Summary:
In the terminating pages of the book, politics was a continued topic. There were a lot more struggles with achieving the goal of becoming President, though, and police officers were out to enforce their own laws. For a change, Dominicans were put in the spot and were discriminated, just like they had done to the Haitians plenty of times before. Guillermo Linares was then brought up, who would eventually become a widely noted "caballero" (or gentleman of highest order). As a child, he struggled to find his identity, and he struggled in learning English. Eventually, he did learn the language and became an American citizen. He proceeded to become a teacher, but he also became an activist that pushed for the needs of Dominican students (214).
Through Linares' advocation, him and other community leaders gave a start for Dominicans to get elected to the school board, where they pushed for the inclusion of their culture to be incorporated more into education. Many Dominican role models rose above these circumstances, including Euclid Mejia. who became the first Dominican principial of a New York high school where three-quarters of the students were Dominican. Linares was gaining political fame, but it would not last long, because when a proposal came up to remove bodegas (corner stores), Linares voted to approve the person who proposed the plan. Because of this, he became known as traitor to his community and for "not being Dominican enough" (215).
It was then brought up how emigrating to the United States from the Dominican Republic was becoming a lot easier, especially obtaining a visa. More politics was brought up, including Jose Fernandez, who would become the representation of the Dominican community in Congress. Following all the politics, a quick synopsis of the biography of Leonel Fernandez was given, and how he got to the place he is today. Also, with the election of Bill Clinton, Dominicans hoped that the pressure of to limit the benefits that immigrants received would stop, yet Dominicans in New York still struggled to live between the two different worlds. Shifting topics, the concluding chapter basically talked about carnivals and festivities that both the Dominican Republic and Haiti celebrate. Each has its own style, yet both are parallel in their structure, and through this carnival, Dominicans and Haitians are brought together despite their constant conflicts.
Quote:
"During Carnival, the festival that flaunts limits and rules, real conflicts briefly disappear as Dominicans and Haitians celebrate their differences and their common roots. Haiti is no longer on the other side of the border, New York no longer across the water" (Wucker 251).
Reaction:
Through the ending of the book, Wucker gave a great sense of understanding the rest of the political history of the Dominican Republic. It was great to learn about all the Dominicans in New York that worked very hard and became very successful in achieving benefits for the Dominican community. Haiti had been shed a lot of light for understanding the living conditions the majority of the Haitians faced, as was with the Dominican Republic. Learning about each individual country with a designated chapter(s) really gave a lot of background knowledge in understanding why the people are the way they are. However, looking back through the history and all the struggles faced, it's very clear that these two countries that share the island should be united rather than separated, because their history and their suffering tie in together more than they realize.
I chose this quote because it is final proof that, despite it all, Haiti and the Dominican Republic can coexist in the same island in harmony. It's fascinating to see that through a common festivity, everything can be forgotten and everyone enjoys themselves. At the same time, it is sad to see that only through a big celebration can conflicts be set aside. It makes people reflect on what can be other possibilities on helping resolve the conflicts between Haiti and the Dominican Republic. However, through a festivity that reflects limits and cuts the perspective of things, the Dominican Republic and Haiti still manage to join together in celebrating what unites them.
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