Getting to the Root of Colorism, Texturism and anti-Haitianism
By Daniel Labrousse
An old video of Beyoncé resurfaced during Latin American Heritage Month 2021 on social media. As Beyoncé flips her hair, she says she likes to pretend she’s Dominican. This video of young Beyoncé went viral as it amused most people and even gave pride to the Dominican and Latin American community. Unfortunately, what Beyoncé is saying in this video is more complex than waving the Dominican flag with pride. This pride and excitement from the Latin American community, as well as the idolization of Latin heritage within the Black community, stem from miseducation. This term, miseducation, was coined by Dr. Carter G. Woodson in 1933. It refers to the cultural indoctrination of Black people in schools, and how they are taught about negative stereotypes of Black people that are then internalized (Vandiver et al., 2001). Why would Beyoncé want to be Dominican? She doesn’t, and we know Beyoncé is a proud Black-American. But, let’s think about this for a little. Can you imagine Beyoncé saying she pretends to be Haitian? Haiti and the Dominican Republic (DR) are located on the same island in the Caribbean, and both countries have Taíno, African, and European influences. Yet, most people would be shocked to hear this Creole pop star pretend to speak Haitian Creole. It would be very surprising to hear the Texan-born singer pretending her ancestry was from the same country in which migrants were assaulted with whips by border patrols just a couple months ago.
Haiti has the richest history being the first Black nation in the western hemisphere, yet modern-day perceptions of the country are all negative. Saint-Domingue, present-day Haiti, was the most profitable colony during the late 18th century, and it would soon become the site of the most successful slave revolts in history. Led by Toussaint Louverture in 1804, Haitians found their independence and ended legal slavery on the island after fighting against the French. Haiti (also referred to as Quisqueya or Bohio) was the original name of the entire island by the Taíno population. In Taíno, Haiti means “high ground” or “mountainous land” (Yale, 2021). However, Spain and the colonized inhabitants of what is now known as the DR did not allow Haitians to free Black Africans across the whole island. While the tension between the two countries never dies down, there are still coexisting Haitian-Dominican communities on both sides of the island. Haitians and Dominicans share a rich African and indigenous history, but the evolution of Blackness is what breaks the island. Haiti and Blackness were intertwined as writers in the 1800s detailed how Haitians were not afraid of the associations with Blackness. They felt it was necessary to vindicate the Black race globally and assert the fundamental equality of the human races. The Haitian experience linked Black and mulattos (mixed with African descent) alike as the country was a symbol of the Black regeneration. Haitians were to be seen as a branch of the immense African race (Nicholls, 1996). Although this is not to say colorism and texturism did not exist in the multicultural island, the nation was united in honoring their African roots. Unfortunately, this cannot be said about the other side of the island. Former President of DR elected in 1966, Balaguer argued that African characteristics in the Dominican population were a result of Haitian invasion beyond the border (Hintzen, 2015). However, the majority of Dominicans are of African descent. The anti-Haitian ideology actually originates from a former Dominican dictator, Trujillo, who not surprisingly was also of Haitian descent. These lies spewed by the Dominican government were forms of miseducation that fueled internalized anti-Blackness and racial discrimination in the forms of colorism, texturism, and xenophobia.
Through miseducation, the Haitian identity and Dominican identity are forced to be positioned as polar opposites like black and white. This is actually why Beyoncé doesn’t mind being mistaken for Dominican. The beauty and sexualization of Latin American culture follows the same rubric as texturism and colorism. White supremacy has shaped this hierarchy of power as well as beauty. Black people in the industry are almost forced to follow it. It has become a method of climbing the ladder in America by avoiding hairstyles that are associated with Blackness like braids, locs, and Afros. The emphasis on straightening your hair and perpetuating Eurocentric beauty standards on Black women is so normalized that people cannot see the issue with a beautiful Black American wanting to have Latin heritage. This is probably why Dominican hair salons are still so successful at attracting Black clients who need their natural curls straightened frequently. It is the same logic that has forced many Black artists to present themselves in a more “suitable light” or rather one that is more acceptable by Eurocentric standards. White supremacy and anti-Blackness are the two forces that make it so clear why being Haitian is less desirable than being Dominican. Haiti is still paying the price for being the only Black nation in the western hemisphere that escaped slavery and fought for their freedom. Blackness is the sole reason Haitian migrants were assaulted in Texas before they were forced on planes and deported back to the struggling island. To Haitian-Americans, Latin Americans are constantly placed as the model minority.
Most members of the Haitian community understand that the erasure of Haitians in the Latin American Diaspora and favoritism towards the region that magically excludes francophone Caribbean countries stem from white supremacy. Anti-Haitianism and stigma around one side of the island has been orchestrated since the revolution. Haitian-Americans were also outspoken in the 1990s about anti-Haitian discrimination in U.S immigration policy and during the AIDS pandemic compared to the friendly welcoming policies for Latin American immigrants (Warren, 1990). This hate for Black skin and curly hair is rooted so deeply that when violence targets the “Blacker” side of the island in 2021, people are silent. This is why Haitian-Americans are forced to visualize traumatic images of present-day individuals being treated like they are enslaved. Then a few weeks later, Latin-Americans shout out their favorite Dominican, Beyoncé. The truth is if Beyoncé had grown up in a Dominican household, we would not have the Beyoncé we have today. The star of the Lion King and creator of the culturally iconic album, Lemonade, has been an unapologetically Black artist. While Black communities are educating themselves around honoring their African roots and the ways racial discrimination has evolved in everyday life, there needs to be an emphasis around anti-Haitianism and how it has played out in the DR, the US, and globally.
Looking for organizations to help Haiti?
● Family Action Network Movement (FANM)
References
Daniel Labrousse is a research assistant at the American Institutes for Research in the Youth, Family, & Community Development Program Area, and he is writing in from DC. His writing focuses on how the perception of hair affects the mental health of resilient communities. His writing style includes brainstorming topics that inspire him, while looking for novel connections between topics to use as his thesis.