Border of Lights (BOL), an organization founded by the college’s Writer-in-Residence Emerita Julia Alvarez, will be holding a spiritual gathering on campus on Oct. 5 to mark the 81st anniversary of the Parsley Massacre.
In 1937 Dominican troops slaughtered over 13,000 Haitians under the orders of Dominican dictator Rafael Trujillo. The event became known as the “Parsley Massacre,” because one’s pronunciation of the spanish word for parsley – perejil – indicated whether they were native to the Dominican Republic or secondary Spanish speakers from Haiti. Though the massacre would fuel Haitian-Dominican strife for several more decades, it went largely undocumented and is not even a commonly known event in the Haitian community.
In attempt to raise awareness about this tragedy and retroactively heal, Alvarez founded BOL in 2012. BOL annually commemorates victims of the Parsley Massacre and leads community projects to mend the residual ethnic tensions between Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
“The reason we call it Border of Lights is because we are not looking to erase the differences, but show that there are spaces for illumination, connection, curiosity, and care.” Alvarez said.
She warned that as much as borders act as the foundation for national identity and culture, one must also look beyond them to uncover the true power of community.
“When does a border become a fortress?” she asked. “There is a connection and synergy that can only happen when we step outside of our safe spaces. How else can we survive on a planet with diminishing resources if we do not find mutuality and understanding?”
Each year in October, BOL organizes a vigil where Haitians and Dominicans can meet at their border. While there, participants light candles as a symbol of remembrance and solidarity and place them on the barb wire fence. Since its inception six years ago, the organization has grown significantly in scale. Alvarez attributed the success of BOL to its younger participants.
“The second year we marched to the border there were big barracks erected,” she said. “(The government) didn’t want us to go but the young Border of Lights people said ‘well, a group of us will go symbolically and get as close as we can, take a selfie, and then make it an online vigil…’ What ended up happening was that instead of hundreds showing up [in person], there were thousands for the online vigil.”
The campus vigil will begin at 7 p.m. outside of Old Chapel and participants will walk up the hill toward Mead Chapel. Following the procession there will be an open mic at the Gamut Room’s Amphitheater, where Alvarez along with Haitian and Dominican students will pay tribute to the massacre victims. The event is open to the community and all are invited to speak, perform or contribute to the event’s altar built to promote peace, community and healing.
This year’s vigil will be held in collaboration with Chellis House and the Anderson Freeman Resource Center.
*If you would like to participate in the online vigil, you may post photos of yourself with a candle on Oct. 6 between 7-9 p.m. using this link:
https://www.facebook.com/events/702906540072319/
Amanda Rodriguez contributed reporting.
Julia Alvarez’ Border of Lights Organization to Host Commemorative Vigil to Parsley Massacre
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