The #BlackLivesMatter movement is finally reaching the Dominican Republic.
As the country prepares to deport hundreds of thousands of Dominican-born residents of Haitian descent who fail to prove their legal status by Wednesday's deadline, some are drawing connections between the plight of Haitians and the #BlackLivesMatter movement. The latter was born as a response to police brutality towards African Americans in the United States and has grown to encompass a number of issues dealing with racial inequality and injustice towards black lives.
Activist and CUNY adjunct lecturer Javiela Evangelista told HuffPost Live that she is seeing rhetoric from the movement transcend international boundaries.
"While we were at a rally this past Monday, the crowd was chanting out 'black lives matter' in [the] Dominican Republic as well," Evangelista told host Nancy Redd. "And so groups are also trying to make connections to the larger struggle of the diaspora as a way of also increasing pressure against the Dominican Republic and also trying to garner greater support."
According to Evangelista, making these connections is one of the many goals of the activist group We Are All Dominican. While the battle for Haitian rights may seem far away, the United States is not immune from facing a similar struggle, she added.
"If we can see that, we too should be invested in this issue even though it's across borders, where workers are violated in Dominican Republic. They can easily be violated here," she said.
Watch the full HuffPost Live segment about the numerous Haitian migrants facing impending deportations here.
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