Sunday, October 25, 2015

Stand with Junot Díaz on Human Rights in the Dominican Republic

Librarians, now is the time to make sure the work of Junot Diaz is on our shelves for our users to read:
 

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A Dominican diplomat has accused Pulitzer-prize winning author Junot Díaz of being "anti-Dominican" for his outspoken remarks against the government's actions surrounding Haitian immigrants and Dominicans of Haitian descent. He also revoked an Order of Merit awarded several years ago to the author.

Image: Activists Call On Congress To Act Against Dominican Republic's Treatment Of Haitian Descendants

Award winning writers Junot Diaz (L) and writer Edwidge Danticat (R) talk after meeting with members of Congress on Capitol Hill, October 21, 2015 in Washington, DC. The renowned writers called on Congress and congressional staff to push the U.S. government into applying pressure to end this human rights crisis in the Dominican Republic that is wreaking havoc on hundreds of thousands lives. Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Junot Díaz,has written powerfully about the social context and inequities of life in the Caribbean that leads to violations of human rights.

“We need the revelations that come from our apocalypses—and never so much as we do now. Without this knowledge how can we ever hope to take responsibility for the social practices that bring on our disasters?” -- Junot Díaz, “Apocalypse: What Disasters Reveal.” (Boston Review 2011) --\
as quoted in:

ACURIL 2011: The Role of Libraries and Archives in Disaster Preparedness, Response and Research