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The best way to commemorate the horrors of the past, he told me in Spanish-accented Creole, is to stop the injustices of the present.” From “Nature Has No Memory” by Edwidge Danticat
Mariposa volunteers and staff with Author Julia Alvarez
BORDER OF LIGHTS
October 2012 marked the 75th anniversary of the 1937 Haitian Massacre In addition to sharing an island, the Caribbean nations of the Dominican Republic and Haiti also share a painful history. In October 1937, Dominican dictator Rafael Leonidas Trujillo Molina ordered what US Ambassador, R. Henry Norweb, described as “a systematic campaign of extermination.” Thousands of Haitians and their Dominican-born descendants were killed in one of the worst massacres in history. In 2013, to commemorate the 75th anniversary of this terrible tragedy and continue the healing process, a cohort of activists, artists, students, teachers and community members came together for the first annual “Border of Lights.” The three-day event took place in Dajabón on the border between the Dominican Republic and Haiti, with activities taking place on both sides. The Mariposa DR Foundation felt that it was important for our girls to participate in this historic event and we were able to bring the oldest group of Mariposas to take part in an art installation, peace talk and memorial service. The girls marched in a candlelight vigil to the river that forms the physical barrier between the two countries. Mariposa Board Member and acclaimed author Julia Alvarez marched with the girls and did a reading of the poem that she wrote specifically for the event. The vigil ended with participants on the Haitian side of the border releasing floating lanterns into the river as all participants sang together. It was an incredibly emotional experience, and a historic bridging of the two countries and cultures that we will never forget.
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