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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 24, 2002
PR-198-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG HOSTS DOMINICAN CULTURAL HERITAGE RECEPTION AT GRACIE MANSION


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today hosted a reception at Gracie Mansion to honor New York City's Dominican community and its cultural heritage. The event falls in the middle of the three Dominican Parades that take place in the City during the summer months each year. Among those attending the reception were NYC Department of Youth and Community Development Commissioner Jeanne Mullgrav, Consul General of Dominican Republic Luis Eludis Perez and Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat (Manhattan, 72nd District). On Friday, the Mayor will travel to the Dominican Republic as a symbolic gesture to pay respect to the late President Joaquin Balaguer and to visit various communities.

"This celebration is a tribute to the culture and vitality of the Dominican community that has helped to make this City great," said Mayor Bloomberg. "From Washington Heights in Manhattan to Corona in Queens, Dominicans have not only flourished here but added a vibrancy to our collective sense of what it means to be a 'New Yorker.' The Dominican community is known for being a traditional group, fiercely loyal to family, community and their heritage but they are also fiercely loyal to what it means to be an American. It is not uncommon to drive down the street and see the Dominican flag flying proudly alongside the stars and stripes from balconies, apartment windows, and storefronts. With more than 500,000 Dominicans living in the metropolitan area, our ties to the Dominican Republic are strong, and I hope my trip serves to further strengthen the deep and mutually enriching bonds between New York City and 'La Republica Dominicana'."

On August 11th, the Mayor will march in New York City's largest Dominican parade in Manhattan, which will celebrate the anniversary of The Restoration of the Dominican Constitution on August 16, 1863, when a group of patriots led by Santiago Rodriguez crossed the Dominican border from Haiti and raised the Dominican flag. The other two Dominican parades were held in the Bronx and in Brooklyn earlier in July. The reception included music by "king" of the merengue sound Oro Solido, children performing traditional folk dancing, and was attended by elected officials and representatives of the Dominican community.

As part of his trip to the Dominican Republic, the Mayor will visit Arturo Grullon Children's Hospital in Santiago and receive the Key to the City from the Mayor of Santiago Dr. Hector Grullon Moronta and Mayor-elect Jose Enrique Sued. The Mayor will also visit the Municipal Stadium de La Vega to distribute baseball equipment donated by the New York Mets to children's baseball leagues in the community and in the evening, attend a private dinner with Dominican Republic President Hipolito Mejia and United States Ambassador Hans H. Hertell at the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo.

 

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Contact: Edward Skyler / Lark-Marie Antón
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