Remarks by Kerry Kennedy at the 2006 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award Ceremony (Nov. 17th, 2006)

Today we honor a woman who brought to light and fought against the ghastly conditions that Dominicans of Haitian descent live in and the violation of human rights that they face every single day.

Many refer to this situation as the “Haiti problem” in the Dominican Republic, but this is not a Haitian problem; this is a Dominican problem because Dominicans of Haitian descent are just that, Dominicans.

From the moment of birth the problems begin. It’s said that bureaucracy is the art of making the possible impossible. Dominicans of Haitian descent are virtually denied birth certificates to establish their legal identity. Deprived of birth certificates they are then denied school, access to healthcare, the franchise, a passport, and the right to work. Those few who do obtain the coveted certificate can expect to have it confiscated and arbitrarily declared null and void by government agents. Without papers, hapless victims are often turned over to police and military officials. Without proper identification, a Dominican citizen, based on nothing more than the color of her skin, might then face one of the massive expulsions to Haiti where she has no ties, no family, and does not speak the language

The military has performed barbaric acts during those sweeps including raping women and children, separating families, and stealing the little property owned by those being expelled.

During the massive expulsion of May 2005, a woman who had gone through a cesarean section operation was removed from her hospital bed by military officials, put in a truck with her newborn baby and 70 others rounded up to be sent to Haiti. Arriving at the boarder, the baby died, and the mother’s open wound was infected.

The Dominican immigration service reports that between January and April 2006 15,000 people have been expelled.

These are just a few challenges Sonia Pierre faces every day.

When Sonia said this award belongs to my attackers, I could not hope but be reminded of a scene in Doha, Qatar where we opened Speak Truth to Power last week.

One evening, the discussion turned to U.S. policy in Iraq. I argued that, in the face of the September 11th attacks, we have a choice. We can follow leaders who appeal to our fear and our desire for vengeance, who call us to meet violence with violence. Or we can turn to people like Sonia Pierre and the RFK Human Rights Laureates, who have faced overwhelming state-sponsored terror, torture, death and reacted with dignity and moral courage.

When someone said that approach is unrealistic, especially in countries that are poor and have been ripped by war, Kofi Woods, from Liberia, spoke about his own experience.

Under the tyrant Charles Taylor, he had been imprisoned and tortured by the Minister of Justice and three thugs. When Taylor was exiled and a democratically elected government took charge, these four men found themselves in the very cell where Kofi had been left to rot. He visited them in prison and asked if they had been tortured. They answered, “Not yet.” After Kofi assured them they would not be mistreated, the former Justice Minister lamented that he had squandered the opportunity to reform the prison system and was now left to reap the horror he had sowed. When they were prosecuted for crimes against humanity, no lawyer in the country was willing to defend them at trial. Kofi Woods took their case. Why? “Because”, he said, “we are creating a system of justice, not just for some but a system of justice for everyone.”

That moral courage, that capacity to sacrifice ones own self interest in order to serve one’s country is rare. But to those who suffer profoundly, God grants profound wisdom.

So remember that just as Sonia Pierre’s struggle cannot be dismissed as “the Haitian problem” neither should the wisdom she has to impart to everyone of us garnered through profound sacrifice be dismissed. There is much to learn in the example set by Sonia, Kofi and all these champions of justice who choose non-violence over rage, who seek justice for everyone and who speak truth to power.

Robert Kennedy said, “Moral courage is a rarer commodity than bravery in battle or great intelligence. Yet it is the one vital quality for those who seek to change a world that yields most painfully to change. And those with the courage to enter the moral conflict will find themselves with companions in every corner of the globe.”

Sonia, look around this room. Never—ever—feel alone. We are all companions in the struggle for justice. Thank you.