In 1937 the Dominican military exterminated tens of thousands of Haitians and Dominicans of Haitian descent. “The Dictator Trujillo decided to ‘whiten’ the race and fix the so-called “Haitian problem,'” a new trailer for “Stateless” explains. Michèle Stephenson’s documentary explores the ongoing legacy of anti-black hatred in the Dominican Republic and follows an electoral hopeful who is finding ways to resist.
“All we think about are the pesos we get today! But we don’t think about how we’ll live three years from now. That’s what we need to think about,” says Rosa Iris, who is running for Congress.
Despite receiving threats, the politician is committed to transforming her country. “Change depends on us,” Iris emphasizes. “I’m proud to be a Dominican of Haitian descent. Our community can overcome the limits imposed on us.”
“As a hyphenated black Latina, I felt compelled to express how deeply embedded the racial caste system is in our Latinx communities and how identity and citizenship are so closely connected to anti-blackness — and yet its discussion either escapes or is superficially misconstrued by mainstream media,” Stephenson told us in a soon-to-be-published interview.
She continued, “Ideally, I would love for the film to be embraced and deeply covered by the Latinx and Black media to help jump-start a much needed conversation within and across our communities both in the United States and in Latin America. Storytelling for me is a way to share experiences in a way that allows us to connect.”
Stephenson is the co-founder of Rada Studio. Her films have been nominated for three Emmys. Her collaborative series with NYT Op-Docs, “A Conversation on Race,” won the 2016 Online Journalism Award for Commentary.
“Stateless” was slated to screen at Tribeca Film Festival and Hot Docs. The film’s team is hosting a Facebook Live conversation where you can ask questions about the doc. The virtual event will take place May 6 at 7 p.m. EST.
