It is well known that there is no racism in the Dominican Republic, only classism. Admittedly, this statement is too extreme; however, classism is the major form of discrimination in DR. I live in New York City with my family because of this fact. However, classism isn’t enough to move away from your country (even though it is a good reason), says my father who hasn’t always believed NYC to be better. It was only recently, when crime in DR spiked to impossible levels, that he conceded to the fact that NYC is best.
Most of my father’s family has immigrated to the States while very little of my mother’s family moved. This is because her family owns enough territories to live comfortably in the DR. Since classism benefits those that have money, they need not move away from their country; this is when there is truly no place like home.
However, when you have so many heirs in every generation, you reach a point where the splits in ownership leave the living recipients mere slivers. Three generations down the line of a wealthy landowner, lies my mother’s direct family, which a small portion of said land still belongs to her father. However, once my grandfather passes away, the land would be passed down to the men of the family, so only her two brothers will receive land. Since my mother and my grandmother gain no economic benefit from staying in DR, why would they stay? Thus, my mother’s family, sans a few aunts, has stayed in the Dominican Republic.
But that is only half the coin. My father moved here in ’83, when he was still a teenager. Since the rich control DR, many Dominicans, not just my family, have moved to the United States. Many other Dominicans chose New York City as a new home, so when the opportunity arose, my father’s family also chose it.
So why have so many come to the same conclusion of moving to NYC? When your country gives little social security, slow ambulances, and crooked police officers, money is the only thing that makes life possible. And since social and government intervention is what was most desired, Dominicans all chose to go to the state with most social policies.
New York City seemed like the best place to move to; however many new problems began to arise. Crime and racism is the top two that come to mind. My teenage father did not even know what it was to be given a side-glance and judged. Classism at least allows the benefit of the doubt to be of higher class; it is not outward appearances being judged when classism is in play. He also never felt restricted freedom until he arrived at NYC. Once he got out of school, he would need to have a group of people in order to be safe against the drug-handlers on every street corner.
Today, there are still drugs circulating the streets but it is hidden in the underground. At the same time, the Dominican Republic has gained the habit of drug selling. Because of this, and the subsequent gang activity, money no longer protects as it once did. Now gangs have more money than most of the general population so they control the crooked police officers, ambulances, and anything else money controls. DR is still controlled by money but now those with drug money control it.
Safety was my father’s priority; one could always work for money. Through the lens of safety, he was right to like DR more, but now even he agrees that DR has changed. However through the lens of social service, which is how Dominicans will look at this problem to DR has always lost.
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