Leid Stories - 06.17.15

In the Dominican Republic, Mass Deportations of Haitians Loom

Rachel Dolezal’s Racial Dilemma Is An Old American Story

Hundreds of thousands of Haitians living in the Dominican Republic face deportation if by the end of the day today they aren’t able to comply with complicated, widely criticized laws the government has set for their residency and citizenship in the country.

Veteran journalist Kim Ives, a prizewinning documentarian and editor of the news weekly Haïti Liberté, explains the history and impact of these race-based laws, which have rendered more than 500,000 Haitians in the Dominican Republic stateless.

The Rachel Dolezal saga continues to dominate the headlines, with new stories highlighting deep family dysfunction. But the story that started it all—her self-assigned racial identity as an African American woman—is in fact an old American story, says Leid Stories.