After gaining its independence from Spain in 1821, the country was invaded and occupied by Haiti for 22 years. In the 20th century, as the country’s sugar cane industry prospered, U.S. influence began to grow. In 1916, U.S. Marines invaded the country and installed a puppet government to protect U.S. interests. The military occupation lasted eight years. In 1965, President Lyndon Johnson ordered the Marines to occupy the Dominican Republic during another political upheaval.
"Invasions have caused a lack of self esteem among Dominicans," according to Dominican Sr. Rosa Reyes, director of education for Centro Dominicano de Asesoria y Servicios Legales (CEDAIL), a human and legal rights office created by the country’s conference of Catholic bishops.
I will at least concede the possibility that a people's self-esteem could be affected by losing to Haiti.
She said that even the most educated Dominicans look for ways to flee their homeland and find work in the United States or in Europe.
I doubt people move to Europe because they don't want to live where there's been a history of invasions. Turns out the reason for emigration is more conventional.
"The bottom line is people want to leave the country because they cannot earn enough here," she said.
"As in so many other poor regions in the world, many of our parishioners grow up with the mentality that in our region there is no future," he [Fr. Marti Colom, pastor] said. "Therefore, to leave the area becomes the ideal, the dream, the hope for many, especially the young people."
Sounds like my European ancestors.
"Our role is to demonstrate in daily life that there are actually opportunities to make a living right here in the parish territory," added Fr. Colom.
The task begins early and it focuses on education.
Education as the way out of poverty? Odd, I could have sworn hearing claims that the failure of our big city public schools to educate is due to the students' poverty.
You state:
ReplyDelete"Education as the way out of poverty? Odd, I could have sworn hearing claims that the failure of our big city public schools to educate is due to the students' poverty."
Why odd? Both are correct.
Yes, it is extremely hard for children to learn when huge portions of their and their grown-ups' time and energy is spent on more important luxuries such as daily eating, indoor (or at least safe) sleeping, and other survival luxuries; more important, short-term, than homework, library visits, and magazine subscriptions. (while competing with secure fed healthy sheltered children whose grown-ups can read to them and relax with books and magazines in their presence.....)
And, education is absolutely necessary to get out. It's not infallible, one needs luck and helping hands, also, but minus learning it won't happen. As poor Americans know, and have known for generations, no matter how bad things are, or how much oppression there may be, learning is the one possession no one can ever take away. If you can manage to get it.
You state:
ReplyDelete"Education as the way out of poverty? Odd, I could have sworn hearing claims that the failure of our big city public schools to educate is due to the students' poverty."
Why odd? Both are correct.
Yes, it is extremely hard for children to learn when huge portions of their and their grown-ups' time and energy is spent on more important luxuries such as daily eating, indoor (or at least safe) sleeping, and other survival luxuries; more important, short-term, than homework, library visits, and magazine subscriptions. (while competing with secure fed healthy sheltered children whose grown-ups can read to them and relax with books and magazines in their presence.....)
And, education is absolutely necessary to get out. It's not infallible, one needs luck and helping hands, also, but minus learning it won't happen. As poor Americans know, and have known for generations, no matter how bad things are, or how much oppression there may be, learning is the one possession no one can ever take away. If you can manage to get it.