Advocate Ana Maria Belique is currently participating in the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP). She is the Founder member of the reconoci.do movement in the Dominican Republic.
Why did you apply to HRAP?
When I saw this call, I felt that this was just what I needed. It is just what my movement needed.
I come from the Dominican Republic. Since 2011 we have formed a movement named reconoci.do to fight against racial discrimination in the Dominican civil registry. In 2013, a Judgment 168-13 from the Constitutional Tribunal of the Dominican Republic, Dominicans who were born to foreign parents between 1929 and 2007 retroactively lost their citizenship. More than 200,000 people were affected by this measure; 100,000 people are still stateless because of it.
Every day the government looks for a way to ignore this problem. The current government has avoided talking about this problem. Our people live in fear of going out into the street, and the operations of the migration agents are carried out daily. Not having access to national identity documents placed our population in the crosshairs of immigration agents, who arrest and mistreat any undocumented person they find in their path, regardless of whether this person was born in the DR or not.
That's why I came to this program, to expand our network of contacts, to talk about what's happening in the DR, to make our voices heard, and to learn new strategies for our advocacy.
We can't make change alone. We need others to help us raise our voices against the abuses that are being committed in the DR and the systematic denial of our rights, especially the right to be and belong.
Tell us about your HRAP experience so far
The experience has been extraordinary. I have nine colleagues from nine different countries who are extraordinary people. I am learning a lot from them. It seems like we've known each other our whole lives. I really like the connection we have.
Although this is not my first time in NY, it was my first time in an English training environment, and as usual, I had a lot of anxiety in the first days. But stepping on the campus of Columbia and knowing that I would be a part of it for an entire semester was an indescribable feeling. I am very grateful that they chose me to do this experience. Although it is not a course with an academic degree, being here is very significant for me, my family, and the entire movement of Dominicans of Haitian descent that I represent. Higher education is a privilege for the community, for those who are of Haitian descent like me. In fact, the difficulties I encountered in entering the university in my country were the beginning of my activism, and today I have not only been able to advance but I am also doing it overseas.
I am taking two classes, Advocacy and Campaigning for Social and Economic Rights and Serious Play: The Art of Storytelling. I am in love with both classes. I am learning a lot from the teachers and the students. It is a privilege to be in New York City because it has allowed me to connect with many from the Dominican and Haitian diaspora and people I have never met before.
This time has not only allowed me to attend classes on campus but also to have time to hold meetings with individuals and social organizations. Unfortunately, time passes quickly, so I will use the remaining time wisely to take advantage of New York City and everything this program offers.
What are you looking forward to seeing/doing in NYC?
NYC has a little piece of every corner of the planet. Here we can meet people from everywhere and connect with very diverse groups and cultures. I want to continue allowing myself to connect with more people to expand my network with people who work and fight for human rights. I also want to continue learning from all the diversity that this city offers.
What has surprised you so far?
What has surprised me the most about the program is its structure. We have spaces for learning in the different workshops while at the same time going to classes at the university and have individual or group meetings organized by the program as well as by ourselves, and space for sightseeing in the city. In other words, this time allowed us to do some of everything. For example, during my previous visits to New York, I had neither the time nor the space in my agenda to arrange a visit to a museum. So this program has given me this opportunity that is part of a collective experience for which I'm grateful. I appreciate having all these experiences as a group.
