9026: JUSTICE FOR HAITIANS - HAITI AND DOMINICAN REP. (fwd)

[Bob Corbett <corbetre@webster.edu>]

From: Carl Fombrun <carlfombrun@iopener.net>
 
HAITIANS WIN SUIT.- The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has 
settled a national-origin discrimination lawsuit filed on behalf of four 
Haitian employees of the Prudential Insurance Company in the Brooklyn/Queens 
office in New York. They will share a $300,000 dollars settlement. Right on. 
 
The lawsuit was filed on their behalf being that they were not allowed to 
speak Creole, while co-workers were permitted to speak Spanish, French, 
Russian and other languages. 
 
 
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC - HAITI - TWO WORLDS.- Out of my many trips to Santo Domingo 
since age 12, two were memorable. One was as a best man to a 
Haitian-Dominican wedding in December 1985 in the town of Bonao, a modest 
part of the country, and the other one, in the spring of 1994, as a guest at 
the luxurious Casa de Campo resort in the town of La Romana, this time at a 
Dominican-Haitian wedding. 
 
At the wedding in the deprived town of Bonao in 1985, people were friendly 
and the warm Dominican hospitality was always present regardless of a 
limited budget for those festivities... The old rivalry betwen Haitians and 
Dominicans was nowhere in sight and everybody was behaving. 
 
Haitians and Dominicans mixed easily in Spanish, English, French and Creole. 
This was a memorable event which I enjoyed greatly. The groom was a 
co-worker at Eastern Airlines in Miami and I was happy to be an important 
part of this special day for him. 
 
The other wedding in 1994, out of the luxurious Casa de Campo resort, was 
the ultimate in luxury from the main cathedral in the town of La Romana 
where literally a red carpet was extended outside and inside for guests, to 
the  formal reception where expensive Dominican cigars were available and 
non stop Dom Perignon champagne was served to guests. 
 
I was seated at the table of the bride's relatives with approximately 10 
guests and the conversation was flowing in Spanish and English. 
At my right  I had a Dominican gentleman who then asked me where I was from. 
I told him from Haiti. He did a double-take and looked back at me again, 
surprised, as if I just came off a UFO. The story was that I thought this 
was a Dominican-Haitian wedding but the only one who seemed to acknowledge 
Haiti was yours truly. 
The bride was Haitian as well as her family but in that context no one would 
mention it. I then realized that Spanish and English were spoken and some 
French, but no Creole . It was obvious that this attitude was due to avoid 
cultural stress between two groups. Class, color, and cultural differences 
were sadly the priorities at that event. 
The rural serenity of small towns would be great were it not for the small 
minds that inhabit them. These latest remarks are not intended to criticize 
one country or another. In the Haitian-Dominican historical rivalry both 
sides have been guilty of irrational behavior. 
In cosmopolitan Miami today there are times I am not recognized as a Haitian 
even by some Haitians themselves, although I have always told everyone since 
high school days  of my ethnic backgound. I do however like to think of 
myself as a citizen of the world with Haitian roots. The overwhelming 
majority of Haitians are of African descent with some, a mixture of black, 
the original native "indians", and European people who did occupy Haiti 
once. 
The best solution for the human race is to turn this planet into a 
multi-racial society which  will in the long run benefit everyone. We 
Haitian-Americans, living here among multiple cultures from all over the 
world could give the example; strength through good will and unity among all 
ethnicities. 
God bless America which, unless unforeseen events, is ironically slowly but 
surely becoming a multi-racial nation after a troubled past in race 
relations.  The whole world still has a long way to go and the 
U.S.A.,reluctantly perhaps, regardless of its past and present sins is 
leading the way. That's what makes America great; commitment 
to a better tomorrow. " Rayi chen, di dan'l blanc ", a vernacular literally 
translated : You may dislike the dog but you got to agree that his teeth are 
white. 
 
carl@fombrun.com     http://www.fombrun.com   fax: 305 270 3799 
 Published in "The Haitian Times" online edition 05 Sept - 11 Sept, '01.

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