The current struggles of immigrant and displaced rural workers in the Dominican Republic, many of them from Haiti, for dignity and basic civil rights has become more acute in the past two years. The Movement of Dominican-Haitian Women (MUDHA) is spearheading an effort to restore the rights of citizenship to Dominicans of Haitian ancestry, as rural communities struggle against governmental abandonment and imposed policies such as DR- CAFTA that threaten what remains of rural communities and well-being. One result is a campaign from a clique within the government to annul the birth certificate and thereby the citizenship of MUDHA leader Sonia Pierre. Authorities are using divisive tactics and racist appeals against Haitian immigrant workers and anyone of Afro heritage, in order to distract and weaken opposition to these policies and practices of exclusion and exploitation. The case of Haitian migrants in the Dominican Republic, and their descendants, is an excellent parallel example of what is happening in the US as regards the polarization of positions on the immigration situation, and can shine light on effective strategies of solidarity.
The session will review the history and context of this struggle, show parallels to the migration debate in the U.S., and show the linkages to broader globalization dynamics such as neoliberal ideology, so-called 'free' trade, and strategems of the powerful to hold onto their polarized position of privilege.