently discriminate against Haitians that live here and live in Haiti. The president of this country has often talked about cracking down on Haitian immigrants, and frequently when I tell a Dominican that I live in a batey, they warn me of the dangers of living there because of the “Haitians that could rob and hurt you” or the just say “Ay mama” and shake their heads.
But ever since the earthquake happened I have noted a change in Dominican attitudes towards Haitians. First of all, due to the short distance between our capital and the Haitian capital, Dominicans were some of the first search and rescue and relief teams that arrived in Port-au-Prince. People from all over the country have also arranged donation drives to send materials and money through the Red Cross to Haiti. Three small villages (including my own) made an effort to collect money and goods to send to the border, and the DR did a “tele marathon fundraiser” a week before the one in the States was broadcast. I have also just noticed Dominicans being friendlier to Haitians in general. This is a tragedy that hit a country that has already been through so much pain and suffering, and I think the Dominicans here have recognized that and have changed their mindsets to help their “brethren” (which is what they are now being called).