The Garbage Dump

Many of the Dominicans who walk into this area just outside of Sosua call this place the garbage dump. This place consists of mostly Haitians who have moved to the Dominican Republic. So what’s the big deal? Why is it referred to as a garbage dump? This description is used because that is what it looks like. It’s economic status is lower that most Dominican neighborhoods; furthermore, the Dominicans believe that Haitians are scum and dross that should be relegated to garbage dumps.

This highlights a strong point about the discrimination of a person or group of people. This strikes such as soft spot for me because I was picked on in high school because I did not fit the preppy model in an extremely affluent school. This also brings me back to points of Scripture where Paul speaks to the issues of Jews and Gentiles living in harmony. The Jews did not want to incorporate the Gentiles into their religion believing that they were the chosen people. Paul, conversely, admonished them that they did not reach the apogee of their spiritual status on their own accord and, also, were not able to remain there once they were the chosen people. The cultural disparities have echoed across time. Sometimes it has been the Believers who have been on the persecuting end such as with the Crusades in the 7th century and, most recently, with African-Americans in the middle of the 20th century.

The Haitians are doing what anyone who wanted a better life would do. They have risked much to move from their home in search of more. They have found that with New Missions, but are lacking that from the Dominicans. I’m sure glad New Missions have found it in their heart to reach out to these “unchosen” ones, because that is exactly who Christ would have been with. Oh, and by the way, New Missions calls this small gathering Redemption Village.

Alan