I HAVE JUST ATTENDED A MEETING TO DISCUSS THE GOOD AND BAD SIDES OF LIVING IN COSTAMBAR...AND I WAS DISGUSTED BY THE ACTION...REACTIONS AND COMMENTS OF SOME OF THOSE THAT ATTENDED.
FIRSTLY...THERE WAS NO TRANSLATION FOR NON-ENGLISH SPEAKERS WHO HAD LITTLE OR NO SPANISH, AND ALTHOUGH IT WAS EVENTUALLY TRANSLATED INTO ROUGH SPANISH...SOME PEOPLE LEFT DUE TO NOT FULLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT WAS BEING SAID.
THE ONE COMMENT THAT OFFENDED ME WAS WHEN A LADY VOICED HER DISLIKE OF,"THESE PEOPLE WALKING THROUGH A PRIVATE PROJECT".
FIRSTLY, SHE DIDN'T HAVE THE DECENCY TO CALL THEM DOMINICAN PEOPLE...
SECONDLY, THIS IS NOT A PRIVATE PROJECT THAT DOES NOT ALLOW THEM ACCESS...
AND THIRDLY, I FEEL THAT THIS REMARK BORDERS ON RACISM....
IF MY PARTNER, WHO IS DOMINICAN...AND A NATIVE OF THIS ISLAND, WALKS THROUGH COSTAMBAR WITH HER CHILDREN...ARE THEY THEN CLASSED AS "THESE PEOPLE"....
THE DIVISIONS WITHIN THIS COMMUNITY ARE OF OUR OWN MAKING, AND UNTIL WE RECOGNISE THIS FACT..ALL IS LOST.....
"THESE PEOPLE"...I PREFER TO CALL THEM MY DOMINICAN FRIENDS!!!!!!