Romeo Massey’s Observations on Peace Corps
At the 45th Anniversary Luncheon
February 9, 2007
45 years; a lot has happened during the past four and one-half decades! Along with their Dominican neighbors, Peace Corps Volunteers have lived through civil strife. Together with their Dominican friends and families, they have endured and helped in the recovery from three great hurricanes, floods, and forest fires. As Dominican families suffered through financial crisis, our Volunteers also felt the daily impact. Over the decades Volunteers witnessed the birth and maturity of Dominican Democracy. Peace Corps Volunteers have worked with thousands of Dominicans to adapt to the change from an agricultural to a market-based society. They have been amazed by the rapidity of change, growth, and modernization of the nation and have seen their poor communities remain marginalized.
And all during that time, our Dominican friends have asked the Volunteers “Why did you leave your country, your family and friends, and all of the comforts of life, to come here?” The Volunteers often smile and say, “Because I wanted to live here with you.” They don’t reveal the deeper meaning that Peace Corps Service has for them as Americans.
The central value that brings our Volunteers here, decade after decade, is optimism. It is the belief that each of us can contribute to making a better world. We believe that every American and every Dominican should be free from hunger, free from disease, free from ignorance, and free to make a better life through their own efforts. The core values of our Volunteers are optimism, opportunity, and freedom. It is the Promise of America.
I believe that the Peace Corps is a reflection of these core values. Unlike the television programs, movies, and popular music that are seen and heard everywhere, Peace Corps Volunteers reflect who the American people really are. The Peace Corps is America.
Peace Corps is the face of America. We are:
African Americans
Asian American
European Americans
Hispanic Americans
Native Americans
Pacific Island Americans
From families that speak a hundred different languages
. … Because Peace Corps is America
Our Volunteers are:
As old as 79 and as young as 19;
Short, tall, fat, skinny, blond hair, dark hair, no hair
Volunteers have come in wheel chairs, some were blind, some deaf;
We are single, married, with and without children, some with
different sexual preferences;
Volunteers range from smart, to very smart, to super smart;
They are Buddhists, Christians, Jews, and Muslims;
From come from every state and territory in the US;
Volunteers are from poor, middle class, and wealthy families;
They arrive with university degrees, from bachelors to doctorates,
And come with great practical experience or fresh out of university.
All Volunteers come with the goals of living, working, and learning
with the Dominican people;
And Volunteers brings a special optimism and enthusiasm with them
…. Because Peace Corps is America
We have shared our diversity living as members of Dominican communities and have found that our common humanity overwhelms superficial differences. More than 100,000 Dominicans have shared our optimism and have worked closely with 4,500 Volunteers. Together we have done much to develop Dominican communities. We have accomplished this in Peace and Friendship, with respect for each other, and hope for a better future. For forty-five years the Peace Corps in the Dominican Republic has reflected the true America and its core values…. Because the Peace Corps is America.