Month: March 2017

As Russian-United States relations dominate headlines with Russian President Vladimir Putin engaging in risky endeavors abroad, many Russian-Americans are left with a less-than-favorable image of their country to fellow U.S. citizens.

This is not a new phenomenon. James Bond movies, circa the 1960s, have painted a negative image of Russians in the minds of many Americans, and often Russian immigrants find that image difficult to escape when attempting to assimilate to U.S. culture.

Irina Groushevaia, a 22-year-old female who emigrated from Russia after her high school graduation, has found that Americans generally have negative stereotypes associated with Russia and its people.

“When I came here, I kind of felt that everyone either thinks I’m this crazy femme fatale or thinks I’m going to show up with fake blonde hair and be a super thin model, which I’m not and they are stereotypes that everyone tries to fit me in and I don’t fit into them because the perceptions by Americans of Russians is very different from reality,” she said.

Groushevaia continued, “Of course stereotypes exist for a reason, but the way we are perceived in American movies, in American culture is just ridiculous. We’re all over the top with how we look, always in fur and stilettos and every woman is like the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen. And we’re always evil and really cold and backstabbing and I think that exists in every culture, not just in Russian culture, but when you ask an American what a Russian is, it’s always a James Bond villain.”

While Russian-American relations have continued to be tense since the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, Americans’ perceptions of Russia as “the enemy” seems especially relevant in a tense political climate where rumors exist that Putin helped rig the polling system to elect President Donald Trump, an unfavorable candidate to many Americans.

(TK- interviews with other Russian immigrants, brief history of Russia’s current state of affairs (i.e. Syria, Crimea, etc.), Russia in American pop culture)

I have chosen Dominican Republic as my beat for this semester. With a plethora of friends and associates who call that country home, I feel their story is often not talked about or discussed despite their large population. I want to change that an approach it from different angles. Firstly, from the point-of-view of an first generation immigrant here in America. And secondly, from the perspective of not only Domincians, but Hatians, who provide an alternative storyline. I want to allow my storytelling to show the parallels between the children of first generation immigrants and the immigrants themselves, while focusing on the differences in culture and tranditions.

Spanish is sole language of the country, despite the large Haitian population (Haiti’s language is French, while the surviving language, Creole, which is still being used). Majority of the population is Roman Catholic and Evangelical Protestants under Christianity. Although many have immigrated, there has not been enough to put a dent in the religious landscape.

Dominican Republic is a great example of a country greatly inhibited by a variety of people. A greater part of Dominican Republic is owned by Haiti, meaning that part of the island is owned by another country other than DR. This sharing of land, greatly contributes to the turmoil between the two cultures. Although the country was inhabited by European settlers, the Dominican people declared their independence in 1821. During the 20th century, was sprinkled by a variety of dictatorships under Horacio Vasquez Lajara, Rafael Leonidas. Trujillo Molina, Joaquin Balaguer. Now under a representative democracy, the country is governed under Danilo Medina.

Most-read and viewed outlets in Dominican Republic are these:

• Listin DIario
• Diario Libre
• Remolacha.net
• El Caribe
• Holy Digital
• El Nacional
• El DIa
• Acento
• livio.com

One of the most prevalent current events being a talked about in the Dominican Republic is the racial turmoil between DR and Haiti, and the border war that has begun to brew on the island. Due to new laws that striped many Hatian and Dominicans of their citizenship and the rewriting the Dominican Republic Constitution in 2010. Those of whom were undocumented immigrants had to register with the government. Although many have waited for the mass deportation, that we have watched happened here, it never truly came to pass. However, the fear of the possibility of losing their home forced many to leave on their own while, according to CNN, less than a third of the estimated 210,000 left state successfully reclaimed their citizenship.

The controversy of the laws have contributed to the already mounting racial tensions on the island between Haitians and Dominicans. According to the 2012 World Population Prospects, less than 32 percent is under the age of 15, while over 60 percent is between the age of 15 to 65, with less than 10 percent over the age of 65.

There a few popular neighborhoods in the Dominican Republic. Luperon, which is the north coast of the is a natural harbor. Santo Domingo occupies the south coast of the island, and is the largest city in the Caribbean. The island holds most of the government offices with a dependable Taxi system in place. Sousa, is one of the smaller cities on the north coast with a shady legacy. High numbers in prostitution, and a risque nightlife makes this more of a partying location. Casa de Campo is one of the most expensive cities on the island. This city can be found of the southeast coast, it’s one of the most frequented resort in the Caribbean.

The popular neighborhoods here in America span from every borough, with heavy representation in Queens and the Bronx. Corona, Queens holds a large Dominican population, while Washington Heights (Spanish Harlem), and a large part of the South Bronx are seen as predominantly Spanish. Like much of New York, these areas are beginning to become gentrified, causing them to lose their essence and their heritage.

Contacts:

Vanessa Santana

[email protected]

Edwin Morel

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