It will be difficult for many Dominicans to deny their African ancestry outside of their country because by most standards, especially in North America and Europe, many of them look and are considered \u2018Black.\u2019 Many Dominicans possess phonotypical features ascribed to \u2018Blacks\u2019 such as darker complexions and curly hair. However, the notion of \u2018Blackness\u2019 in North America varies vastly from that in the Dominican Republic (DR).\u00a0 While many North American adhere to the \u2018one drop rule\u2019, in which people who to have \u2018one drop\u2019 of African blood is considered to be \u2018Black,\u2019 in the DR, the term \u2018Black\u2019 or the notion of being African is rarely mentioned, let alone accepted as part of an individual\u2019s makeup. Many Dominicans refer to themselves as \u2018Indian,\u2019 despite being of African, Awarwak and Spanish ancestry\u00a0 and categorize themselves in terms of the various colour hues; “oscuro” for the darkest skinned, “canela” for those of medium hue, and “claro” for those with the lightest complexions. These categories also correlates with their established social hierarchy, with those possessing lighter hues situated at the top. However, the term \u2018black; is rarely ever used unless it relates to \u2018outsiders\u2019 such as their Haitian counterparts.<\/p>\n

As a person who is proud of her African ancestry, I could not help but react with disappointment at the dominant mentality espoused by many Dominicans. To me, a denial of one\u2019s ancestry and roots is the ultimate manifestation of self hate.\u00a0 However, as with most issues relating to race and culture of colonized people, everything must first be placed within its historical context in order for one to gain an understanding of the rationale behind why people in the DR do not identify themselves with their African roots.<\/p>\n

The Dominican Republic shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti and the two nations have always had a precarious relationship. Haiti gained it\u2019s distinction as the first Black led Republic in 1804 after slaves led a successful revolt against the French. This also resulted in Haiti\u2019s succession over the entire island, which resulted in it having rule over its then predominantly Hispanic Dominican Republic for 22 years. The Spanish colonized the DR and after they gained victory over the Haitians in 1844, they have made it a point to identify solely with their former Spanish colonizers. Since then, most political rulers have embarked on policies that have a direct bias against Haitians, who for most people in the DR were the ultimate manifestation of \u2018blackness.\u2019<\/p>\n

Although it has been argued that upward to 90 percent of the DR exhibit features attributed to \u2018Blacks\u2019, leaders of the nation, the most famous of being former President Trujillo (who ruled from 1930 \u2013 1961), fostered a culture of hate against Haitians and by extension Blacks (it should be noted that despite his efforts to conceal it, Trujillo\u2019s maternal grandmother was a Black Haitian). Haitians and Blacks were positioned as being economically, culturally and socially inferior and as a result, most people sought to identify with their European colonizers. Colonization and its discourse fostered a heightened sense of the \u2018Us\u2019 vs \u2018Them\u2019 mentality whereby whose complexions appeared closer to the Spanish colonizers were deemed to be superior. Additionally, the implementation and continuation of an obvious deportation policy bias targeting Haitians in the DR demonstrates that this mentality still permeates the very fabric to Dominican society.<\/p>\n