In MEMORY of the Haitian victims of the 1937 Massacre.

October 2, 2026

89 YEARS LATER, THEIR MEMORY REMAINS

In October 1937, during the dictatorship of Rafael Leónidas Trujillo, one of the darkest chapters in the shared history of Haiti and the Dominican Republic unfolded: the persecution and massacre of Haitians and people of Haitian descent living in Dominican territory.

The tragedy became known as the Parsley Massacre.

Haitian men, women, and children were hunted, detained, and killed during a campaign of violence carried out under the Dominican government of Rafael Trujillo. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum documents the massacre of Black Haitians by Trujillo's government in 1937.

A MASSACRE CARRIED OUT UNDER THE TRUJILLO REGIME

This was not simply a conflict between ordinary Haitian and Dominican citizens.

The killings took place under the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo, and historical documentation identifies the Dominican government of that period as responsible for the massacre.

The name “Parsley Massacre” is associated with historical accounts that some victims were reportedly forced to pronounce the Spanish word perejil (“parsley”) in an attempt to identify Haitians or people who spoke Spanish with a Haitian accent.

The exact number of victims remains a matter of historical debate. Different estimates have been given over the decades, and therefore the victims should be remembered without presenting one disputed figure as an established fact.

WE MUST NOT FORGET

Remembering the 1937 massacre does not mean blaming every Dominican person for crimes committed under a dictatorship.

It means recognizing what happened: the government of Rafael Trujillo persecuted and massacred thousands of Haitians and people of Haitian descent.

Their lives mattered.

Their families mattered.

Their stories mattered.

And their deaths must not disappear from history.

IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO COULD NOT TELL THEIR STORIES

Today, we remember the Haitian women, men, and children who lost their lives during the 1937 massacre.

We remember the families that were torn apart.

We remember the survivors who carried the pain of that tragedy for generations.

And we remember the victims whose names may never be known.

May their lives never be forgotten.

May their history continue to be told.

May their memory remain alive.

And may the history of 1937 remind us that no human being should ever be persecuted or killed because of their nationality, language, ancestry, or skin color.

IN MEMORY OF THE HAITIAN VICTIMS OF 1937.

By: Cherlie Joseph

Echo de Noticias Mundiales