June 10

Today the group had lectures and discussions with two members of One Réspe. In the morning Catuxo, the co-coordinator of One Réspe sat down and talked with us under the beautiful pavilion at One Réspe headquarters. He has a background in Sociology and has conducted research within the community. After answering some of the questions of the class, he brought out some of his own materials to share with us. First we looked at fashion and product magazines. We reflected on the appearance of the models and the people in the magazine and what kind of message it was sending Dominicans. The women were tall, skinny, pale, had long straight hair, and were young looking. While women in the USA also have similar standards to fulfill, it is important to consider what proportion of Dominicans have African heritage. Catuxo also presented us with Catholic images of Jesus, Mary, and other biblical scenes. These images are revered by the many Catholics of the DR and often hung within their houses. All the images portrayed the holy family as Caucasian. Mary also seemed to be perpetrating this amazing phenomenon that I am sure many women in Western culture would be jealous of – she remained ageless.
So what are these images saying? The standard of beauty in many countries that were colonized by Europeans is that of a Caucasian. White beauty standards reinforce the hierarchy between races. If a woman has textured and nappy hair, she has African roots, and therefore straightening or hiding the natural hair is the solution. The DR also has a history reinforced by the nationalist Duarte in the mid 1800s to deny their African roots and be proud of their European ones. In part, this is a way they distinguish themselves from Haitians. Haiti has a larger composition of darker skinned colored peoples because Haiti was a more successful colony than the DR, and therefore more slaves were imported.
By prizing lighter skin and straight long hair, there is this oppression and shaming of those who do not fit these standards. There are 14 different racial classifications of race here in the DR. They range from cinnamon to light Indian, to brown. These classifications work to label with any name except African or black. They also serve to show the hierarchy of race within the DR. Walking around the DR, almost every woman I see has her hair relaxed, and the only women I can recall who do not have their hair relaxed, are those of One Réspe. This brings me to our second speaker, Gabina.
Gabina works in Los Perez at one of the schools run by One Réspe. She talked to us about racial issues and hair. She proudly wears her tresses in a poufy bun on top of her head - displaying her natural beauty with pride. Gabina also talked to us about the methods of teaching they use in the schools. Using methods like word recognition, visual aids/toys for math, and real life, these students were learning incredible amounts of information in their elementary education. Gabina also uses reflection to teach the children about issues of racism and sexism to encourage acceptance and discourage that continuing behavior.

Contributed by Ciara