ipl-logo

Dominican Colorism Essay

1286 Words6 Pages

Abstract:
In this analysis, I will explore the history of the island and the way in which colorism was a learned behavior, passed on for generations leading to internalized anti-blackness. Colorism is the process of discrimination that privileges light-skinned people of color over their dark-skinned counterparts. It is an issue that not only affects Latinos but all of those within the African diaspora. There is a clear denial of African ancestry within the Dominican Republic as well as a need to separate oneself from blackness. This is due to not only Colonialism but the promotion of anti-blackness through the media. Spain, the United States, and Trujillo all instituted racial ideologies that were anti-black in the Dominican Republic. The media …show more content…

This is due to not only the history of colonization on the island, or the ruling of Trujillo, but also the promotion of anti-blackness we see throughout the media. “Blacks and mulattos make up nearly 90 percent of the contemporary Dominican population. Yet, no other country in the hemisphere exhibits greater indeterminacy regarding the population's sense of racial identity” (Torres-Saillant, 2012) Colorism is an issue that not only affects Latinos but all of those within the African diaspora. It is a form of discrimination that disadvantages individuals with darker skin while favoring those with lighter skin, even if they are of the same ethnicity. I will analyze the history of colorism, anti-blackness, and anti-haitianism within the Dominican Republic to reveal colorism is a learned behavior. A learned behavior that has had both long-term internal and external effects on the people of …show more content…

The chapter discussing the Dominican Republic is written by Silvio Torres-Saillant. He discusses not only the history, but blackness in relation to politics, social movements, and the influence on culture. Under Trujillo’s rule, there was institutionalized colorism and anti-hatianism. Trujillo was the reason for thousands of Haitian families being killed. The manipulation of the Trujillo regime caused racial tensions between countries as well as generations of identity issues, self-esteem issues, as well as challenges with mental health. A part of this reading I appreciate is where contributions to culture are discussed. Silvio discusses the contributions of Afrro-Latinos and their influences in the medical field and literature, while also highlighting religion and the way practices were taken away from

Show More
Related

Summary Of In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez

1439 Words | 6 Pages

From 1931 to 1961 the Dominican Republic was under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo. Born in 1891 Trujillo was raised in San Cristobal and in a middle class family. Wanting to escape his rural life Rafael Trujillo joined the army and through force was deemed the highest office possible. After his time in the military Trujillo placed himself as a candidate in the presidential elections and “organized a secret police force to torture and murder supporters of the opposing candidate. Not surprisingly, Trujillo won the election by a landslide” (Rafael Trujillo Biography, 2014).

Read More

Linda Villarosa Under The Skin Sparknotes

711 Words | 3 Pages

When it came to her personal experience, Villarosa explains the racism in the healthcare system that led her to investigate the connection between race and health. For example, Villarosa talked about an incident that occurred when she was pregnant. When she was pregnant, Villarosa had to advocate for herself in order to receive the appropriate care. After experiencing such distraught, this led her to question why minorities, especially Black people, receive lower quality healthcare than White people (p. 16-17). Another way she explained the health crisis in the Black community today was through historical research.

Read More

Summary Of The Film 'Black In Latin America'

1128 Words | 5 Pages

The film begins with an explanation of the differences between the two countries. The Dominican Republic is a Spanish-speaking country influenced by European culture. The citizens of the Dominican Republic are proud to be of mixed heritage, but often dismiss and forget their black ancestors. They equate their homeland only to Spain and not Africa.

Read More

Summary: The Brief Wondrous Life Of Oscar Wao

827 Words | 4 Pages

Furthermore, Trujillo’s dominance as a hostile dictator naturalizes the Dominican’s

Read More

Sugar In The Blood Summary

1413 Words | 6 Pages

Stuart gave well historical accounts of how the much mixing of people from different cultural background and race conglomerate to form cultural setting currently present in the Caribbean islands. The literature from this novel can be successfully applied in learning institution teach race and ethnic relation courses to assist students in gaining a significant understanding the Barbados inhabitants history. Though the author of the book speaks of the assimilation race in a very compassionate way, she efficaciously demonstrates the how the spectrum of color originated in this Island. According to her, this societal predicament connects to colonialism; the slave trade from Africa to American as well as the oppressive injustices came with the expansion of sugar plantations to meet the booming market demand during the period. The slaves worked under a harsh environmental condition where their masters denied them fundamental rights of human being.

Read More

Analysis Of A Nation For All By Alejandro De La Fuente

1341 Words | 6 Pages

Although broken up thematically, each portion contributes to the central narrative of prevalent racism against Afro-Cubans. In part two, De La Fuente examines the labor market as well as the social mobility of Cubans. Speaking to labor concerns, De La Fuente relates equality of opportunity to economic success, therefore placing Afro-Cubans on a lower level of social mobility. His emphasis on European and white immigration as being praised does well to support his claim of inherent racism. The exclusion of Afro-Cubans in the labor force fixes itself to the idea of a certain Cuban identity, the central theme of the work.

Read More

Tatum's Theories Of Racism

846 Words | 4 Pages

The major thesis in this book, are broken down into two components. The first is how we define racism, and the impact that definition has on how we see and understand racism. Dr. Beverly Tatum chooses to use the definition given by “David Wellman that defines racism as a system of advantages based on race” (1470). This definition of racism helps to establish Dr. Tatum’s theories of racial injustice and the advantages either willingly or unwillingly that white privilege plays in our society today. The second major thesis in this book is the significant role that a racial identity has in our society.

Read More

Just Walk On By Richard Rodriguez Summary

472 Words | 2 Pages

Although, in the case of Rodriguez in his article of “Complexion” He had racism not from the outside world but from his own family which made it difficult to escape it since it was there he came home. Eventually Rodriguez internalized never trying to fight against it and had tried different ways to get rid of his own skin in ways of scraping or homemade

Read More

Black Women Against The Land Grab, By Keisha-Khan Perry

889 Words | 4 Pages

Focusing on Salvador a city within the state of Bahia, it has a population of over 3 million people which was previously the capital of Brazil and has many historical influences, such as it “…was the largest and most important port for the trafficking of Africans and other goods on the transatlantic trade route.” (pgs. 5,8). Importantly, Salvador is the most the largest Black population outside of Africa, and is 77 percent Black with 2.3 million Black residents, and is a major factor in determining the projection of living standards and conditions, that re cast in negative commentaries throughout the other parts of the country. (p. 7). This plays a significant role in the social and economic hierarchy as the idea of the country not being influenced by racial distinctions is contradicted by the actual living conditions of Afro-Cubans verses that of other ethnic groups.

Read More

Hiding Black Behind The Ears Analysis

537 Words | 3 Pages

I believe that Latinxs racially identify differently to many of us. The reading which examined the struggles of youth being raised in Newark, as the “Hiding Black Behind the Ears: On Dominicans, Blackness, and Haiti” and the short video of “Born American, raised Dominican, found black,” all identifies their blackness in different ways. I related a lot to the poem by Roberto Garcia “Hiding Black Behind the Ears: On Dominicans, Blackness, and Haiti”. Our stories are very similar as we came to realize our blackness after acquiring the necessary knowledge and having to analyze our surroundings and experiences. I remember growing up my family would claim Indian decent but they refused to claim any African blood flowing within their veins.

Read More

Effects Of Slavery In The Dominican Republic

1588 Words | 7 Pages

“Slavery In The Dominican Republic and How It Affected the Natives Racial Identity” By definition the Dominican Republic is a Caribbean Hispaniola Island that is shared with Haiti to the West. The Dominican Republic today is a major tourist destination and has become a major source of sugar, coffee, and other exports. But the Dominican Republic had to suffer a lot in order to prevail the way they did, undergoing being enslaved by the Spaniards while on the other side of the island the Haitians were enslaved by the french hence the obvious difference in languages and cultures. The main difference is that the Dominican Republic lost their racial identity and until the present day are unaware of their true racial identity. Slavery affects every country and person differently but in the Dominican Republic, slavery took away the nation’s identity.

Read More

A Habit Of Waste By Nalo Hopkinson Summary

530 Words | 3 Pages

The effects of colonialism are intergenerational, this story exposes the raw feelings of victims of colonization and the internalization of racist ideologies that often occurs as a result of Caribbean history being wrongly painted. Conforming to the standards of society is often easier than bearing the challenges associated with being an outlier; however, conformity leads to resentment and hatred. Cynthia chooses to conform to society's standards of white supremacy, which results in her discarding her own body for the figure of a white woman. Unfortunately, Cynthia begins to form a deep hatred for herself and her culture which her parents and strangers are subjected to.

Read More

Best Of Friends Worlds Apart Analysis

802 Words | 4 Pages

(Senior & Bhopal, 1994) according to an epidemiological research. Even though Ruiz and Valdes share the same origins, culture, traditions, identity, and common language, each receives unequal opportunity and was treated very differently. The Cuban man Ruiz could not feel connected to the American culture and identity like Valdes. Ruiz “had learned how a person with dark skin should behave in this country: if an officer is following your car, do not turn your head; the police don't like it… [and] pays bills in cash because… the bank officer… told him… ‘Your kind likes to spend the money, not save it’”

Read More

Dominican Republic Cultural Analysis

1567 Words | 7 Pages

God, Fatherland, Freedom, Dominican Republic is a country on the island of Hispaniola, in the archipelago in the Caribbean region, making it as the second largest Caribbean nation after, Cuba. Being blessed with such a beautiful and bountiful diversity, tourism plays a big role when it comes to their business. Known for the warm and hospitable people, Dominican Republic is

Read More

The Cosmic Race

1412 Words | 6 Pages

This essay, both intentionally and unintentionally gives us a glimpse of contemporary Latin American race relations,

Read More

More about Dominican Colorism Essay

Related Topics

Open Document