Facts about dominicans in USA..

Dominicans were part of one of the largest migratory booms of the late 20th century. This migratory boom is made evident not just by the presence of Dominicans as an ethnic group, but from the Hispanic/Latino community in general.

An estimated 1.5 million Hispanics of Dominican origin resided in the United States in 2010, according to the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey. Dominicans in this statistical profile are people who self-identified as Hispanics of Dominican origin; this means either they themselves are Dominican immigrants or they trace their family ancestry to the Dominican Republic.

Let me tell you some facts:

•  Immigration status. Nearly six-in-ten Dominicans (57%) in the United States are foreign born compared with 37% of Hispanics and 13% of the U.S. population overall. Most immigrants from the Dominican Republic (63%) arrived in the U.S. in 1990 or later.
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•  Educational attainment. Dominicans have higher levels of education than the Hispanic population overall. Some 15% of Dominicans ages 25 and older—compared with 13% of all U.S. Hispanics—have obtained at least a bachelor’s degree.

•  Language. A majority (55%) of Dominicans speak English proficiently.³ The other 45% of Dominicans ages 5 and older report speaking English less than very well, compared with 35% of all Hispanics.

•  Regional dispersion. Eight-in-ten Dominicans (79%) live in the Northeast, and nearly half (48%) live in New York.

 In considering those who are of Dominican ancestry this figure would almost certainly be much higher. And of all registered ethnic groups from Latin America, Dominicans make up the third largest group, after Mexicans and Cubans.


What characterizes Dominicans as an ethnic group in the United States is that they, unlike other groups that have come to the US, haven’t assimilated in the same way. Remittances from Dominicans in the US amount to an estimated 2 billion dollars a year, second only to Salvadoran remittances, which indicates a strong connection to the land of origin. Dominicans in the US also carve out particular enclaves within American cities, and tend to segregate themselves from other Hispanic and non-Hispanic groups. This is made evident by communities such as New York’s Washington Heights, which has the largest per capita concentration of Dominicans in the US

Spanish is the language of choice for most Dominicans, and another aspect that is characteristic of Dominicans is that they, unlike many other ethnic groups, refer to themselves as Dominicans, and not Dominican-Americans. Cubans, whether born in the US or not, call themselves Cuban-Americans, Puerto Ricans are referred to as Puerto Rican-Americans (or Nuyoricans in some cases), and Mexicans born in the United States are referred to as Chican@, all reflecting a joint level of pride for both heritages, but Dominicans have yet to embrace this as part of their identity.

They are ultimately very nationalistic, and the resounding idea among many Dominicans is that they are only in the US for limited periods of time in order to make money. Dominicans are inherently tied to their roots, and hold an overwhelming level of pride towards their culture and customs, which they aren’t willing to give up easily.

The situation for Dominicans in the United States is changing. With the growth of a more educated and skilled second generation, and an emphasis from within the Dominican community to integrate, it is only a matter of time before Dominicans become a more prominent part of American society, leaving behind the tainted image they have; though this won’t be easy. In the process, the Dominican community must come to terms with the creation of a bi-cultural generation of youth that is unable to find its own voice, while at the same time providing disenfranchised young people with the assurance that they are accepted members of both the Dominican and American communities.

Alongside the cultural struggles that face the future progress of the Dominican community is the advancement towards economic prosperity that can only further consolidate stability for this ethnic group

The first immigrant in NY was dominican !

Juan Rodriguez , first foreigner ( and dominican! ) in NYC, 1613

At the renaming of Broadway into Juan Rodriguez Way. The first nyc immigrant from 1625 who was a black, free dominican man.


About three miles of northern Manhattan today honor a man who, until recently, was unknown to most of the people who live there.

Juan Rodriguez Way will be the name of Broadway from 159th to 218th Streets, after an early settler from Santo Domingo who reportedly arrived in New York in 1613. Rodriguez is believed to be the city’s first Dominican immigrant, as well as its first free black settler, its first Latino and its first non-Native American merchant.

“It completely re-conceptualizes the Dominican presence in NYC,” said Led Black, a local Dominican-American writer and editor of the Uptown Collective. “I think many Dominicans feel that even though we have been a part of this city for quite some time now, we have been left out of the city’s narrative and that is starting to change finally.”

Though many uptown residents are now learning about Rodriguez through efforts by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute, which uncovered his story, Rodriguez’s existence had been completely unknown by the uptown community, with its high Dominican population.

Anthony Stevens, an assistant director at the Dominican Studies Institute, worked to unravel Rodriguez’s history and pushed for the Broadway co-naming. From what Stevens and other researchers have gathered so far, Rodriguez appears to have landed somewhere in the Hudson Bay area while on board a Dutch expedition ship.

“He’s sort of the first immigrant,” Stevens said. “Not just the first settler, because he came from afar — another culture, another place.”

Black noted the renewed sense of pride Rodriguez’ history offered Dominicans.

“People are generally happy to find out our history predates the last 50 years,” he said. “Most had no idea but once they knew, they were pretty proud of it.”

Many locals, though unfamiliar with Rodriguez, found the history interesting. Mary Kate Burke, a teacher born and raised in Inwood, was fascinated by the news.

“That is really amazing,” she said. “The thing about this area is, you always associate Dominican culture with the influx of immigrants in the ‘60s or ‘70s, not the 1600s.”

Emmanuel Abreu, lifetime local of Washington Heights, was one community member familiar with Juan Rodriguez and the upcoming street co-naming.

“I think it’s important to everyone, especially Dominicans in Washington Heights,” Abreu said. “Or at least it should be.”


An archival document about Juan Rodriguez from the Archives of the City of Amsterdam. (Reproduction by the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute)

El primero de nosotros en estas tierras! Seguimos sigiendole sus pasos!
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