By Dianna Eugene

At school and church in our neighborhood and throughout the community, we frequently hear "Your Haitian plaits!" "Your Haitian colours!"

"You immigrant!" "Your Haitian self!" "Plantain!" Hostile and degrading words and phrases such as these are encountered daily by children of Haitian descent We constantly battle with the prejudiced attitude of some Bahamians. This ignorant and selfish behaviour of many Bahamians is becoming more prevalent everyday. Children of Haitian parents are treated as outcasts in the Bahamas. These children are discriminated against and ridiculed by the educational system, the government policies and sadly, by Haitians themselves.

In The Bahamas, it is mandatory that all children receive an education. However, the educational system often discriminates against Haitian children. The ill-treatment we receive from some of the teachers and students is heartbreaking. I was a victim of name calling while attending my former primary school. The long and distressing years I spent at that institution was one of the worst chapters of my life. The most painful years for me was when I entered the fifth grade. It was during this period that I felt different from my classmates. Occasionally some of the teachers made derogatory comments about our surname. Although some of our classmates made sarcastic remarks to us, it became more painful when some of the teachers portrayed the same attitude. In this case, the teachers are to blame for making us feel insecure and unworthy in the schools. Rather than instilling unity and equality among students, they encourage alienation.

Upon entering senior high, the name-calling was not as prevalent as it was in primary school. Nevertheless, the treatment we received from faculty and our peers was unjust. Throughout high school, we observed that whenever a Haitian student excelled above the other students, there was always tension and discomfort among the majority of teachers and students. It was also known that students who were not Bahamians were unable to gain any leadership positions such as head boy or head girl - Even though these children were ambitious, they knew that they could never officially be "at the top". However, it did not prevent them from aiming for the best. This illustrates or confirms that the educational system does not demonstrate fairness for all. A person's race, heritage or background should not determine what they could accomplish in life.

Because society is advancing, and post-secondary education is almost mandatory, Haitian students wish to attend The College of the Bahamas to further their education. Attending COB is a financial burden for children born of Haitian parentage can clearly recall the first time I saw my bill which amounted to $2.710 - the cost of 12 credits. At that moment, I felt as if my entire world had collapsed before me. Because of the high cost, I was unable to attend school that semester. Based on the new policy of the COB we now have to pay the international fee, which is twice as much as Bahamian students pay. Because the educational system fails to recognise us as Bahamians, some of us have to work extremely hard in order to receive a quality education in The Bahamas, Consequently, many Haitian children are not enrolled at the COB I thank God for blessing me with a job. For this reason, I am able to attend COB.

Another form of discrimination Haitian children are faced with in The Bahamas is the government policies concerning our citizenship. According to the policies of the government, we are unable to apply for citizenship until we are 18 The purpose of this is for us to decide whether we wish to take the nationality of our parents or our birth country. For this process to commence, we have to prepare documents such as birth certificates and affidavits, which must be processed by The Department of Immigration. Months after the application has been processed, there is an interview with an immigration officer to determine whether or not the applicant is eligible for citizenship. This entire process is a thief of time and extremely tedious. It is ironic for a person to be born in a country, yet treated like a foreigner in his or her homeland. Oftentimes, the immigration officers abuse the system and claim that it's the law.

I am baffled by the tribulations we have to undergo in order to obtain passports. When we question such matters, the authorities lay the blame on the constitution. The constitution! Even though the process takes place at The Department of Immigration, government determines the final answer pertaining to our applications. Obviously, our rights are not important to the government. Based on their attitude and how they prolong the process, I am detecting that the significance of our status is not an issue that needs attention. They do not care whether or not we put our lives on hold waiting for the day we obtain our passports. They do not care about the embarrassment we encounter when we travel with a travel document", which we sometimes call a "newspaper." More importantly, they do not care whether or not we earn political and social rights.

Ironically, Haitians themselves ridicule and degrade each other. I find this to be strange and yet disappointing. Sadly, we also have to deal with the stupidity of some Haitians. Children born of Haitian parentage regularly make demeaning remarks toward each other because of the way they sometimes style their hair, dress and speak. There are many children who were born in the Bahamas and raised in Haiti. When these children return to their birth country, it is sometimes difficult to adapt to the environment, where primarily the English language is spoken. Instead of assisting them to improve their speech and communication skills, we often mock them. Whether it is done in a humour or in a serious way, the point is, it shouldn't be happening. In addition, when Haitians speak Kreole in public it is sometimes a huge discomfort. Some Haitian children view this as an embarrassment. Unfortunately, we fail to realise that when we try to make each other feel inferior we are sending out the wrong message. How is it we get upset and offended when Bahamians degrade us, when we are doing the same toward each other? How can we overcome the hardship in our daily lives if we are also the source of it? It is wrong for us to allow each other to endure more heartache than we have to. If we learn to support and accept each other, the dilemma we are challenged with in the Bahamas may not be as stressful.

In order for Haitian children to be more comfortable in The Bahamas, Bahamians must be aware of the economic situation that exists in Haiti. It is important that Bahamians become knowledgeable about the lifestyle of Haitians in their homeland to better comprehend the problem of illegal immigrants in the Bahamas. The economy of Haiti is extremely weak and poverty is escalating. As a result of this issue, many Haitians are migrating to The Bahamas for a better way of life. Children born of Haitian descendants should not be penalised and receive unjust treatment because of the influx of illegal immigrants in the Bahamas. This is our birth country. If we are treated as aliens in our homeland where else can we be accepted? If the constitution of the Bahamas continues to treat us as illegal immigrants, children born to Haitian patents will never know what it feels like to be citizens of a country.

Posted: Thursday February 5, 2004