Contact: Colleen Roche/Brenda Pérez 212-788-2958
Mayor Rudolph W. Giuliani today proclaimed January 26th through February 27th as Dominican Heritage Month in commemoration of the 154th anniversary of the Dominican Republic's Independence. Throughout this period, the Dominican community has sponsored a series of concerts, conferences, exhibits, lectures and other events to celebrate its history and culture.
Joining the Mayor were Deputy Mayor for Community Development and Business Services Rudy Washington, Deputy Mayor for Education and Human Services Ninfa Segarra, Deputy Commissioner for Community Relations at the New York City Human Rights Commission Sara E. Vidal, Consul General of the Dominican Republic Bienvenido P‚rez, and other distinguished members of the Dominican community.
"New Yorkers share a love of freedom and independence with the Dominican Republic," said Mayor Giuliani. "New York was the first Capital of the United States under the American Constitution, the place where the Bill of Rights was formerly submitted the States for ratification. Perhaps it is the shared beginning of revolutionary independence that has attracted Dominicans to settle in our City in record numbers.
"In fact, the Dominican Republic is currently the largest source of legal immigrants to New York City. From 1990 to 1994, the Dominican Republic accounted for one of every five new immigrants to New York City -- more than 110,000 people in the first half of the decade. In fact, largely due to Dominican immigration, New York City's population has risen while other large cities have grown smaller. Our City was built by immigrants, and Dominicans have successfully shared our values of family, faith and hard work. Their growth and prosperity in all areas of our society have helped revive and rejuvenate neighborhoods throughout the City."
The campaign for the independence of the Dominican Republic began in 1831 under the leadership of Juan Pablo Duarte, who formed a secret society named The Trinity. Thirteen years later, he succeeded in commanding a decisive uprising which resulted in independence for the Dominican Republic. After the long and hard campaign for freedom had ended, a ceremonial musket shot fired on February 27, 1844 marked the Dominican Republic's first official Independence Day.