Latinos have a history of racial discrimination and prejudice dating back hundreds of years, both against Latinos of African descent and against indigenous communities in Central and South America. Today’s case-in-point comes courtesy of the Dominican Republic, where blacks are being discriminated against.
The U.S. Embassy in the Dominican Republic instructed all its personnel to abstain from attending the club “Tonic” in the capital due to allegations that it engages in “racial discrimination.” The U.S. diplomatic mission provided this information in a press release, alleging that “Tonic” denied “entry to African-American employees who work at the embassy on January 12.”
Isolated Incident?
Isolated incident, you say? Apparently not.
This is the second complaint of its kind made by the U.S. diplomatic mission. The first was made last year when, on July 22nd, the club Loft, also located in the capital, barred entry to African-American employees of the U.S. Embassy. Of course, the only reason we know about this is because it involved U.S. embassy employees. Who knows how often this really happens?
And just like I discussed in the previous entry…
The Dominican Republic’s Foreign Relations Ministry stated, through Rosario Graciano De los Santos, subsecretary in charge of Consular and Migratory matters, that “it was incredible” that in the Dominican Republic such discriminatory acts occur because “70% of the population is mulatto and 20% is black.” However, neither the judiciary nor the Public Ministry imposed a fine on the club. Same ol’ thing: “nobody’s white.” So racial issues get swept under the rug.
Wider Regional Issues
When it rains, it pours. I just came across this.
In Mexico, Yucatán’s governor, Patricio Patrón Laviada, accepted that Central American immigrants are exploited and discriminated against.
“How can we tell Arnold Schwarzenegger ‘hey, don’t do that,’ when, as soon as we can, we do the same thing?”
“It is unacceptable what we sometimes do to Central American immigrants.”
But this last paragraph is the money line.
There’s one thing, he added, that, even though I cannot justify, I can understand: when a [white,] blue-eyed person looks at a dark-skinned person and says “he’s different.” But among us, we’re the same nation and the same race. How can we do something like this?
The Hypocrisy of Colorism and Prejudice
The hypocrisy inherent in these discriminatory practices highlights the deep-seated issues of colorism and prejudice that still permeate Latin American societies, despite the high percentage of people with mixed-race backgrounds. While many claim that racial distinctions are irrelevant, the reality is that systemic racism continues to shape the lived experiences of Afro-descendants and indigenous populations across the region. This disparity is not limited to one country but manifests in various forms across the Americas, where lighter skin often equates to better treatment, opportunities, and access.
A Call for Accountability and Change
The case of the Dominican Republic, along with the acknowledgment of exploitation faced by Central American immigrants in Mexico, underscores the need for a broader conversation about race, identity, and historical inequalities in Latin America. It also calls for accountability from governments and businesses to address these discriminatory practices. Without an honest confrontation of these issues, the cycle of racial prejudice and exclusion will likely persist, affecting generations to come.