Having completed this course, I now fully understand and grasp how Christianity (Roman Catholicism) became the dominant religion of the Caribbean.

In the history of religion, Roman Catholicism (Christianity), was the predominant religion in the world due to the dispersion of their teachings. Christianity was viewed as a hegemonic religion, that is, Christian values and beliefs dominated all aspects of society including the social, political and economic spheres.

 However, the concentration of power, wealth, and privilege under Christian hegemony accumulates to the ruling class and the predominantly white male Christian power elite that serve its interests. This was evident during chattel slavery when the Europeans converted the Africans to Christianity in a very inhumane manner.

Prior to being plagued with the Christian morals and teachings, the Africans had their own religion, beliefs and value systems. For example, Yoruba and Spiritual Baptist religion.

The Europeans conditioned and programmed the Africans to believe in Christianity and the hierarchical structure of their own religion. At present, there are many Africans who classify themselves as Christians due to the history of our people.

Hispaniola, is one of the four largest islands in the Greater Antilles, in the North Western portion of the Caribbean Sea. 
An artificial border splits the island of Hispaniola into two, which we know as the Dominican Republic and Haiti. In their history, there was basically a war between the Spanish and French over the island. They then negotiated to share the country into two as aforementioned. There was a time when the split between the two countries was drawn with blood. The 1937 Parsley Massacre is widely regarded as a turning point in Haitian-Dominican relations.

According to Border of Lights, "The massacre cemented Haitians into a long-term subversive outsider incompatible with what it means to be Dominicans." The migration of the Haitians into Dominican Republic is the leading contributor to the tension between the two countries as well as illegal immigration from Haiti. The government has described it as a cleansing" of the country's immigration rolls.  The islands are divided by language, race and economic issues. 

Today, the issues being experienced can be traced back to Colonialism. The ethnic composition of the Dominican Republic is approximately 77% mixed, 16% white and 11% black. By contrast, Haiti is approximately 95% black. In the Republic, social class is based upon race - even darker skin Dominicans are being stereotyped as being poor and, uneducated. Currently, Anti-Haitian feelings are strongly expressed by the Dominicans as they feel that Haitians are invading their space and are  the cause of high crime rate and unemployment. 

In present news, things are as strained on the island as they have been in years. The Dominican government was expected to gather the Haitians to be shipped to the border.

The both countries continue to be divided by history, language, culture and race.

Campbell , John F. Plenary session 1.11^th September, 2017     

Kivel, Paul.  "About Christian Hegemony."  Challenging Christian Hegemony, christianhegemony.org/.

Phillip, Abby. "The bloody origins of the Dominican Republic's ethnic cleansing of Haitians." The Washington Post, WP Company, 17 June 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2015/06/16/the-bloody-origins-of-the-dominican-republics-ethnic-cleansing-of-haitians/?utm_term=.dbb5fc3133f9