There are a lot of reasons why there is tension between Dominicans and Haitians. It starts all the way back in 1492 when Christopher Columbus visited the island. After he sent word to Spain and France, the two countries split the island to what we know today as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. After Haiti gained its independence from France, Haiti took over the whole island. In 1844, the Dominican Republic gained its independence from Haiti. Then, in 1930, Trujillo rose into power and for the next 31 years, he forced this idea that Haitians were ruining the Dominican Republic and there could not be any Haitians in the country. During these 31 years, tension and hostility grew between the two countries and it was passed down generation to generation.
Today, we still see these effects as Dominicans stay with Dominicans and Haitians stay with Haitians. As you can see, there is a lot of history between the two countries and there is not much of an effort being made to bring these two countries together. Considering that it is such a small island, it would be in both of their best interests to come together and work together for a better future.
I do not think that this need is being met, at least not on my campus. This is because the University is not making an effort to bring Dominican and Haitian students together. To my understanding, the general classes are separated between Dominicans and Haitians, and Dominicans are the only ones who take the extracurricular classes. Therefore, there is not much of an opportunity for these students to interact and work together.
