The Parsley Massacre of 1937 describes a horrific event on Haitian ethnic minorities residing along the country’s border with the Dominican Republic. Individuals were subjected to brutal killings between 2nd and 5th October under Rafael Trujillo’s orders (Wright, 2018). This analysis presents a reflection on the massacre’s impacts among victims. Specifically, individuals who experienced the parsley massacre endured both physical and psychological challenges arising from atrocities committed by military officers from the Dominican Republic (Veldwachter, 2020). Corporal punishment and physical torture resulted in physical injuries among victims. Social embarrassment from the military officers traumatized individuals, which lead to adverse psychological impacts. Ethnic minorities, in essence, suffered political oppression and economic segregation in the following years until the dictator was assassinated in 1961.
Haitian’s Parsley Massacre victims (1937) suffered physical consequences from the military regime under Rafael Trujillo. For instance, media reports of 1961 indicated extreme body torture among individuals caught by military officers (DeLugan, 2018). This was intended to send a direct message to the ethnic Haitians of their unwanted presence in the Dominican Republic. In addition, victims of the massacre had to endure long-lasting physical scars left after torture. Many Haitians. Corporal punishment, for example, included whipping and brutal caning among minorities who seemed defiant of the military rule. Authoritarian practices were common during Trujillo’s reign, which ended in 1961 (Veldwachter, 2020). Representatives of the authoritarian leadership committed social injustices against Haitians living in the country’s northwest border with the Dominican Republic. Many victims who survived torture from the military officers depicted significant and permanent body marks. Atrocities committed against Haitians in 1937 resulted in permanent physical scars among victims of the massacre.
The Parsley Massacre’s physical consequences are also associated with a river that separates Haiti from the Dominican Republic in the latter’s northwest border. It is worth noting that many victims of the genocide included are Haitians living in the Dominican Republic. The natural landscape where the war began is significant for separating farmlands belonging to Dominicans and grazing areas for Haitian herders (Veldwachter, 2020). Traditionally, members from both communities traversed the river for social and economic activities. For instance, children crossed the river when attending schools on the other side of the border. Herders from the Haitian communities engaged in the ancient barter trade exchanging cattle products with agricultural produce. Social activities included religious activities that occurred harmoniously between the two societies. However, Rafael Trujillo’s dictatorship practices distorted peace using military rule, which facilitated mass killings among minorities (DeLugan, 2018). Most importantly, physical impacts encountered by Haitian’s should be recognized and acknowledged to condemn authoritarian practices against minority communities.
Moreover, victims of the Parsley Massacre experienced severe psychological impacts. Individuals who survived the event suffered from advanced trauma, which impacted their mental well-being. The security of one’s family was a substantial source of discomfort among victims who escaped. Parents were separated from their children as they were fleeing soldiers sent by Rafael Trujillo (DeLugan, 2018). Siblings also ran in different directions to save themselves from physical torture. The advanced trauma resulted in hampered decision-making among Haitians who endured the atrocities. For instance, children found it difficult to attend school in areas with high violence. Trauma was instilled by fear among victims as the officers committed extreme crimes against humanity during the dictatorship period (Veldwachter, 2020). Most fundamentally, members of the Haitian community in the Dominican Republic suffered long-term mental impacts from the massacre.
Additionally, Haitian victims who survived the 1937 massacre encountered advanced stress and depression after 1961. Social discrimination and segregation of minority populations in the Dominican Republic are substantially defined ethnicity (DeLugan, 2018). Rafael Trujillo facilitated a mechanism of distinguishing individuals from both communities based on the pronunciation of syllables with the letter “r”. Haitians have identified accurately as they pronounced the term “Perejil” with a trilling “r” (Wright, 2018). In essence, this provided a platform for social discrimination in subsequent years after the dictator was assassinated. Specifically, victims of the 1937 massacre in the northwest Dominican Republic endured post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This is a mental condition that affects normal cognitive functions due to distorted images processed by the brain (Veldwachter, 2020). For instance, army veterans can suffer from this condition for being exposed to military conflicts. Similarly, Haitians who witnessed dead bodies along the way suffered from associated mental illnesses.
In conclusion, Haitians suffered significantly during the Parsley Massacre of 1937. Military agents of Rafael Trujillo executed many victims using physical torture. Survivors of the atrocities depict body scars which illustrated mechanisms used to cause fear among victims. Social embarrassment through corporal punishment also contributed to the physical impacts of the Parsley Massacre. In addition, victims of the genocide also endured psychological impacts arising from diverse traumatic events. Family members were separated, and children were denied an opportunity to access necessities. PTSD was a common mental challenge to Haitian victims who escaped the Dominican Republic. It is objective to acknowledge and recognize the adverse impacts of authoritarian leaders across the globe. The Parsley Massacre (1937) depicts the possibility of mass killings evidenced against Haitians.
References
DeLugan, R. M. (2018). Reimagining the strange and familiar in national belonging: Memory, heritage, and exclusion in the Dominican Republic. Journal of Anthropological Research, 74(4), 450-467.
Veldwachter, N. (2020). How to kill with words: The convergence of Dominican and German rhetoric in the 1937 Haitian massacre. Journal of Haitian Studies, 26(1), 74-103.
Wright, M. (2018). The Dominican racial imaginary: Surveying the landscape of race and nation in Hispaniola. New Brunswick, England: Rutgers University Press.