The National Dominican Day Parade in

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is a parade organized by people of Dominican heritage in the city. The event started in 1982 as a local celebration with concerts and cultural events in the Washington Heights section of

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. Organized by Dominican American community leaders, the parade is held annually in August on 6th Avenue. Similar parades to celebrate the culture of

Dominican Republic The Dominican Republic is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles of the Caribbean Sea in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean. It shares a Maritime boundary, maritime border with Puerto Rico to the east and ...

are also held every year in Haverstraw, New York,

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, and along the Grand Concourse in

the Bronx The Bronx ( ) is the northernmost of the five Boroughs of New York City, boroughs of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It shares a land border with Westchester County, New York, West ...

. In 2020, there was a Virtual Dominican Parade due to COVID restrictions.

Parade and Related Events

The parade is held on 6th Avenue in

. Marching proceeds from south to north, beginning on 38th Street. There are a series of events leading to the National Dominican Day Parade. Borough Presidents Heritage Events * Bronx Dominican Heritage Celebration * Queens Dominican Heritage Celebration * Brooklyn Dominican Heritage Celebration * Manhattan Dominican Heritage Celebration A gala is held on the second Friday in August before Sunday's parade. Visit
https:NatDDP.org
for information. A scholarship awards banquet takes place in the fall.

Mission

The newly formed Dominican Day Parade, Inc. is a nonprofit 501 (c) 3, non-partisan organization in formation that organizes the annual parade and festivities. The organization strives to provide an understanding of the heritage and contributions of the Dominican community in America and throughout the world. The mission of the Dominican Day Parade, Inc. is to celebrate the richness of the Dominican culture, folklore and popular traditions.

Themes

The parade’s theme for 2015 is ''Education and Economic Empowerment''. The organization recognizes the lack of resources for youth that seek a formal education. For that reason, Dominican Day Parade, Inc. has set a goal of creating a $250,000 Scholarship Fund. The fund, the first of its kind in the recent history of the parade, will help pay for education that will, in turn, economically empower young Dominicans throughout the United States. 2020: Virtual Parade 2021: Moving Forward. 2022: Empowering the Dominican Legacy 2023: Our History, Our People.

Board of directors

Over the past several years, the leadership of the Dominican Day Parade had been under scrutiny because the non-profit organization at its helm was not being run according to New York State law. Under the direction of

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

Eric T. Schneiderman and Mayor Bill de Blasio, along with other elected officials and community leaders, in 2015, an entirely new entity and

Board of Directors A board of directors is a governing body that supervises the activities of a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government agency. The powers, duties, and responsibilities of a board of directors are determined by government regulatio ...

were created for what is now called the Dominican Day Parade, Inc. The new members of the board include many distinguished people from the Dominican-American community, representing a variety of industries and backgrounds. EXECUTIVE TEAM * Cristina Contreras: ''Chair, Board of Directors'' * Wilton Cedeno: ''Immediate Past Chair, Special Advisor'' * Dorian Rojas: ''Chair, Development Committee'' * José Ramón Martínez: ''1st Vice President. Co-Chair, Scholarship Committee'' * Leonardo Iván Dominguez: ''2nd Vice President. Co-Chair, Culture, Arts & Education Committee'' * Manny Saez: ''Treasurer'' BOARD OF DIRECTORS * María T. Osorio: ''Secretary'' * Bernardo “Bernie” Rodriguez: ''Chair, Volunteer Committee'' * Ysmael DeCastro: ''Chair, Audit Committee'' * Alexander Nunez-Torres: ''Co-Chair, Scholarship Committee'' * María M. Khury: ''Board Member'' * Gregoria Feliciano: Board Member * María Lizardo: ''Board Member''

Date of Parade

The Dominican Day Parade is celebrated on the second Sunday of August to honor the start of the war for the “Second Independence” ( La Guerra de la Restauracion). Under the leadership of General Gregorio Luperon, the war was ultimately won from Spain. In 1844, the

secured its independence from

Haiti Haiti, officially the Republic of Haiti, is a country on the island of Hispaniola in the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and south of the Bahamas. It occupies the western three-eighths of the island, which it shares with the Dominican ...

and became a sovereign state until 1861. Under the leadership of General Pedro Santana, segments of the Dominican population sought to annex the Republic back to

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

and did so during March 18, 1861. On August 16, 1863, the start of the war for the Restoration of the Dominican Republic was under the command of General Luperon. The Dominican Republic originally declared its independence from Spain on December 1, 1821. Ultimately, the

was re-established, free from

, on March 3, 1865.

Gallery

References

{{Reflist Caribbean-American culture in New York City Dominican-American culture in New York (state) Festivals in New York City Parades in New York City Cultural festivals in the United States 1982 establishments in New York City Latin American festivals Hispanic and Latino American culture in New York City Culture of the Dominican Republic