ITHACA, NEW YORK, USA – To the small reactionary groups that spread hate and to the economic elites that encourage them, CUSLAR repudiates any attempt to undermine brotherhood among peoples.

CUSLAR, the Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations, an educational center housed at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, stands in solidarity with the silent majority of Dominicans who support and appreciate the presence of people with Haitian ancestry in the Dominican Republic.

CUSLAR notes the history of the peoples of our America, where large landowners have used the strategy of “divide and rule” for the past five centuries, to secure their economic gain and political power. In the British colony that would become the United States, as well as in the French and Spanish colonies, landowner settlers developed “Black Codes” intent on sowing divisions based on place of origin and skin color, to avoid united insurrections led by the laboring class on the plantations.

Today, we lament that these manipulations continue in different countries — including the United States — to prevent the necessary unity among peoples, which could achieve a necessary transformation of the unequal world in which we live.

In the United States, we repudiate the policies and actions of this administration and previous ones, which undermine the integrity of our immigrant, Muslim and African-American brothers and sisters residing in the country. In addition, CUSLAR denounces the imperialist wars that the United States wages that attack and impoverish the peoples of the world.

In order for the Dominican Republic to lift itself out of the poverty in which it is currently immersed, anti-Haitianism needs to be denounced and unveiled as a tool used by domestic and foreign elites seeking to exploit and subjugate the Dominican and the Haitian peoples.

We join the Dominican social and political organizations of goodwill who speak in favor of unity, love and mutual respect. On behalf of CUSLAR’s international membership, we call for an end to discrimination of people with ancestry of the sister Republic of Haiti. Wherever we encounter racism, xenophobia, or discriminatory policies and attitudes by skin color, place of origin or spiritual tradition in the world, we will work to eradicate them.

Tim Shenk
Coordinator
Committee on US-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR)

Translation of statement in Dominican press

CUSLAR calls to promote solidarity and support amongst Dominican and Haitian peoples

Ithaca, New York, USA – The Committee on U.S.-Latin American Relations (CUSLAR), an educational center housed at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, repudiated the hate campaign encouraged by small reactionary groups and economic elites in the Dominican Republic that undermines the bonds of brotherhood between the Haitian and Dominican peoples.

Likewise, CUSLAR expressed its solidarity with the the silent majority of Dominicans who support and appreciate the presence of migrants from Haiti in Dominican territory.

In a declaration signed by its director, Tim Shenk, CUSLAR recognizes that in the history of the peoples of our America,  large landowners have used the strategy of “divide and rule” for the past five centuries, to secure their economic gain and political power.

“In the British colony that would become the United States, as well as in the French and Spanish colonies, landowner settlers developed “Black Codes” intent on sowing divisions based on place of origin and skin color, to avoid united insurrections led by the laboring class on the plantations,” the academic entity expressed.

CUSLAR lamented that currently these manipulations continue in different countries to prevent the necessary unity among peoples, which could achieve a necessary transformation of the unequal world in which we live.

Shenk added that the educational center in the United States repudiates the policies and actions of this administration and previous ones, which undermine the integrity of immigrant, Muslim and African-American brothers and sisters residing in the country. In addition, CUSLAR denounced the imperialist wars that the United States wages that attack and impoverish the peoples of the world.

Likewise, CUSLAR noted that in order for the Dominican Republic to lift itself out of the poverty in which it is currently immersed, anti-Haitianism needs to be denounced and unveiled as a tool used by domestic and foreign elites seeking to exploit and subjugate both the Dominican and the Haitian majorities.

“We join the Dominican social and political organizations of goodwill who have spoken out in favor of unity, love and mutual respect. On behalf of CUSLAR, we call to denounce hatred for people with ancestry of the sister Republic of Haiti,” he said.

Tim Shenk, director of CUSLAR, noted that wherever they find racism, xenophobia, or discriminatory policies and attitudes by skin color, place of origin or spiritual tradition in the world, they will work to eradicate them.