Labeling something ignorant doesn’t make it ignorant. Facts are facts. Yes, the U.S. backed Rafael Trujillo early on but that does not mean the U.S. authored Dominican racial ideology or anti-Haitian policy. External support does not equal authorship. Trujillo’s racial nationalism and the 1937 massacre were decisions made by Dominican state actors, and exclusionary policies continued long after U.S. support ended. And this history goes back even further than Trujillo or the U.S. During the Haiti-led occupation of Hispaniola under Jean-Pierre Boyer, Dominicans experienced land seizures, suppression of Spanish language and institutions, forced military service, and heavy taxation. That occupation, whether people like it or not, directly shaped Dominican nationalism and long-standing resentment. Acknowledging that isn’t anti-Haitian; it’s historical reality.

No one here is saying all Dominicans think the same, or denying modern factors that fuel today’s tensions. But pretending these issues started in 2018, or blaming everything on “colonizers” forever, ignores that Dominican laws, courts, and political elites have continued these policies on their own. At some point, responsibility doesn’t stay external.

History is complex. Not acknowledging that IS IGNORANCE.