In August, I spent one week in the Dominican Republic, but I didn’t go to an all-inclusive resort. In fact, I barely saw the beach while I was there. Instead, I chose to travel with 38 people (including teachers from East and Beck) on a social justice tour organized by Friends Beyond Borders (FBB). FBB is a non-profit organization that plans trips for students and teachers to learn about human rights and the struggle against extreme poverty, racism and discrimination in the Dominican Republic.
Our group spent the week meeting with factory workers and union leaders, listening to Dominican and Haitian activists and visiting museums, factories and schools. We learned about the struggles many people in the Dominican Republic have for basic human rights.
Do you own any college sportswear? Check to see if your sweatshirt or t-shirt has an Alta Gracia tag. Workers in clothing factories around the world often work in terrible conditions, are treated poorly and are paid very little money. After a visit to the Alta Gracia factory, we learned that Alta Gracia is a company that pays its workers a living wage, provides safe working conditions and treats their workers fairly. Buying Alta Gracia products supports the men and women who work there so they can provide better lives for their families.
Some of you may have read In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez. During our trip, we traveled to Salcedo and visited the former home of the Mirabal sisters. In order to honor her sisters who were killed for speaking out against the government, Dede Mirabal created a museum in the house where Patria, Minerva and Maria Teresa used to live.
Have you heard of Sonia Pierre? Sonia Pierre was a human rights activist who spent her life fighting discrimination against Dominicans of Haitian descent. She died in 2011. We were honored to meet her daughters and listen to them speak with passion about their desire to continue their mother’s work. They introduced us to students who are fighting for their right to go to school.
Over 1 billion people in the world live on less than $1.00 a day. During our stay we were able to see what that looked like for some people in the Dominican Republic. One of our afternoons was spent in a trash dump helping people collect recyclable glass and plastic to sell. For many people, this is the only income they have and they spend all day trying to collect enough trash to earn enough money to feed their families.
Don’t worry; it wasn’t all work and no play during our trip. We certainly learned a lot but we also had lots of fun. We went white water rafting, swam in the ocean, rode horses to a waterfall, and danced to merengue music every night!
I have been home almost a month and am still processing all the information I learned and experiences I had while in the Dominican Republic. I can honestly say it was the most challenging trip I have ever taken but I highly recommend it to anyone interested in social justice. I am so glad to have had the opportunity to meet so many inspiring people.
FBB offers a student trip and a teacher trip every summer. If this type of travel sounds like something you’d like to do, feel free to contact me for more information.
Ms. Danielle DiRenzo