Stephanie Holguin
Reconoci.do & We Are All Dominican
Dominican Republic & USA (New York)
Finding the right words to bring consolation or relief during these troubling times has been extremely difficult lately. The work that I am doing remotely with both Reconoci.do and We Are All Dominican intersect closely with what’s happening currently around the needed shift in how justice is rendered and how rights are protected in Black and brown communities.
Reconoci.do is located in the Dominican Republic and operates as a movement rather than an official non-profit organization. We Are All Dominican was established in New York and is a collective of students, educators, scholars, artists, activists, and community members of Dominican and Haitian descent.
These two organizations have the complementary mission of advocating for a more inclusive, intercultural, and harmonious Dominican society that fundamentally recognizes the rights of all Dominicans, especially those of Haitian descent. The organizations collaborate in educating communities of Haitian descendants in the Dominican Republic about actively advocating for their rights and engaging with Dominicans in the country and in the diaspora to challenge anti-Haitian and anti-Black discourses.
What made this past week so difficult for attaining structure amidst the chaos was the arrest of one of the lead organizers in the movement, Ms. Ana Maria Belique. As she and other activists planned for a peaceful protest to honor the life of George Floyd and show solidarity with demonstrations for the Black Lives Matter movement in the US, she was detained by Dominican government officials.
A counter-protest by an ultra-nationalist right-wing organization awaited the arrival of the activists. As tensions increased, officers decided to tear down the protest paraphernalia and detain Ms. Belique and two other community activists. When released later that afternoon without charges, Ms. Belique made a public statement quoted below in a Guardian article by Michael Deibert, addressing the arrest and injustice served that morning.
“What happened shows the levels of intolerance that exist [sic] here regarding the issue of race. Perhaps if George Floyd was not black and if we were not an anti-racist collective, it might be different. Because everything black in this country evokes Haiti, as if it were an affront to this nation that turns its back on its black identity.”
The demonstration of solidarity and the transnational amplification of Black Lives Matter posed a threat to some Dominicans. The resulting uproar further incentivizes collectives like Reconoci.do and We Are All Dominican to continue the work they do, and reiterates why the work is so important. To recognize such animosity within the Dominican society, one must begin to reckon with the deep-rooted issues surrounding race, Blackness, and healing between the two neighboring nations.
#AllBlackLivesMatter
#Reconoci.do
#WeAreAllDominican