By Nelson Santana
November 21, 2013
Video: John Carrero, Canal Urbano
Photos: Nelson Santana
On Saturday, November 16, approximately 50 people of Dominican ancestry and nearly a dozen
non-Dominicans marched nine miles from 207th street and Seamen Avenue
in Inwood to the final destination of 1501 Broadway (between 43rd and
44th streets) in Manhattan, where the Dominican Consulate is housed.
The protest – organized by Anthony Stevens-Acevedo in conjunction
with We Are All Dominican – was in response to the recent
TC/0168/13 sentence by the Constitutional Court of the Dominican
Republic that denies and nullifies the Dominican nationality of
persons born in the Dominican Republic to immigrant parents. The
march cut across Washington Heights, Morningside Heights, the Upper
West Side, and Columbus Circle among a slew of other New York City
neighborhoods, thus culminating in Time Square. Some protesters
walked the first half while others joined at different points. Some
spectators even joined the group once they were informed of the
cause. Nonetheless, the majority of those who started the journey
finished it!
Background
On September 23rd, 2013 the Dominican Constitutional Court approved
ruling TC/0168/13. From one day to the other the ruling
denationalized people born in the Dominican Republic to parents whom
are not Dominican citizens. The ruling extends to 1929, thus
stripping people of their citizenship who were born in the Dominican
Republic in 1929 and subsequent years. Though the ruling affects
those the government has labeled “people in transit,” the largest
group affected by the ruling are people of Haitian ancestry, which
has led some critics to refer to the ruling as genocidal. According
to Roberto Suero, who participated in the march, “We understand
that those children were born in the Dominican Republic. Their rights
should be respected.”
It is Dangerous to Generalize
It goes without saying that the non-Dominican media, academics and
other mediums often generalize about Dominicans and what has been
labeled as a Dominican hatred toward people of Haitian ancestry, a
perspective that is both unfair and invalid. As this social movement
demonstrates, not all Dominicans think alike and not all Dominicans
– Dominican-born and foreign-born – agree with the TC/0168/13
ruling.
La Marcha’s Symbolic Meaning
The march symbolically took place along Broadway, an avenue rechristened Juan Rodriguez Way on May 15, 2013 in honor of the first non-native resident of the state of New York – New York’s first immigrant settler – who arrived in what today is known as New York in 1613. Rodríguez was born in Santo
Domingo.
Activists marched with musical instruments (maracas, claves,
cowbells, tambourines) and signs that read “U.S. Dominicans Support
Dominican-Haitians,” “Solidaridad con los desnacionalidados en la
República Dominicana” (Solidarity with the Denationalized in the
Dominican Republic), “Dominican Americans in Solidarity with
Haitian-Dominicans. ¡No a la xenophobia! ¡Todos somos
dominican@s!” (No to xenophobia! We are all Dominican”) among
many others.
Crowd Reaction Overwhelmingly Against Court Ruling
The march has already sparked debate among both supporters and those
against the ruling, generating plenty of reaction from people in the
streets. Most reactions, unsurprisingly came from Dominicans while
the activists marched through Washington Heights. One spectator
stated, “Everyone has their opinion, but, I believe this is wrong.
For me it is wrong. Many Haitians have done great things for the
country.” Another stated, “You are from where you are born. The
children of undocumented people here (in the United States) are
American. Once they leave the hospital they (babies) are given their
U.S. citizenship.” With the exception of one person, every U.S.
Dominican who was surveyed expressed complete disgust toward the
ruling. Of spectators who voiced their opinion pertinent to the
march as the activists walked by them, only two expressed discontent
with protesters; one being Dominican and one non-Dominican. The
Dominican spectator – who wished not to be identified – supports
the Dominican Court’s ruling stating that the government has the
authority to pass its own legislation. Ms. Smith, the non-Dominican
person, stated that “laws are to be respected.”
The Activists
Among the activists were educators, students, a father
who carried his newborn and a mother who pushed her baby in a
stroller, among many others. The chief architect of the march was
Anthony Stevens-Acevedo, a longtime educator and community activist.
From the onset his idea was to gather 50 people of Dominican
ancestry, especially those born in the United States – U.S.
citizens – to Dominican parents, to symbolically represent and
parallel the Dominican Haitians who are born in the Dominican
Republic. “As foreign-born or foreign-raised Dominicans that have
lived the immigrant life experience, in this case in the U.S., we
share the same existential circumstances of Dominicans born to
Haitian immigrant parents in the Dominican Republic, and I felt we
needed to support their right to a Dominican nationality,” said
Stevens-Acevedo. Surely U.S. born people of Dominican ancestry did
participate as so did others born in the Dominican Republic
comprising of both first and 1.5 generation Dominican migrants.
Among Dominican-born migrants who were present at the march were
longtime activists Luis Rodríguez and Ricardo Ureña. The group also
included a younger generation of Dominican activists including Maria
Bautista, who has supported and participated in several social
movements. According to Bautista, “Fundamentally, this ruling is
unjust because it has deemed some people worthy of citizenship while
others are not. It fails to recognize the rights of our Haitian
brothers and sisters, and therefore their humanity. And this is not
right. I participated in the march because the moment that I do not
speak out against injustice, I am complicit and risk losing my own
humanity.”
Edward Paulino, a professor in academia, took time during the protest
to interview onlookers, getting their perspective on the ruling and
the march itself.
One of the march’s photographers, Eduardo Hoepelman walked the nine
miles while shouting alongside the other activists. One of
Hoepelman’s many contributions to society has been the manner in
which he has captured U.S. Dominican society through his artistic
photographic lens.
Clara Fernández, who migrated at the age of 20 from the Dominican
Republic, stated, “When I first heard of the 168-13 sentence I was
in the tranquility of home, in a country that has welcomed and
accepted me as what I am – a foreigner. I was overwhelmed by
feelings of outrage and disbelief. It takes a spark to light a fire
and one person with vision to start change. This march proves this
point. Eso no se hace and this is just the beginning of our fight for
social justice.”
Other U.S. Dominicans who were present were Yoseli Castillo, brothers
Hancy and Harly Martínez, educator Lissette Acosta-Corniel and
graduate students Jhensen Ortiz, Amarilys Estrella, Ryan
Mann-Hamilton, Yanilda González and Rocio Silverio.
Organizations and Social Movement Groups Unite in Solidarity
Several groups participated in the march including We Are All
Dominican, Eso No Se Hace RD Reconoci.do, Alianza País and Grupo
Internacionalista. We Are All Dominican is a social movement group
comprised mostly of graduate students. Members include Estrella,
Mann-Hamilton, González, Silverio and Stevens-Acevedo. The group has
organized events and lent support to other organizations that
denounce the TC/0168/13 sentence. Their next event will be hosted at
the CUNY Graduate Center and is scheduled for Thursday, December 5.
Félix Cepeda, who resides in Santo Domingo, marched as a
representative of Reconoci.do, a non-profit founded in 2011 that
advocates for the rights of people of Haitian descent in the
Dominican Republic. Several other people of non-Dominican ancestry
participated in the march including John Carrero, Gerald McElroy,
Marty Goodman and siblings Erica and Erick Robinson.
Gerald McElroy, founder of Eso No Se Hace RD, has spent his time
bringing awareness about the ruling through this group, which has a
Facebook page under the same name. McElroy, baptized by Dominicans as
“El Gringo Aplatanao,” has given lectures, recorded videos and is
at the helm of marches and other events that bring awareness about
the ruling and its impact on Dominican society.
Marty Goodman of Socialist Action and longtime union activist with
the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) is a New York City icon for
being present in several protests and social movements regarding
human rights and equality.
Concluding Thoughts
Stevens-Acevedo requested that 50 people march on that sunny yet cold
Saturday day. Indeed, more than 50 activists did walk. They departed
at roughly 10:30 a.m. and arrived at their destination at
approximately 3:30 p.m. Once at 1501 Broadway, the activists stood
their ground in front of the building as pedestrians flooded the
streets in Time Square; some walked past the activists, while others
stopped and asked questions. The Dominican Consulate was scheduled to
have a meeting at 4:00 p.m. that day. However, building security
informed the activists that the Consulate was closed and that the
only person present inside the Consulate was the janitor.
Stevens-Acevedo along with four delegates hand delivered the letter
with the signatures of those who marched and oppose the ruling.