In 1994, shortly before an American intervention, Joe Biden said that America would not notice if Haiti sank into the sea. When his comments resurfaced recently, disgust was voiced on social media
The border agents, it later transpired, had not whipped anyone. But Edwidge Danticat, a Haitian-American novelist, had seen another parallel. The images, she told, a public radio station, recalled scenes of forced labour during the American occupation of Haiti, when white marines, also on horseback, had towered over Haitians. Unlike the slavery comparisons, these echoes were of a history few Americans know anything about.
In the 20th century America expanded its sphere of influence, and took an increasing interest in Haitian affairs. It took Haiti’s gold reserves away on gunboats, then intervened to guarantee American banking interests. After the country’s president was assassinated in 1915, marines occupied Haiti for 19 years. The country was run much like the American South, with black people as second-class citizens.
Australia Latest News, Australia Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
US official in Haiti apologizes for treatment of migrantsA top U.S. official has apologized for how Haitian migrants were treated along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it’s not how border officials or the Department of Homeland Security behave.
Read more »
Government laws on environmental justice may shape climate solutionsEnvironmental-justice advocates are working to ensure that climate solutions from government policies address vulnerabilities that cause this disproportionate suffering, such as illegal basement housing. Presented by Deloitte
Read more »
More than half of US killings by police go unreported: StudyA study on fatal police violence shows more than half of killings by police were left unreported in the last 40 years, and that Black Americans were estimated to be 3.5 times more likely to die from police violence than white Americans.
Read more »
US official in Haiti apologizes for treatment of migrantsA top U.S. official has apologized for how Haitian migrants were treated along the U.S.-Mexico border, saying it’s not how border officials or the Department of Homeland Security behave.
Read more »
Forget the suburbs, wealthy millennials are keeping big cities aliveInsider tells the global tech, finance, markets, media, healthcare, and strategy stories you want to know.
Read more »