Dominican American National Roudtable (DANR)

DANR l 10TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL CONFERENCE© 2007 by DANR — All Rights Reserved.

Content

I. DANRWho we are? 4

Mission 4

National Board of Directors 5

Former Board Members 5

History 6

Guiding Principles 8

Former Presidents 10

II. Vision & LeadershipVictor Capellan 12

Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo 13

Alejandra Castillo 14

Adriano Espaillat 16

Ana Garcia-Reyes 16

Rhadames Peguero 18

Ramona Romero 19

Cid Wilson 20

José Bello 21

Bernardo Vega 22

Muriel Alfonseca 23

Zenaida Mendez 24

Frank Rainieri 25

Graphic History 1997-2007 26

III. DANR in ActionAdvocacy efforts/call for action 29

DANR Retreats (FL/NY)

IV. Special EventsDominican identity and Migrations

to Hispaniola 36

The White House - DR Independence Day 36

DANR 5th Annual Legislative Day 37

Legislative Priorities 38

DANR at the 7th New Jersey Conferenceon Dominican Affairs 41

DANR Youth Planning Meeting 42

DANR Noel Tropical Storm Relief Efforts 42

National Youth Conference 42

DANR/DR–Cafta Breakfast 43

DANR Membership Drive 43

DANR Desayuno de Confraternización 43

DANR in DR HAINA / USHCC 43

DANR Youth Conference Brown Students 43

DANR 2nd Annual Dominican Making Waves Cruise 43

V. DANR Strategic National PartnersNCLR – Capital Awards 46

Latino Leader Network Lunch 46

NCLR Annual Conference 46

USHCC visit to DR 47

Congressional Black Hispanic Caucus Gala 47

Hispanic Heritage Month at the White House 48

Coors Lideres Training Initiative 49

Puerto Rican Legal and Education Fund (PRLDEF) 49

VI. DANR Awards and RecognitionsJohnny Ventura 52

Rosita Romero 52

Francesca Peña 53

Amaris Guzman 53

Hugo Morales 53

Alianza Dominicana 54

Rhadames Peguero 54

Hon. Charles Rangel 55

Women’s Month 56

VII. Sponsors and Supporters 57

President: Victor Capellan

Directed and Edited by: Muriel Alfonseca l Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo

Production Team: Rajzea Gabriela Brito l Alejandra Castillo l Cid Wilson l Meisu MarcanoVictor Capellan l Aileen Feliberty l Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo l Muriel Alfonseca

Pictures Editor: Meisu Marcano

Photographers: Jovanna Garcia l Luis Guzman l Everin Perez l Julissa Ferreras l Maria T. Feliciano l Nestor MontillaMargarita Cepeda-Leonardo l Cid Wilson l Muriel Alfonseca l Alejandra Castillo l Saily Cabral l Meisu Marcano

Design & Printing: Martha Jaramillo l Graphikmar Inc. l 305.887.3473

DANR 2007 Memoirs l November 2006 l September 2007

THE PATH TO PROSPERITY l St rong Leadersh ip . . . St ronger Communit ies ! 1

Dear Conference Participants,

Happy 10th Anniversary! We all deserve to be congratulated on thishappy occasion as we commemorate the founding of the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable. This celebration is a wonderful oppor-tunity to evaluate our work over the years. We are here to mark thisincredible milestone and commemorate the work of so many individ-uals. This is also the time to look ahead and envision where we aregoing and to make decisions about how to reach new heights asDominican Americans.

The dream of a national organization that could organize Dominicansacross the country, serves as an advocate for the needs of Dominicansand add a Dominican voice to the national debate – was once a dreambut it now a reality! As Dominican Americans we are a relatively youngimmigrant group, but on a daily basis our contributions and achieve-ments bring us to the top echelons of every aspect of American life.This celebration is a demonstration of our combined efforts, a power-ful testament of our potential, and an exhibition of our leadership. Ourunity is what keeps us growing strong.

The Path to Prosperity: Strong Leadership – Stronger Communities, itis our not only the title of this 10th conference, is a pledge for action,and a plan to move forward. Building leadership is one of the bestways that we Dominicans can contribute to the development of thelarger American society. Whether it is in the business board room, inclassrooms across the country, in the political arena, or any other fieldor setting, Dominican leaders are moving forward the agenda of pros-perity for the advancement of our community. Over the next ten years,the Dominican American National Roundtable will serve as a catalystfor action that will help transform America and lead our neighbor-hoods and our community specifically into prosperity.

As President of this organization, I am grateful to our board membersfor their guidance, to our members for their trust, and to our sponsorsfor their commitment. We look forward to seeing you in another tenyears to see how far we have advanced.

Congratulations to our very deserving award winners and thank you toeach all of you for coming to Miami to join us in this wonderful occa-sion as DANR celebrates its 10th Anniversary.

¡Felicidades, Dominicanos!

Victor F. CapellánPresident Dominican American National RoundtableNovember 30th, 2007

A message from DANR President

DANR l 10TH ANNIVERSARY NATIONAL CONFERENCE2

Message from DANR Conference Chairman

I would like to welcome you to Miami, Florida for a conference that hasbeen ten years in the making . . . the Dominican American NationalRoundtable 10th Anniversary National Conference. Please join me inthanking the numerous volunteers and supporters that helped tomake this important annual gathering a reality. This year’s conferenceis very symbolic for the DANR. It was ten years ago this month that wehad our first DANR National Conference when Dominican leaderscame together in Miami, Florida with the idea of forming a nationalorganization that could be a voice for Dominicans all around theUnited States. Today, the DANR is a reality and we thank thosefounders that helped to get the organization off the ground.

What is so unique about the DANR National Conference is that it’s theONLY national gathering of Dominican Americans in the United States.It is the one time of the year when the community comes togetherunder one roof to exchange best practices regionally and to learn fromleaders who are setting higher standards of excellence in their field.Regardless of your career or your specialty, your political affiliation, orwhat part of the country you come from, the DANR NationalConference has something for you.

We would like to thank our title sponsor Freddie Mac for its leadershipand support in making this conference possible for us. We would alsolike to thank all of our other sponsors as well as chair commitment tothe DANR Conference. Most importantly, we want to thank YOU, theconference participant for your presence at our national gathering. It’syour support and your voice that has allowed the DANR to grow intoa nationally prominent organization.

Have a great conference weekend and thank you for your support ofthe Dominican American National Roundtable and our national mis-sion of community empowerment.

Warm regards,

Cid Wilson2007 DANR Conference Chairman December 1, 2007

O N A L C O N F E R E N C E • T H E P A T H T O P R O S P E R I T Y • S T R O N G L E A D E R S H

S T R O N G E R C O M M U N I T I E S ! • D O M I N I C A N A M E R I C A N N A T I O N A L R O U N

T A B L E • 1 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y N A T I O N A L C O N F E R E N C E • T H E P A T H T O

R O S P E R I T Y • S T R O N G L E A D E R S H I P . . . S T R O N G E R C O M M U N I T I E S ! • D O

M I N I C A N A M E R I C A N N A T I O N A L R O U N D T A B L E • 1 0 T H A N N I V E R S A R Y N A





























DOMINICANAMERICANNATIONAL

ROUNDTABLE


The Dominican American National Roundtable is a non-parti-san Washington, D.C. based organization that advocates forthe empowerment of Dominicans in the United States andPuerto Rico. The DANR is a 501(c)(3) organization establishedin 1997. It is the first and only national organization advocatingon behalf of the over one million Dominican Americans inareas concerning education, health, economic development,immigration, and civic empowerment at the national level. TheDANR National Conference is the only conference in theUnited States that brings together Dominicans from aroundthe country under one roof for the purpose of communityempowerment.

Mission

The Dominican-American National Roundtable (DANR) is anon-partisan, non-profit corporation seeking to bring togeth-er the different voices of all people of Dominican origin in theUnited States. DANR is a national forum for analysis, planning,and action to advance the educational, economic, legal,social, cultural, and political interests of Dominican Americans.It aims to ensure for U. S. Dominicans the full exercise of therights and freedoms guaranteed in the Constitution of theUnited States of America. With those objectives in mind,DANR is committed to enriching the quality of life in theUnited States by highlighting the contributions of Dominicansto the larger American society.

Who are we?


National Board of Directors

PresidentVICTOR F. CAPELLAN (NY)

Muriel Alfonseca (MD)

Aneiry Batista (NY)

Saily Cabral (NY)

Alejandra Castillo, Esq. (DC)

Nurys De Oleo (NY)

Maria Teresa Feliciano (NJ)

Julissa Ferreras (NY)

Hon. Julio Guridy (PA)

Angelica Infante (NY)

Marianela Jordan (NY)

Ana Medina (MA)

Nestor Montilla (NY)

Rafael Nuñez-Cedeño, Ph.D. (IL)

Andres Paniagua (MA)

Cosme Perez (FL)

Pura Vazquez (PR)

Jhomphy Ventura (RI)

Cesar Vizcaino (NJ)

Lourdes Washington (MD)

Hon. Cid Wilson (NJ)

Arlene Álvarez – NJ (1999)

Roberto Álvarez – DC (1999)

Jose R. Bello – MA (1999-2001)

Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo – FL (1999)

Mariano Díaz – NY (1999)

Manuel Dotel – FL (1999)

Adriano Espaillat – NY (1999)

Epifanio Gil – MA (1999-2001)

Rafael Lantigua – NY (1999-2001)

Manuel Matos – NY (1999-2002)

Radhamés Peguero – FL (1999)

Moisés Pérez – NY (1999)

Juan Pichardo – RI (1999-2003)

Felipe Rodríguez – MD (1999-2001)

Ydanis Rodríguez – NY (1999-2001)

Ramona Romero – PA (1999-2001)

Silvio Torres-Saillant – NY (1999)

Elvis Ruiz – RI (1999-2002)

Adria Ureña – VA (1999)

Ninoska Uribe – NY (1999)

Verouschka Capellán – RI (2000-2002)

Raysa Castillo – NY (2000)

Miguel De Jesús – PR (2000-2002)

Josefina Infante – NJ (2000)

María Luna – NY (2000)

Rafael Morel – FL (2000)

Marianela Peralta – MD (2000)

Bárbara Pérez – IL (2000-2002)

Luis Salcedo – NY (2000-2002)

Consuelo Evans – NJ (2001)

Teodoro Regús – NY (2001)

Nelson Valdez – NJ (2001)

Alexandra Ventura – NY (2001)

Jose Torres – FL (2003)

Ivy Farichild –NY (2003)

Ana Garcia Reyes - NY (2000)

Ralph Carrero – MA (2002)

Melba Depena – RI (2002)

Zenaida Méndez – NY (2002)

First Vice PresidentLUIS A. GUZMAN (NJ)

Second Vice PresidentEVERIN PEREZ (RI)

Vice President of MembershipDORA MARIA ABREU (NY)

TreasurerOSCAR HERASME (NY)

Assistant TreasurerVICTOR DIAZ (CT)

SecretaryJOVANNA GARCIA (RI)

Chair of ConferenceCID WILSON

Former Board Members


1997 The concept of the Roundtable emergedin December 1997, when over 200 DominicanAmerican leaders from around the country metin Miami, FL, to discuss the educational, eco-nomic, legal, social and political status of themore than one million people of Dominican ori-gin in the United States. This historic gatheringwas organized and hosted by the DominicanAmerican National Foundation of South Floridaunder the leadership of Margarita Cepeda,President, and Radhames Peguero, ExecutiveDirector; the Office of New York StateAssemblyman Adriano Espaillat; and RhodeIsland’s Quisqueya in Action YouthOrganization. Embracing the theme “TheNational Agenda,” the conference includedworkshops and symposia addressing education,public policy, healthcare, immigration reform,community empowerment and economicdevelopment, among other topics, with atten-dees from states and cities with largeDominican populations.

1998 Following the December 1997 confer-ence a meeting was organized that broughttogether a broad spectrum of Dominican com-munity leaders at Alianza Dominicana, Inc. inNYC. The participants created a NationalInterim Steering Committee to develop the for-mal structure and initial agenda of theRoundtable. In April of 1998, the interim steer-ing committee met at the CUNY DominicanStudies Institute of the City College of NewYork to plan a path forward that included sever-al other gatherings designed to secure thegrassroots and leadership buy-in necessary toensure the Roundtable’s success and effective-ness, During a working conference held inWashington, DC, in June 1998, 47 Roundtableparticipants met with federal officials to intro-duce the Roundtable and its national agenda.

1999 In January 1999, the National InterimSteering Committee elected the Official DANRBoard of Directors, its officers, and its first pres-ident, Mr. Victor Capellan, from Rhode Island. InMay 1999, the Roundtable gathered again inRhode Island, at a public conference attendedby over 600 people. The main topic of this 2ndAnnual Conference, celebrated in May 1999,was “Toward the New Millennium - Strength-ening Organizational Development for Domi-nican Communities in the United States.” Inaddition to numerous educational symposia,the Rhode Island conference formally gaveattendees the opportunity to provide input tothe national steering committee concerning thestructure, future activities, and vision of theRoundtable.

2000 In February 2000, the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable was incorporat-ed in Washington, D.C. and obtaining theFederal Exempt Status. The DANR Board elect-ed its second president, Hon. Adriano Espaillat,from New York. The DANR arrived at a level oforganizational development, which includedsuccessfully organizing the first Roundtableevent in NYC in partnership with ColumbiaUniversity and major corporate sponsors, estab-lishing membership participation, allowingmembers in good standing to vote for a newBoard of Directors and increasing the numbersof members entering the organization. DANR,GDP and CUNY, started a pilot program of theDominican Internship Program. DIP has provento be an excellent educational vehicle to ensurethat Dominican Americans students are afford-ed the opportunity to experience first-hand thepolitical and policy working of national andinternational governmental institutions. Thethird Annual Conference was celebrated withthe theme, “Dominicans in the United States:Americas’ New Face” in NYC on October 6-8,2000 with great success.

2001 The Roundtable opened its head-quarters in Washington DC and appointed JoseR. Bello as its Executive Director on October 1st2000. With the theme “Empowerment throughEducation: The Way for Dominican Americans”the 4th Annual Conference took place onDecember 7-9 in Washington D.C. At the clos-ing of this conference, Ana Garcia-Reyes waselected third president of the DANR leading adiverse 27-member Board of Directors with anExecutive Board made up of eight members,seven of whom were women.

2002 During 2002, DANR registered thou-sands of voters with the Dominican AmericanVoter Registration and Participation Program inManhattan, New York and ran the DominicanInternship Program, which placed Dominicanstudents in the World Bank, the Inter-AmericanDevelopment Bank and the US SenateCommittee for International Relations. DANRalso held two important meetings inWashington, DC. First was the DominicanAmerican Business Legislative Meeting, whereDominican business leaders met with US legis-lators to discuss policy issues affecting our com-munity. The second was our 5th AnnualConference entitled, “Our Local EmpowermentBuilds Our National Power.” During theConference, Ms. Margarita Cepeda-Leonardowas elected fourth president of the DANR. TheDANR initiated an important advocacy agendabefore the US Congress, the US Census Bureau,and INS, as to secure the rights of Dominicansin the United States and Puerto Rico. In addi-

tion, DANR published a 2002 DominicanAmerican Calendar, to promote DominicanAmerican artists.

2003 In April, DANR organized its firstCongressional Delegation to the DominicanRepublic, with the participation of 10 Membersof Congress led by Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)and Rep. Cass Ballenger (R-NC). In Washington,DC. DANR celebrated its second BusinessLegislative Meeting, as well as another success-ful edition of the Dominican InternshipProgram, and this time in partnership with theGroup of Dominican Professionals of DC, InNYC, DANR sponsored a Dominican HeritageCelebration, and honored Dr. Hugo Morales, asthe first Dominican Trustee at the City Universityof New York, as well as Hon. Adriano Espaillat,as Chairman of the New York State Black PuertoRican And Hispanic Legislative Caucus. In con-junction with other national Latino organiza-tions, DANR actively advocated in favor ofAffirmative Action programs by filling two his-torical amicus briefs before the United StatesSupreme Court. DANR also advocated for sev-eral immigration and education bills that oncepassed will benefit immigrant students in theUnited States. As part of its yearly activities,DANR published the 2003 Dominican AmericanCalendar to educate the public about our histo-ry in the United States, and celebrated is 6thAnnual Conference in Atlantic City, New Jerseyon October 10-12, 2003, with the theme“Dominican American Future: Health &Economic Empowerment. Creating Access inHealth, Finance, and Education throughPolitical Participation”.

2004 The DANR enters the internationaldebate on Free Trade by advocating the UnitedStates Congress and the US TradeRepresentative to include the DominicanRepublic in any Central American Free TradeAgreement negotiations. The DANR invitedmembers of the Dominican and Puerto Ricancommunities to hear opinions and commentsfrom Congressman Charlie Rangel, Bronx BoroPresident Adolfo Carrion, and representativesof the Dominican and Puerto Rican govern-ments to discuss the positives and challengesof a free trade agreement between the UnitedStates and the Dominican Republic. In the sum-mer of 2004, the DANR continues its DominicanInternship Program in Washington, DC. Alsoduring the summer, the DANR initiated the firstever Youth Leadership Day in Providence, RIwith the goal of empowering our nation’s youthwith the tools to achieve the goals set out byour Dominican Youth. Furthermore, followingthe tragedy in Jimani, DR, caused by the fastflooding and torrential rains, the DANR collab-

History


orated with the many communities around thecountry to bridge communications, thus help-ing to consolidate the relief efforts among thevarious states in the U.S. In 2004, the DANRwent to Chicago for the first time ever to partic-ipate in the National Hispanic-Latino AgendaSummit, in which DANR President Cid Wilsonwas the keynote speaker in helping the confer-ence to present a national Latino agenda toboth the Democratic and Republican parties. InAugust, the DANR receives honorary member-ship to the Dominican American Chamber ofCommerce of Florida in Miami and honorsfounding Vice President Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo for her community support. DANRPresident Cid Wilson gave the keynote addressto the Lawrence, MA, Dominican community atthe Lawrence, MA Dominican Parade Dinner. InSeptember, the DANR releases its comprehen-sive report on Dominican Voter Capacity in theUnited States. The DANR also hosts its seventhAnnual National Conference at The CityCollege of New York -CUNY- in New York Cityon Sept. 17-19, 2004.

2005 The DANR embarked on one of its bold-est national initiatives ever, by launching itsDANR National Unity Tour Around America,which included meeting, listening, supporting,and strengthening our local Dominican commu-nities in 15 U.S. states and territories. The“tour” took a full year and 35,000 miles of trav-el around the country, including Alaska,California, District of Columbia, Florida,Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland,Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, andTexas. Many of these meetings resulted in newstatewide Dominican organizations. DANRPresident Cid Wilson was the keynote andcommencement speaker at multiple venuesthrough out the nation including Kean College(NJ) EEO Program, EBC Bushwick High Schoolof Brooklyn, Emerson High School of UnionCity, NJ, Gregorio Luperon School in New YorkCity, George Washington High School in NewYork City , and many more. The DANR launchedthe Dominican Leadership Institute inWashington, DC with great success. In addition,the DANR teamed up with the DominicanPower Vote USA initiative to register thousandsof voters in New York City. DANR President CidWilson delivered remarks at the DominicanIndependence Day reception at The WhiteHouse featuring US Attorney General AlbertoGonzalez. For the 3rd year, the DANR hosted aCongressional Day in Washington, DC, wherethe DANR met with members of Congress andthe U.S. Senate from both political parties todiscuss pro-Dominican legislation and initia-tives. The DANR strengthened its national part-nerships with prominent Latino organizations

such as the NCLR, LULAC, NALEO, PRLDEF,MALDEF, ASPIRA, the Hispanic Federation, TheNational Hispanic Leadership Agenda, theCuban American National Council, and manymore national organizations. The DANR held its8th Annual National Conference in Boston, MAat the University of Massachusetts on October7-9, 2005.

2006 This year the DANR reached new mile-stone in the organization’s development andaccomplishment. The organization has ensuredthat Dominican-Americans living throughoutthe U.S. and Puerto Rico are represented in themayor policy debates and decision-makingforums. To begin, on January 19, 2006, for thefirst time in the DANR’s history, its President,Cid Wilson, led a round of meetings inWashington, DC with major non-profits Latinoorganizations in an effort to build collaborationamong the many organizations, and to furtherthe organization’s standing as a national organ-ization. These important rounds of meetingsincluded the most prominent Latinos organiza-tions such as The United State’s HispanicChamber of Commerce, League of UnitedLatin American Citizens (LULAC), NationalCouncil of La Raza (NCLR), ASPIRA, and theNational Association of Latino Elected andAppointed Officials (NALEO), among others.Similarly, for the second year in a row, the DANRwas invited to deliver remarks at the WhiteHouse’s Dominican Independence Day recep-tion held in the Indian Treaty Room of the OldExecutive Office Building. On April 27, 2006,the DANR hosted its 4th Annual Legislative Dayin Washington, DC at the Longworth HouseOffice Building. This event included a DANRLegislative Breakfast which provides and excel-lent opportunity for members of Congress toupdate the DANR board members, generalmembers and staff on legislative issues impor-tant to the Dominican community, includingimmigration, education, health, economicempowerment, and the upcoming 2010 census.Among the participating congressional mem-bers were: Senator Robert Menendez (D–NJ),Congressman Charlie Rangel (D-NY),Congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-FL) andCongressman William Pascrell (D-NJ). After theconclusion of the Legislative Breakfast, DANRBoard Members completed their visit with one-on-one meetings with Congressional membersand their staff, including Congressman JohnTierney (D-NJ), Congressman James Langevin(D-RI), Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL),Robert Andrews (D-NJ), and Senator CharlesSchumer (D-NY). Throughout the year DANRcontinued its tireless advocacy and programdevelopment to ensure that the Dominicanvoice is heard and included at all levels of the

policy debate on issues such as Immigration,Dream Act, Voting Rights, and the English onlyAmendment/ Orange Card.

During the 2006 calendar year DANR hasundertaken several successful fundraisingefforts at the local level. In the month of Mayand June, Rhode Island and New York BoardMembers organized a “Dominican MakingWaves” boat ride which provided an opportuni-ty to unite the community and strengthen theirinvolvement in DANR’s mission and overallefforts. In September, the DANR in collabora-tion with the Hispanic Heritage AwardsFoundation organized a fundraising receptionat the residence of Dominican Ambassadorhonoring legendary Baseball Hall of Famer,Juan Marichal and Orlando Cepeda, as well asrising Dominican-American actresses, JudyReyes, Dania Ramirez and Judy Marte.

2007 The DANR entered a new era when itelected Victor Capellan as the new President ofthe DANR, succeeding Cid Wilson. It is Mr.Capellan’s second time as President. TheDANR added Pennsylvania and Connecticut asstates that would have national board represen-tation. DANR President, Victor Capellan deliv-ered remarks at the Dominican IndependenceDay reception at The White House featuring USSecretary of Commerce, Carlos Gutierrez. Theorganization held its fifth Annual DANRDominicans on the Hill Day in Washington, DCwith a record attendance of members ofCongress. The DANR expressed its importancethat Congress support and pass pro-DominicanAmerican legislation. In collaboration withother national organizations, the DANR foughtfor comprehensive immigration reform, againstthe increased in fees by the USCIS, and in sup-port of the DREAM Act. While Congress didnot pass these important legislative bills, theDANR vowed to continue its legislative offen-sive to support the DANR’s national agenda.The organization organized community meet-ings in New York, NY; San Juan, Puerto Rico;Providence, RI; Orlando, FL; and Miami, FL; tobuild on collaborative relationships with localDominican leaders. The 2nd AnnualDominicans Making Waves event in Providence,RI was a great success. The DANR StudentAdvisory Council and the DANR CorporateAdvisory Council were created. During thetragic days following Tropical Storm Noel, theDANR set up a centralized website to facilitatenational communication among local organiz-ers and set up a fund to support the victims inthe Dominican Republic. In a symbolic momentin DANR history, the 10th Annual NationalConference convened in Miami, Florida whereit started 10 years earlier.

History


IMMIGRATION

Family Unification

The Dominican American community valuesfamily, and DANR promotes policies, laws andregulations that increase legal immigration,especially based on the principle of familyunification.

• DANR is interested in the reduction of the“affidavit of support” of the immigrantsponsor to ease the reintegration in theUnited States of Dominican divided families.

Regulation ofunauthorized Dominicans

There are thousand of law-abiding, hardworking and tax-paying Dominicans living in theUnited States asking for new paths to legalpermanent residence. For national securityreasons all people living in the United Statesneed to live openly, not in the shadows.

• To fully incorporate Dominicans in the USsociety the DANR asks for the legalization ofall Dominicans living in United Statesterritory.

Promotion of US Citizenship

Although, the decision to become a US citizenis a personal decision, DANR encourages andpromotes a full incorporation of all Dominicanswith US residence to acquire US Citizenship.

• DANR asks the government and privatefoundations to give support to the Citizen-ship program that DANR is establishing.DANR believes that all immigrantsrequesting asylum in the United States haveto have equal treatment under the US lawsand INS regulations.

• DANR asks the US Department of Justice torevisit current policies that give differenttreatment to different groups of immigrants.

Deportation ofLawful Dominican Citizens

According to some interpretations of thecurrent immigration laws a misdemeanor canlead to one’s removal from the United States,no matter how long he or she has been a lawfulpermanent resident.

• DANR asks the US Department of justice towork to modify the punitive interpretation ofthe immigration law that can lead to one’sremoval from the United States.

Permanent Restorationof Section §245(i)

§245(i) Section gives immigrants an opportunityto apply for residency without having to leavethe country provided that certain requirementsare met.

• We advocate for a permanent restoration of§245(i) to facilitate family reunification andallow business to maintain neededemployees.

EDUCATION

Dominican communities suffer one of thehighest dropouts rates among all major Latinocommunities. This is, as DANR recognizes, oneof the greatest challenges of DominicanAmericans.

• DANR requests assistance, funding andattention to programs working towardsschool retention.

• New research must be funded to moreaccurately ascertain the reasons as to whyLatinos drop out of high school in greaternumbers than everyone else in the nation.

Access to Higher Education

• DANR supports legislation and programsthat foster recruitment, retention andgraduation of Dominican students fromcollege. We also encourage our students toseek graduate programs.

• DANR will praise any legislation thatenhances educational opportunities forLatinos and easy access to scholarships,grants, educational loans, etc.

English as a Second Language

As a window for the incorporation ofDominicans to the US job market and USsociety, DANR promotes and supports ESLprograms for Dominican communities in theUnited States and Puerto Rico.

• We ask for an increase in government fundsto support ESL programs in our communities.

Dual Language

Because we live in a global economy the DANRpraises the richness of bilingual education. Weencourage Dominican families to teach andpractice Spanish, as well as to learn andpractice English.

• DANR promotes policies that guarantee theuse and practice of Spanish for the cominggeneration of Dominican Americans.

Professional Accreditation

Many Dominican professionals that recentlymigrated to US are facing problems of workingin their professional fields.

• DANR supports legislation and regulationsthat facilitate the accreditation in the US offoreign professionals.

• We ask for programs that help to transferforeign professional skills into the US jobmarket.

School choice

Community practitioners and education leadersmust be brought together to breach the gapbetween theory and practice, so appropriateaccess to basic education is identified.

• DANR believes that alternative models suchas charter schools must be designed,implemented and evaluated.

• The business community must be broughtinto the dialogue as we attempt to figure outhow to reduce the rate and numbers of dropouts and school choice.

ELECTORAL RIGHTS

Political Endorsements

DANR does not endorse any politicalcandidates, nor do we advise our members tovote for any one.

• However, in general terms we appreciate allUS candidates, regardless their nationalorigin, that legitimately promote and defendour communities.

Voter Registrationand Electoral Civic Participation

DANR promotes voter registration andelectoral participation of all Dominicans with UScitizenship.

• We encourage Dominican Americancommunity base organizations to establishnon-partisan programs of voter registrationin our communities and DANR asksgovernment and private foundations tosupport such programs.

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Dominican American Chambersof Commerce alliance with DANR

The Dominican community has beencharacterized as entrepreneurial community.DANR recognizes the importance of our

Guiding Principles


business organizations for the success of thewhole Dominican community.

• DANR encourages a strong alliance of allDominican American Chambers ofCommerce to enhance the future of ourbusiness community.

• DANR calls on the Small BusinessAdministration to aid a process ofinstitutional training and capacity building ofDominican Chambers of Commerce allaround the country.

Employment and Training

The Dominican community is largely acommunity of workers with a broad range ofneeds. Youth, newly arrived, displaced workers,underemployed, and women are often tech-nologically illiterate. Due to scarcity ofemployment, job training is highly needed.

• DANR supports the design andimplementation of a map study around certainconditions, needs and interests of DominicanAmerican workers.

Remittances

Dominican Americans annually send the largestforeign aid to the Dominican Republic. This aidrepresents the first source of income of theDominican Republic and it is the result of thehard working culture and the solidarity ofDominican Americans.

• DANR demands that private financialinstitutions and governmental regulatorswork together on a reduction of transferringcosts of these remittances.

• Private financial institutions, as a responsiblepartner of our community, should beinvolved in the development of theDominican American community.

• Given the importance of remittances for thedeployment of the Dominican Republic,DANR supports programs that use part ofthe Dominican American remittances todirect programs of development.

Promotion of Community Base Organizationsthat service Dominican American communities

DANR asserts that the Dominican Americancommunities are underserved by a lack ofDominican American community baseorganizations; therefore we consider it crucial topromote organizations that provide directservices to our communities.

• Government officials, corporation andprivate foundations need to supportDominican organizations, and US elected

officials may provide startup money fromdiscretionary funds available.

HOUSING

Housing Ownership

At the core of the American dream is homeownership. DANR encourages Dominicans inthe United States to buy a residence.

• DANR requests that agencies such as the U.S.Department of Housing and UrbanDevelopment (HUD), and private financialinstitutions create programs that ease theaccess to credit ownership for Dominicanfamilies.

Affordable Housing Rent

High rents affect a disproportionate number ofDominicans in the US and Puerto Rico.

• DANR calls on lawmakers throughout thecommunity to approve rent stabilization programs and provide affordable housing.

• DANR supports the creation of moreaffordable housing throughout the US andPuerto Rico and the extension of rent controland stabilization.

Redistricting

The Voter Laws of 1965 was a centerpiece of theCivil Rights movement.

• Continuing this tradition, the DANR willpromote electoral districts that ease theparticipation and political advance ofLatinos, and especially Dominicans in theUnited States.

Regulation of political financial contributionto foreign political parties

In compliance with US regulation DANRbelieves that all political fundraiser activities offoreign political parties need to have the samescrutiny and accountability as domestic politicalfundraising activities.

• DANR asks for laws and policies that facilitatethe supervision of the Dominican Republic’spolitical organizations and parties’ activitiesin the United States and Puerto Rico.

Non-political elected appointees

The Dominican American community needs tobe represented in senior level nonelectedappointees at all level of government, from city,state to federal level.

• DANR encourages the promotion ofDominican appointees.

HEALTH AND AGING

Health Insurance Programs

Latinos and Dominicans represent the largestsector of the uninsured in the nation.

• DANR supports programs and initiatives toincrease access and enrollment regardless ofimmigration status, in health insuranceprograms.

• DANR supports programs and initiativesaimed at reducing health disparities in areassuch as: Asthma, Tuberculosis, Diabetes,Cancer/Breast Cancer, HIV/ AIDS, MentalHealth as well as others.

RACE, ETHNICITY GENDER ANDSEXUALITY

Race and Ethnicity

As Dominicans are a racially, ethnically, socially,and culturally diverse population with a verystrong African ancestry, plus importantaboriginal, European, and Asian roots. DANRrecognizes, respects, and celebrates ethnic andracial difference.

• DANR is committed to building bridges withAfrican Americans and other communities ofcolor to work together in projects of commonconcern.

• Similarly, DANR is committed to forgingcollaboration ties to and building broadcoalitions with other subsections of theLatino community with which Dominicansshare needs and concerns.

Gender

Women play a central role in the future of theDominican American community, especiallysince women outnumber men in the Dominicanworkforce and the majority of Dominicanhouseholds are headed by women.

• DANR embraces a policy of gender equalityand vigorously oppose any act ofdiscrimination against women or anyexclusion or unfair treatment based ongender bias. As an institution that iscommitted to diversity and the recognition ofdifference, DANR acknowledges, values, andrespects people’s different sexualorientations.

• As such, DANR will not ally itself with anyinstitution known to have intentionallyengaged in practices of exclusion ordiscrimination on the basis of sexualorientation.

Guiding Principles


Former Presidents

Víctor Capellán(1999-2000)

Hon. Adriano Espaillat(2000-2001)

Ana García-Reyes(2001-2002)

Cid Wilson(2003-2006)

Margarita Cepeda-Leonardo(2002-2003)


































VISION&

LEADERSHIP


Victor F. CapellanPresident of DANR and Principal of EBC Bushwick High School for Public Service in Brooklyn, New York

How did you get started with the DANR?

I was invited by Margarita Cepeda to join as one of the original founders to create a national organization for allDominicans. Initially we joined Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat on a tour around New England speaking to Dominicanorganizations about going to Miami for the first gathering, which was going to take place in December 1997.

What role(s) have you played in DANR over the last 10 years?

I have been lucky enough to serve on the Board of DANR for seven out of its ten years of existence. I served as thefirst President and was the Interim Chair for the organization during the formation of the

DANR. Ten years later, I have the pleasure of serving as President once again.

What motivated you to become/stay involved in DANR?

What motivates me is the potential the organization has to be a truevoice for Dominicans in this country. We as Dominicans have a lot tocontribute to the US, and the DANR is the perfect vehicle to makethose contributions. The vision for this organization is what keepsme involved.

What was your proudest moment?

My proudest moment was the second annual conference in RhodeIsland. As one of the organizers of the conference in my home stateof Rhode Island, I was proud to have the Dominican leadership fromacross the country right in my backyard. It was one of the best DANR

conferences.

What do you think is the biggest missed opportunity?

We have missed the opportunity to engage more Dominicans into thestructure of the organization. We need to find ways for people to belong tothe organization in meaningful ways so they can also contribute to its devel-

opment. We have to look beyond the Board of Directors and createan active membership base.

Share your favorite story from your involvement with DANR.

I love the “Dominicans on the Hill” event. It is truly a won-derful opportunity to have Dominicans traveling throughthe halls of congress bringing “una voz dominicana” to thenational debate.

Where do you see DANR going in the next ten years?

DANR has tremendous potential. As the Dominican com-munity continues to grow in numbers and continues toexpand its reach across the country, we have a wide-openagenda and opportunities abound.

Margarita Cepeda-LeonardoExecutive Director of UNIDAD-Miami Beach Hispanic Community Center and President of the Dominican American National Foundation


I have been volunteering and servicing the Hispanic community since I was 16 years old, particularly with theDominican community in Rhode Island through an organization I founded, named “Quisqueya In Action”. When Imoved to Florida, it was a natural progression to become involved as a volunteer with the “Dominican AmericanNational Foundation” (DANF) and shortly after, I became President from 1996 to the present. For years, I made it ahabit to collect information about who’s who in the Dominican community in the USA, many times by word of mouthand other times by news articles. It was my passion to celebrate the accomplishments of individuals in ourcommunity. The Foundation organized an annual leadership award presentation, and duringmy first year, it was given to Adriano Espaillat, the newly elected and the first Dominicanever elected to a state legislature in U.S. history. I remembered being so excited tomeet Adriano Espaillat since I had followed his community involvement through themedia. I related so much to his great commitment to the local community ratherthan Dominican politics on the Island.

As President of the DANF, I was determined to meet the goal of its founders byhelping to create a national movement that embodied DANF’s mission. TheDANR is the result of the coming together of individuals who believe ingrassroots mobilizing and leadership, individuals who truly care about ourfuture generations. The Dominican American National Agenda Conference inDecember 1997 marks the time when DANF, Assemblyman Adriano Espaillat,and the young leaders of “Quisqueya In Action” started a collective process tobring our community leadership together through a shared vision and mission.


I served as conference coordinator during the first national conference in 1997 andvolunteer staff before the office opened in D.C., Vice-President of Membership2001-2003, Elected President from October 2002 to October 2003 andPresided over the first Official US Congressional Trip to DR inApril of 2003.

What motivated you to become/stay involved inDANR?

There are many reasons for the creation of DANR.One of the most important was the ImmigrationReform Act 1996. I remember how nervous theentire Hispanic community was about the impact ofthe reform, for very good reasons as we can nowattest. Many community grassroots leaders wereorganizing different advocacy efforts inWashington to amend the Reform. The DominicanAmerican community addressed this advocacyneed by calling on the creation of the DANR. Istay involved because it is important for DANR tocontinue to exist with a presence in Washington.National empowerment of the Dominican com-munity starts with having a visible presence inour nation’s capitol.


Alejandra CastilloEsq. Attorney


My first encounter with the idea of forming a national Dominican organization came when I was approached byAmbassador Bernardo Vega. In the spring of 1997, I had just joined the Clinton Administration working as a SeniorAdvisor at the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy, becoming one of three Dominican-American toreceive an appointment position with the Administration. While I was excited at the prospect of raising the profile ofDominican-Americans in the nation’s capital, I soon became painfully aware that our community was rarely recognizedand seldom invited to participate, collaborate or discuss matters concerning key federal legislative, policies or initia-tives. Therefore, when Ambassador Vega approached me with the idea of creating a national organization designedto educate, coordinate and mobilize Dominican-Americans, I quickly jumped at the opportunity. My experience inWashington highlighted the reality, that despite the rapidly growing Dominican American population (over 1 million)living throughout the country, our community’s contribution remained unnoticed and often time invisible in the eyesof the legislative, political and policy decision-makers. My involvement with DANR allowed me to connect to a net-work of Dominican leaders who were willing to come together to ensure that our community created a voice in ournation’s capitol. Indeed, the creation in 1997 of DANR ignited a level of energy; enthusiasm and commitment amongthe Dominican-American leadership of the time, of which I am immensely proud of being a part of during these lastten years.


Throughout the last 10 years, I have played many roles within DANR’s Board of Directors. My primary work has focusedon identifying ways to strengthen DANR’s institutional capacity and in turn to develop ways by which the organizationcan serve to foster greater relationships and interface between other national non-profit organizations, business com-



One of my proudest moments includes watching this organization build many leaders during the organizationaldevelopment process. Some of the many processes that build leaders include; national board participation, themember’s responsibility in electing the new board members, selection of conference locations, helping to promotedifferent legislative actions in local communities. The adoption of the organization is guiding principles, protecting theintegrity of the by-laws and even the participation of community professionals and business leaders asspeakers/panelists in the different workshops, forums and symposia.

Another of my proudest moments was making the decision to become DANR’s President in 2003, three months afterhaving my first baby Julian Leonardo. It was a great source of pride, as was my work to create a landmark level ofcommunity participation in the 2003 conference.


When the organization first started, there was a big opportunity to engage our youth and next generation ofDominican leaders at the time. While we appreciate our legacy leaders, we must always look to the next generationof Dominican Americans who will be rising up the ladder of leadership. I think the organization was slow to recognizethe importance of seeking next generation leaders for the organization and only in the last five years has it become agreater emphasis.


Being at Kinko‘s making copies for the conference participants at 3 a.m., just hours before the first conference inMiami, not realizing how that day was going to change our community forever!


I see working towards a real presence in Washington D.C and with local offices in New York, Miami, Providence, PuertoRico and many other states. Moreover, of course, I envision a day when we will have our first Dominican American inthe United States Congress and how proud we will be when he/she participates in our annual DANR “Dominicans onthe Hill” Legislative Day.

munity and the U.S. Government. As a founding member, and as a member of the Board, I strive to provide DANR witha strategic vision towards reaching positive organizational growth, as well as achieving prominence and effectivenessamong local, state and federal decision-makers. Despite a short hiatus from the organization, I have always remainedactively involved with, and committed to the organization since its inception. Undoubtedly, DANR is an act of love thatnurtures my belief in our community is potential. My work with DANR is driven by my passion and deep conviction thatwhen given a fair opportunity to be part of the national discourse, the Dominican-American has muchto offer this great Nation.


My commitment to DANR stems from my drive and unwavering support to ensure thatopportunities are available to all Dominican-Americans through access to education, cap-ital and political empowerment. My goal is to ensure that the work and struggles ofDominican-Americans are noted and recognized as the pipeline for future Dominican tal-ent to succeed and continue to fuels the vibrancy and growth of our Nation’s greatest aspi-rations.

In spite of the inevitable organizational changes, and at times facing great difficulties andformidable obstacles, I firmly believe that DANR is a manifestation of my core philosophicalbelief (and the motto of this Nation) which reminds us all that in order to succeed we mustall work as a community of one. E Pluribus Unum—Out of Many—One. I am inspired bythe work and success DANR has achieved to provide our next generation ofDominican-Americans with the desire to grow and succeed.


Throughout its short life, DANR has produced many memorable and notablemoments that have honored me with tremendous sense of pride an accomplishment.In just ten short years, DANR has become a clearinghouse of policy information andlegislative advocacy that continues to inform our community of the key issues thataffect its welfare. Four years ago, I became the organization’s Legislative Chair. Inthis role I been particularly proud of the acknowledgement and participation wehave received from numerous members of Congress and the Administration. I amalso particularly proud of the many young students the organization has reachedthrough its internship and Youth Leadership Program.


As an organization, which strives for excellence with limited resources, undoubt-edly there have been many missed opportunities. I believe that after 10 years,DANR is well positioned to capitalize on the opportunities that lay ahead, andto continue to make tangible inroads to ensure that Dominican Americans arerepresented at all level of life. As a national organization, DANR must contin-ue to strengthen its organizational structure, augment its membership baseand build its community and service delivery capacity. I am excited that DANRis now entering a new stage in its organizational development, and therefore,I invite our Dominican-American leaders to once again respond to the callingfor active participation as they once did in 1997. While we must continue toreach and engage more Dominican-Americans from around the country, wemust also continue to build strategic alliances with new stakeholders acrossethnic, geographical and political spectrum. It is self evident that DANR effec-tiveness and success is directly linked to the sustained commitment, support andcontribution of its members. I believe opportunities abound to make this organizationa model of 21st Century non-profit advocacy organization.


I am confident that as we embrace the challenges ahead, DANR will continue to advo-cate on behalf of all Dominican-American while simultaneously creating innovativeapproaches to community building and mobilization. More importantly, I hope thatduring the next 10 years, DANR will ensure that every Dominican-American is affordedthe necessary opportunities to achieve their dreams.



Ana Garcia-ReyesSpecial Assistant to the President for Community Relations & Director of International Programs

How did you get started at DANR?

Local meetings took place in New York in search of support for the first ever-National organization of DominicanAmericans. I attended a few informational meetings in the city of New York then and became fascinated with the con-cept of creating a national organization that would advocate on behalf of the interests of Dominican Americans. Iimmediately connected with the urgent need to create a forum that would voice the interests of the DominicanAmerican community at a national level.

I became an active participant of DANR since its inception by means of participating in meetings and by attending thefirst conference in Miami, Florida.


Since its inception, I chaired or formed part of different committees in DANR: the conference, the elections, the out-reach and recruitment, the legislative affairs, the education, the membership, committees and board retreats/planningcommittees among others. In addition, I served as Executive Board Member, Vice President of Membership, President,


As a Dominican American National Roundtable founding boardmember and past president, I am delighted to participate in the10th Annual Conference to be held in Miami Florida, where ourfirst conference took place. It seems like only yesterday whenRhadames Peguero, Margarita Cepeda, Victor Capellan and Igot together to establish the Dominican American NationalRoundtable in December of 1997. As the first DominicanAmerican elected to state office, I believed it was essential thatas Dominicans, we establish an independent national frame-work by which to address our collective issues and make ourmark nationally, not only in the political arena but also in thesocial and private sector.


As the DANR evolved, it was with enormous pride that I saw themany faces of leadership from all parts of the nation reaffirmingthe integral role Dominican Americans command in this greatnation. It was with the support of this leadership that we wereable to come together at a summit held at CITY College in NewYork City to establish the by-laws under which the organizationcurrently functions. I am pleased to see that we continue to relyon this leadership to move our agenda along.

Where do you see DANR going in the next 10 years?

When I look back on the past ten years, I believe the most sig-nificant accomplishment was the establishment of theWashington D.C. office that occurred during my tenure asPresident of the DANR. The establishment of the DC office hasgiven us the opportunity to pave the way for a national voice. Ibelieve the DANR is a in a prime position to capitalize ongreater funding opportunities to implement its national agendawhile seeking to institutionalize itself as a premiere organizationserving to empower Dominican Americans across the country.

Adriano EspaillatNew York State Assemblyman


and Advisory Board Member. Furthermore, I represented the organization at city, state, national, and internationalmeetings and public forums.

As President of DANR in 2001, I leaded the first national effort of its members to Capitol Hill to advocate on behalf ofthe interest of Dominican Americans in the USA. I facilitated all possible resources to sustain and fortify DANR's infra-structure with the hope that this would survive for the generations to come. I have contributed by connecting highlyregarded scholars, community leaders, students and high-ranking administrators to participate and support the organ-ization. Equally important have been my ongoing efforts of outreach and recruited to students to join the organiza-tion, I see the students as the ones carrying the legacy of DANR.

During my tenure as President, a successful fundraising campaign was conducted, targeted at creating a voters regis-tration campaign in Washington Heights. The campaign was highly successful. A significant number of residents of theWashington Heights community were registered to vote.

What motivated you to become /stay involved in DANR?

My personal commitment of helping Dominican Americans here and in the Dominican Republic is what keeps memotivated. Knowing that the prosperity of the Dominican American community will depend, to agreat extent, on how well educated our children are. We must remember that in order to haveresponsible/committed leaders we have to invest time and effort now. The DominicanAmerican community needs a voice at Capitol Hill and DANR is that voice. Often timespublic policies determine the future of generations to come, and DANR can influenceand advocate on policies that would benefit the Dominican American community.DANR is the channel that voices the interest of our community at a national level,and that is highly important to me.


Ten years from now, I would like to see our second and third generation ofDominican Americans discussing how important DANR is for DominicanAmericans and seeing them carry the legacy and fruits of our mission as anorganization. As I reflect on the past, I think about that first time when a groupof us visited Capitol Hill for the first time. I clearly remember CongressmanCharles Rangel telling me, "You are making history today. Great leaders walkedthrough these corridors like you advocating on behalf of their people, and becauseof them many of us enjoy the liberties that we have today".


Visiting the Capitol Hill as President of DANR with DANR members was anunforgettable experience; we were a group of about 20 Dominicans whoknew that we had to tap the power structure to voice the needs of theDominican American community. Letting members of both houses knowthat Dominican Americans were here to stay was a great learning expe-rience for all of us. "The Dominican Business Legislative Meeting -DANR Congressional Reception of June 11-12, 2002 was an unforget-table experience at Washington, DC which once more convinced methat DANR must continue its mission of opening doors and speakingon behalf of the Dominican American Community of the USA.

Seeing the tremendous potential that our young leaders have andseeing us go through the exercise of creating an organization thatwill survive throughout the years makes me feel very proud of DANR.


Because we have so many talented leaders with so many differentstyles, I think that we have done well for the past ten years. Those ofus that have served DANR have contributed the best of our poten-tial and ability. Therefore, I commend all of those who decided todonate their time and talents to serve on the DANR board.Opportunities came and we took advantage of the areas that wewere able to respond to as an organization.


Rhadames PegueroExecutive Director of the Dominican American National Foundation


In 1996, we invited Adriano Espaillat to Miami, Florida to receive “The Dominican American Leadership Award” as partof the Seventh Anniversary celebration for The Dominican American National Foundation.

The next day Margarita Cepeda, DANF President, Adriano Espaillat and I met at Embassy Suites Hotel todiscuss the future of the Dominican American community and decided to organize a meeting with

Dominican American elected officials, community leaders, professionals, college students, and any-one interested in a better future for our community. At the beginning, we called this initiative “The

Dominican American National Agenda”, but later we decided on the official name - DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (or DANR).


As a DANR founder, and board member, I have traveled hundreds of miles, and expended muchtime and effort in order to materialize the idea of a Dominican American national agenda throughDANR. In 1997, The Dominican American National Foundation Board of Directors approved our

participation in the organization of the First DANR National Conference; I was able to secure spon-sorship from American Airlines, Presidente Beer, and the Dominican Republic consulate in

Miami.

During a 1999 board meeting in Washington, D.C. I insisted on the opening ofan office in Washington, D.C. and was able to get approval from the DANRBoard of Directors to find a location. I contacted the property managers of thepresent location soon after Jose Bello was hired by DANR as ExecutiveDirector, and he finalized the negotiations for the office.


When we talk about our community, we are talking about our childrenand grandchildren; they are the real “Dominican Americans”. We haveto develop a national agenda that secures a better and brighter futurefor them. I also think that DANR can be the most powerful DominicanAmerican organization in USA, as long as we choose the rightleadership.

When you look at the organization ten years later:

I see many dedicated people who have invested time and money inthis effort. I see DANR gaining recognition from other communitiesand the corporate world.


Being selected as Conference Chairman in 2003.


We have missed opportunities to participate actively in importantissues affecting our “Latino” communities. We have missed oppor-

tunities to help in the creation of Community Based Organizations indifferent regions where there is a presence of Dominicans. We havemissed opportunities because we have not obtained enough funds to

have permanent staff in Washington. Moreover, we have missedopportunities to organize regional committees all over the USA


Ramona RomeroEsq. Corporate Counsel, Logistics and Energy at DuPont

How did you get started with DANR?

In late 1997, a friend forwarded an e-mail inviting Dominicans from across the United States togather in Miami. My friend and I got on a plane and attended that first national meetingin December 1997.

What roles have you played in DANR over the last 10 years?

I joined the interim steering committee formed soon after the 1997 Miami meet-ing. That group, which included many of the leaders who conceived the idea offorming the DANR (among them Margarita Cepeda, Victor Capellan, andRhadames Peguero), worked to develop and define the mission of theRoundtable and to secure the resources required to implement that mission.I had the privilege of drafting the organizational by-laws and articles of incor-poration, and signed the incorporation documents along with RobertoAlvarez and Alejandra Castillo. I served on the steering committee and lateron the Board of Directors in various capacities until 2002.

What motivated you to become involved in DANR?

I believe in the mission of political and socio-economic empowerment that theDANR was created to advance.

Looking at the DANR ten years later, what was your proudest moment?

Rather than a moment, I am proudest of two facts: (1) the willingness of the origi-nal leadership to yield control to new, younger leaders without losing its deepcommitment; and (2) that the Roundtable has proven reasonably able to advancecommunity empowerment without being co-opted by any particular faction.


Given the Dominican presence in states like New York and Florida, DANR canhelp Dominicans become a real force in U.S. electoral politics. Progress hasbeen made, but we are still far from the finish line.

Where do you see the DANR going in the next ten years?

I see a DANR that is well funded and well staffed and that operates in multiplefronts. I see a DANR that promotes the interests of Dominican-Americans throughpublic policy advocacy, voter education, economic, educational empowerment ini-tiatives, and impact litigation.


My participation in the opening of our office in Washington, and the trip to D.R. with 17 US Congress Representatives.


If we can organize properly, DANR can be the organization representing the Dominican American community throughout allof the USA.

Cid WilsonDirector of Equity Research, Kevin Dann & Partners LLC in New York City


I first heard about the DANR when Oscar Herasme and the Dominican American Professional Alliance notified meabout the first conference in 1997 in Miami. I was unable to attend the first two conferences, but I was a speaker atthe Third National Conference in New York.


I was elected to the board in 2001. Within a year, I was elected first Vice President, before becoming president of theDANR from October 2003 to February 2007.


The idea of building a national voice on behalf of the Dominican community in the United States. When I wasPresident, I traveled over 100,000 miles and over 30 states to bring together Dominicans from all over the nation. The

more Dominicans I met, the more I learned and the more the organization grew. Peoplewere excited about the idea of collaborating with a national organization such as the

DANR and I was motivated to stay involved and make it a reality.


My proudest moment was standing with a bi-partisan coalition of Congress andnumerous Latino, African American, and Asian American leaders for the signinginto law of the Voting Rights Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006.Despite efforts to weaken the bill, we fought for the renewal and got everythingwe wanted with no watered down amendments.


The DANR is still a young organization in comparison to many of our nationalpartners. I do not think that we have any missed opportunities, but rather we are

a work-in-progress as we continue to grow and become an increasingly importantvoice not only for Dominican Americans, but also for all people of color.


I have so many stories of my experiences in the DANR ranging frommy first visit to Lawrence, MA to my official tour of Dominican areas

in Grand Rapids, MI. However, my favorite story was my decisionto visit our northern-most Dominicans in the United States . . . inAnchorage, Alaska. I was completely surprised at how manyDominicans live in Alaska and how organized they were. While

the state has cold temperatures, the many Dominicans thathave made Alaska their home warmly welcomed me.


I see the DANR growing even bigger over the next tenyears and taking on even a greater role at the nationallevel to empower the Dominican community. We are

one of the fastest growing sub-groups amongLatinos and I see the DANR increasingly prepared

to tackle the challenges facing our growing com-munity.


Jose BelloFormer DANR Executive Director


At the end of 1997, I wanted to do an internship at the Dominican Embassy in Washington, D.C. My idea was to organ-ize Dominican college students in an association of some sort, with the help and resources of Embassy. In January1998, H.E. Bernardo Vega, then DR Ambassador to the United States of America, asked me to help him as a liaisonbetween the recently formed DANR and the Dominican Embassy. It was a volunteer work, but it was a challenge, andit changed my life forever. That spring and summer of 1998, Amb. Vega, Margarita Cepeda and I organized a coupleof meetings, and a summer retreat as a follow-up to the first conference in Miami. At the end of this process a steer-ing committee and, a Board of Directors, were formed. That is how I became a member of the foundingboard of DANR.


First, I was a liaison between Amb. Vega and DANR. Soon after, I was selected to be member of theBoard of Directors, first representing Washington DC, and later, as I moved to graduate school, rep-resenting New York State, and finally Massachusetts. I was DANR’s first Vice President and in October2001, I was appointed to become the first DANR Executive Director. Since I left DANR to work in theNew York banking sector in 2004, I have been a rank-and-file member, and a direct supporter of DANR’slast two presidents – Cid Wilson and Victor Capellan.

What motivated you to become/stay in DANR?

I became involved because I wanted to do something for my people. Originally, Icame to the US to get an advanced academic degree and then go home to helpin the Dominican Republic. Quickly, thanks to DANR, I realized that helpingDominicans in the US was as important as helping Dominicans in DR. I remaincommitted to in DANR, because I think I could bring some added value to it.

In addition, I stayed because I have learned that in community organizing you“make lemonade with the lemons you have.” Moreover, you believe in peo-ple, or you do not get involved. I did not want to wait until Dominicans inthe United States get to an “acceptable level,” so that I could becomeinvolved with the community. I believe in Dominicans, so, I work withDominicans at any level in which may be. Yet, I will not let you believe thatit is not painful, even irrational, to work with our communities and leader-ship. However, if we don’t do it, who will?


As part of DANR, there have been many proud moments. Like when weorganized the first ever US Congressional Delegation visit to DR, or whenDANR coordinated the first ever visit of a Dominican Republic Presidentto Capitol Hill. I am especially proud that DANR was able to fight, andlater win, a rectification of the numbers of Dominicans reported in the USCensus of 2000 (we had been 25% under-classified).

Nevertheless, as a group, I believe that we should be proud of the factthat people in Washington DC know more about our community today,than they did ten years ago. When I went to Washington DC, in Octoberof 2001, to open the headquarters of DANR, not many people inWashington knew about Dominicans. If they knew about Hispanic groups,they knew only about Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans Americans.Thanks to the work of DANR members living and working in WashingtonDC, our nation’s capital knows about Dominican Americans: we are at thetable, we are talking, and “they” are beginning to listen.


Bernardo VegaHistorian and Former Ambassador of the Dominican Republic in the Unites States of America


I got started with DANR when I was Dominican Ambassador to the White House (1997-1999).While Ambassador, I tried to stimulate the formation of the group, sponsoring meetings inWashington and looking for financial support.


To me, DANR can become the most efficient lobbying arm of the DominicanAmerican community.


Proudest moments: Being invited to DARN meetings when I was no longerAmbassador.


Missed opportunity: a permanent full time representative in Washington.


However, my proudest moments of all – so far – have been working with Dominican American students, volunteers andinterns during my time in Washington DC. It has been most rewarding to see them grow as Dominicans and asAmericans, to see them grow in their knowledge of the American policy making process, and to be a distant witnessof their professional development. This is especially true with DANR alumnae Annie Mingues and Deni Taveras.

However, in 10 years, my proudest moment will be when my Dominican American son Jose Ramon, or, perhaps mydaughter Maria Esperanza, asks me if I had something to do with the foundation and development of DANR, and I willsay, “YES, I was part of it!”


Dominicans, especially Dominican Americans, are successful at running for political office – more than 40 seats havebeen won in 17 years, but they have a less stellar record in building institutions, especially sound and professional fulltime service organizations. I believe that DANR has missed an opportunity to support and foster local organizationsthat could be making real difference inside of our Dominican and Hispanic communities. Moreover, at the same time,DANR has failed to build itself as a prime beacon of accountability, as a leadership source, and as a proactive organi-zation with a clear voice at a local, national and international level.


It has always puzzled me why the Board of Directors’ meetings were run in English until someone “se descalentaba,”and then everything turned into Spanish. Then, when the water settled, the meeting was once again held in English.


We, Dominican Americans, especially Dominicans like me, not born in the mainland US, love the microphone and thephoto ops. We have to move out of that stage. The fact is that when we came to this country, we came seeking ourfuture, but very soon, we realized that we are building another future, the one for our children and grandchildren. Itis not about us, it is about them and their children.

For me, the best outcome of DANR, in these ten years, has been to connect Dominicans that are working for, and with,other Dominicans in the United States. DANR cannot do everything, but it needs to be the “salt and light” of ourfuture. See you in ten years!


Muriel AlfonsecaSocial Development Specialist- Inter-American Development Bank


Ambassador Bernardo Vega, upon his return from the 1997 event in Florida, talked to me about the event and howhe believed that I should be involved. Next summer, Jose Bello was intern at the Embassy and asked me to help himto put together the event in DC. At that event, Victor Capellan was elected the first President.


When Board seat was open in Washington, DC, I became a Board Member. I was Co-Chair, withRadhames Peguero, of the 2003 Annual Conference in Atlantic City, the most successful oneso far. I also, was elected Assistant Treasurer. In 2003, we developed a high caliber agendathat brought 10 Congressman, 5 democrats led by Charlie Rangel and 5 republicans led byCass Ballanger, to the Dominican Republic. Among agenda items was the opportunity todiscuss the need to support the inclusion of the DR in the CAFTA negotiations talksannounced by President Bush.

In 2004, I became responsible for operations and finances in the Washington, DC office.Since then I have worked very hard to keep the office operations running and played akey role in re-establishing a sound accounting system. I was appointed Chair of OfficeOperations by former President Cid Wilson, which was also endorsed by the currentPresident, Victor Capellan. I have also played a key role in the planning and coordinationof our last two conferences. Last year, I introduced the idea of the DANR Memoirs publi-cation, a more comprehensive and complete publication that comprehends DANR’s year-round activities and advocacy efforts.


Strong sense of public service, responsibility and commitment with theDominican community in the US and the Dominican Republic.


I have many proudest moments, but I have to say that the first bipartisanCongressional Delegation to the Dominican Republic was the biggest one. Inaddition, I have to say that the relationships that we have developed and estab-lished with members of the administration, Congress and our new multination-al sponsors are a great source of pride. The fact that we are been recognizedby the administration and members of Congress when issues that affect thecommunity are discussed it is a great indicator that we have penetrated thosecircles of power. More recently, the Peruvians have organized and chose ourmodel to found their organization, they even took our mission statement andadapted it to their interests and needs!


My favorite story is to have witnessed our growth in the last couple of years. Wehave become a nationally renowned organization by our peers, Congress and theadministration. The outreach efforts of leaders like Cid Wilson, among others havereally taken this organization to a new level. As Charlie Rangel said during our lastBusiness Legislative Day, “DANR is being heard in the Capitol hallways”.


It may sound cliché but I strongly believe that the sky is the limit for DANR…. we cango anywhere we want to go but we have to not only brainstorm but instead, alsocommit and make it happen!


Zenaida Mendez Director of External Affairs for the Manhattan Neighborhood Network Public Service Television


I believe I got more involved during the planning for the conference in Rhode Island. I take credit for bringingCongressman Charles Rangel there, and I coordinated the women's workshop.


I was a member of the Board of Directors. I represent DANR at officials business. I have also helped plan various con-ferences and at the office in DC.

What do you think when you look at the organization ten years later?

It is a breakthrough and another milestone in the history of the Dominican Community in the US that DANR still here.Ten years ago, I thought DANR would be able to deal with issues affecting us in the US: affordable housing, health

care, immigration, environmental justice and education by implementing a strategy plan that wouldput the Dominican community at the same level as many other National organizations in the US.

In my opinion, although we have achieved many goals, there are still more to accomplish.


There have been several proud moments in the years that I have been involved: establishingan office in Washington, DC, and the creation of The Leadership Institute, but the proudestis to see the growth and maturity of some of the people who convened ten years ago inMiami for the first gathering.


Addressing the immigration issue specifically when Rhadames Peguero was able to have apetition signed by attendees at the conference in Boston, MA. If DANR had carried out the

recommendations of the majority of the members who attended that conference, it would haveput DANR on the map as one of the leading organizations advocating for a comprehensive

immigration reform.


In the next ten years, I see DANR as one of the national Latino leadingorganizations in the US, which has organized a national movement indefense of all people of color. Working on coalition building, keeping usinformed of legislation that negatively affects us so that we can do some-thing about it. I also see DANR working independently, operating onmembers and grants from progressive foundations. I see DANR organiz-ing and galvanizing our communities for a comprehensive immigrationreform, taking a more progressive stand on issues, and educating andinforming US representatives on issues that we care.

My dream is that DANR can offers scholarships to Dominican lead grassroot not for profit organizations to send representatives to the annualconference. As it is right now, only those who are more financially suc-cessful members can afford to cover the cost of attending the confer-ence.


Frank R. RainieriCEO, PUNTACANA Resort & Club


I first found out about DANR when Bernardo Vega called me telling me that groups of Dominicans were planning tocome together to work for the Dominican community abroad and to improve the relationship between the two coun-tries. I immediately supported this initiative because I strongly believe that it was about time that a national, not sec-torial, heterogeneous group a cross us, take on this initiative.


My role has not been as strong as would have a liked it to be. We have given financial support and we have partici-pated at DANR events as speakers addressing other businessmen, national politicians, and members of Congress.


As I said before, I have always considered the need to count with strong institutions that serves the society. In the caseof the Dominican Diaspora, the U.S. has lacked formal representation although some people of Dominican origin haveachieved important positions in U.S. Courts, local politics and in other institutions, all of them at personal levels ofachievement and does not necessarily work as a representative vehicle of society. In addition, the diversity DANR haveis very choices, represents many of the segments, the people of Wall Street, the businessmen of differentsectors and cities, the professionals, the workers, the academics, etc. I believe that is very importantto be able to contribute a “granito de arena” to a such representative institution, and I believethat this serves, just like the Latin American Chambers of Commerce, as vehicle to bring tolight and to pressure for issues of interest for Dominicans or their children residing in theUnited States and to support the enhancement of the relations between United States andthe Dominican Republic whether they be social, cultural or commercial.


The moment of greater satisfaction was when I saw DANR gather hundreds ofDominicans from all parts of U.S. for its convention in Atlantic City in 2003. That wasthe first great true demonstration of consolidation for the organization.


I never think about any missed opportunities, I would imagine that after a great takeoffthere is always a period of lethargy. Probably because therewas a movement but toward the academia, that is soimportant, but I believe that to carry out the necessarydynamic, one must go with a course but more focusedtowards the politics and business for a period.


DANR should become, in the spokesman of all the sectors ofthe Dominican community in the politics and entrepreneurialfields. I believe that with great leadership and strong sup-port (making room for other institutions that exist) DANR,could be the umbrella of the descendants of Dominicans andcan achieve a position in US society. As the one that have theItalians, or the "strength" of the Mexicans or that of the Irish.

Conference Meeting in Miami, Florida

1998 - Founding Members at CUNY, New York

Planning Meetingat CUNY National

Leadership Gathering

DANR Board and Members, DC- By-Law Meeting

Group Photo following dinner inPunta Cana Resort during DANR

The Dominican President and DANR in the Capitol

2000 - 3rd DANRNational Annual Conference

in New York

2001 - 4th DANRNational Annual Conference

in Washington, DC

2002 - 5th DANR NationalAnnual Conferencein Washington, DC

2002 - 2003DANR Calendar

1997 Dominican American

DANR Board Members in the 6th DANR Annual National

Conference in Atlantic City, NJ

Dominican White House Event

US Congressional Trip in the DR Ambassador House

DR President, Leonel Fernandez,Frank Rainieri and Bernando Vega at the6th DANR Annual National Conference

Students for the Dominican

Leadership Institute in Washington, DC 9th DANR Annual Conference in Atlantic City, NJ

2003 - 6th DANR National Annual Conference

in Atlantic City, NJ

2004 – 7th DANR Annual National Conference

in New York, NY

2005 – 8th DANRAnnual National Conference

in Boston, MA

2006 - 9th DANR Annual National Conference

in Atlantic City, NJ

National Roundtable 2006


































ADVOCACYEFFORTS/CALL FORACTION


DANR Expresses Objection to Fee Increases in ImmigrationApplications by USCIS; Calls on BushAdministration and Congress toProvide Necessary Funding for Agency

On February 2, 2007, the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)issued a strong objection to the pro-posed increases in the fees for residentsseeking immigrant services from theUnited States Citizenship andImmigration Service (USCIS). DANR pub-licly called on the Bush Administrationand Congress to provide USCIS with theappropriate funding so that the thou-sands of Dominicans and millions ofimmigrants wishing to naturalize canmake U.S. citizenship a reality. The DANRacknowledged that there are increasedcosts for improving services and reduc-ing the current backlog of applications,however the DANR believes that thoseincreased costs should not be absorbedby hard-working immigrants, many ofwhom earn a minimum wage.

DANR Board Names Victor Capellan the New President of the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable

On February 21, 2007, the DominicanAmerican National Roundtableannounced that it has named Victor F.Capellan as its new President effectiveFebruary 19, 2007. Mr. Capellan waselected by the majority of the nationalboard of directors, whose geographiclocations spread across 10 U.S. statesand Puerto Rico. Mr. Capellan succeeds

Hon. Cid Wilson whose term asPresident is officially complete. Mr.Capellan was the organization’s firstPresident, when community leaderscame together in 1997, to launch whatwas originally an idea that have becomea national reality today in the Dominicancommunity.

DANR Praises Re-Introduction ofDREAM Act in US Senate andAmerican Dream Act in the House.Calls for Swift Passage

On March 8, 2007, the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)praised the re-introduction of TheDREAM Act in the U.S. Senate and itscompanion bill, The American DreamAct in the U.S. House of Representatives.The DREAM Act was introduced in theU.S. Senate in the previous week bySenators Richard Durbin (D-IL), ChuckHagel (R-NE), and Richard Lugar (R-IN).The American Dream Act was introducedin the U.S. House of Representatives inthe previous week by Congress mem-bers Howard Berman (D-CA), LincolnDiaz-Balart (R-FL), and Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA). The DANR is called onCongress to pass the bill and forPresident George W. Bush to sign it intolaw. The DREAM Act would help undoc-umented immigrants who were raised inthe U.S. and graduated from U.S. highschools to attend college and put themon a path to citizenship in America.

DANR Applauds the Introduction

of the “Citizenship Promotion

Act of 2007” Which Addresses

the Planned Fee Hikes by the

US Citizenship & Immigration Services

On March 9, 2007, The Dominican

American National Roundtable (DANR)

applauded the introduction of the

Citizenship Promotion Act of 2007 in the

United States Congress which took place

on March 7, 2007. The bill was intro-

duced in the United States Senate by

Senators Barack Obama (D-IL), Robert

Menendez (D-NJ), Ken Salazar (D-CO),

and Jeff Bingaman (D-NM). In the House

of Representatives, it was introduced by

Representatives Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Jan

Schakowsky (D-IL), Mike Honda (D-CA),

Neil Abercrombie (D-HI), Hilda Solis (D-

CA), Ed Pastor (D-AZ), and Raul Grijalva

(D-AZ). If passed by Congress, the bill

would freeze the proposed fee increases

by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration

Service (USCIS) which the DANR believes

would challenge the ability of immi-

grants to naturalize and it would also

provide resources to improve the natu-

ralization process for immigrants and

their families. The DANR called on

Congress to pass the Citizenship

Promotion Act of 2007 and urged the

community to ask their members of

Congress to support this important leg-

islation.

Luis Guzman and Victor Capellan in Miami Radio Station DANR National Board with Congressman Charles Rangel and State Senator Juan Pichardo

“DANR Pleased by the Introduction

of the STRIVE Act of 2007”


American National Roundtable (DANR),

expressed satisfaction and optimism by

the bipartisan introduction of the

Security Through Regularized

Immigration and a Vibrant Economy Act

of 2007 (STRIVE ACT of 2007). The bill

was introduced by Representatives Luis

Gutierrez (D-IL) and Jeff Flake (R-AZ). If

passed by Congress, the comprehensive

immigration reform bill would provide

regularized legal channels for new immi-

grants, help strengthen the economy,

reforms the employment and family-

based immigration system, and provide

a path towards earned citizenship. DANR

believes that comprehensive immigra-

tion reform is right for our community, it’s

right for our economy, and its right for

America. The DANR continues to study

the legislation and work with members

of Congress to address the strengths

and challenges in the STRIVE Act.

DANR asks you to “TAKE ACTION

AND SIGN OUR PETITION”



is asked the community to TAKE

ACTION AND SIGN OUR PETITION call-

ing for passage of The DREAM Act in the

U.S. Senate and its companion bill, TheAmerican Dream Act in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives.

By signing this petition, which DANR willpresent to members of Congress you willbe supporting our call for Congress topass the bill and for President George W.Bush to sign into law.

DANR Meets with Congress and Delivers a Strong Message onPriorities for the DominicanCommunity

On April 25, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)held its Fifth Annual Legislative Day onCapitol Hill in Washington, DC, onThursday April 19, 2007, with great suc-cess as it took its message of nationaladvocacy on behalf of the Dominicancommunity to members of Congress.During the Fifth Annual Legislative Day,the DANR discussed with key membersof Congress important issues toDominican Americans, such asImmigration reform, education, theupcoming 2010 Census, economicempowerment, and the strengthening ofthe Dominican Republic and Haiti rela-tions. Among the priorities on theImmigration topic, the DANR urgedCongress to pass comprehensive immi-gration reform that recognizes ourNation’s proud history as a country ofimmigrants.

DANR Welcomes the SenateImmigration Debate and Urges theSenate to Support Menendez-HagelAmendment

On May 23, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)applauded the Senate’s action to bringcomprehensive immigration reform tothe Senate floor for debate. While theDANR commended the Senate for tak-ing the leadership position to provide apathway to legalization to over 12 millionundocumented workers and the impor-tant inclusion of the DREAM Act,expressed serious concerns over severalprovisions included in the SenateImmigration Reform Compromise thatwas brokered by a bipartisan group ofSenators.

The DANR strongly supported theMenendez-Hagel Amendment whichwould change the “cut-off” date forlegal immigrant applicants who wouldotherwise be handled under the backlogreduction part of the bill from May 1,2005 to January 1, 2007, which is thesame cut-off date that is currently set forthe legalization of the undocumentedimmigrants. It would also add 110,000green cards a year to ensure that wedon’t start creating a new backlog orcause the eight year deadline for clear-ing the family backlog to slip by a fewyears. The amendment was introducedby Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ)and Chuck Hagel (R-NE), and co-spon-sored by Senators Hillary RodhamClinton (D-NY), Christopher Dodd (D-CT), Richard Durbin (D-IL), and Barack

PATH TO PROSPERITY l Strong Leadersh ip . . . Stronger communit ies ! 31

State Senator Juan Pichardo, Annie Minguez and Victor CapellanNew York City Committee Meeting

Obama (D-IL). The DANR urged the

community to contact their Senators.

DANR Blasts US Citizenship and

Immigration Service For Excessive Fee

Increases That Will Hurt Dominican and

Immigrant Families. Fee Increases

a“Luxury Tax” for Immigrants

On June 1, 2007, the Dominican


expresses its strong disappointment to

the United States Citizenship &

Immigration Service (USCIS) for its final

decision to raise fees for immigrant serv-

ices. On May 29, the USCIS announced

its final fee structure for immigrant serv-

ices which are set to take effect on July

30, 2007. Even more disappointing to the

DANR is that some of the final fee

increases are actually higher than the

original proposed increases by the

USCIS in its January 31 announcement.

DANR expressed our community pro-

found disappointed with proposed fee

increases by the USCIS as this will create

hardship not only for new and future

Dominican immigrants, but also the

thousands of Dominican American fami-

lies who sponsor family-based migration

to the U.S.

DANR called on Congress to act accord-

ingly to remedy the potential damage

that the fee increases will have on immi-

grant communities.

DANR Urges United States Senate

to Support Pro-Family Immigration

Reform Amendments and Oppose

Divisive Ones

On June 5, 2007, The Dominican


urged the community to call their United

States Senators and tell them that we

want a comprehensive immigration

reform bill that unites families.

The DANR Urges the Senate to Vote“YES” on the Following Amendments

Menendez-Hagel AmendmentIntroduced by Senators Robert Menendez(D–NJ) and Chuck Hagel (R–NE)

The Menendez-Hagel amendmentwould change the “cut-off” date forlegal immigrant applicants from May 1,2005 to January 1, 2007 which is thesame “cut-off date” set for the legaliza-tion of undocumented immigrants.

Clinton-Hagel-Menendez AmendmentIntroduced by Senators Hilary Rodham Clinton (D–NY), Chuck Hagel (R–NE), and Robert Menendez (D–NJ)

The Clinton-Hagel-Menendez amend-ment will re-categorize spouses and chil-dren of LPRs as “immediate relatives,”thereby eliminating the cap on the num-ber of visas available to these familymembers and thus allow permanent res-idents of the U.S. to reunite with theirspouses and minor children.

Dodd-Menendez AmendmentIntroduced by Senators Christopher Dodd(D–CT) and Robert Menendez (D–NJ)

The Dodd-Menendez amendmentwould increase the annual cap of greencards from 40,000 to 90,000 for parents. Itwould also extend the duration of thefamily visitor visa from 30 days to 180days and make the visa renewable for 3years in order to make it easier for fami-lies to remain together for a longer peri-od. Additionally, it would make penaltieslevied on individuals who overstay theirvisa only applicable to that individualand not collectively applied to their fel-low citizens.

Obama-Menendez AmendmentsIntroduced by Senators Barack Obama (D–IL)and Robert Menendez (D–NJ)

The Obama-Menendez Amendmentswould “sunset” or repeal the point sys-tem after five years of implementation.Congress could then renew the pointsystem or reinstate revised versions ofthe historically used family-based andemployment-based systems – whicheverserves the American people best. This

amendment would not change the bill’spurpose or substance, but it would safe-guard our immigration system andensure that only the best practices arepermanently implemented.

The DANR Urged the Senate to Vote “NO” on the FollowingAmendments

Allard AmendmentsIntroduced by Senator Wayne Allard (R–CO)

This amendment would deny greencards to Z visa holders.

Cornyn Amendment #1184Introduced by Senator John Cornyn (R–TX)

This amendment would expand the classof aggravated felony crimes and makethem retroactive, resulting in the mostdrastic consequences for immigrants. Itwould make the fraudulent use of aSocial Security number for employmentreasons grounds for deportation.

Sessions Amendments #1234 and #1235Introduced by Senator Jeff Sessions (R–AL)

• These amendments would deny theEarned Income Tax Credit to legal immi-grants.

• The Sessions #1234 Amendment woulddeny immigrants the Earned Income TaxCredit after they achieve legal status,forcing them to pay much higher taxrates than other Americans until theyhave adjusted to legal permanent resi-dent status (which could take manyyears).

• The Sessions #1235 Amendment wouldimpose a five-year block on EarnedIncome Tax Credit eligibility for virtuallyall legal immigrants.

McConnell Amendment #1170Introduced by Senator Mitch McConnell (R–KY)

This amendment would require photoidentification for voting which has noth-ing to do with immigration reform, andwould likely reduce participation of eligi-ble voters who lack the documentation



this amendment requires. All U.S. citi-zens would be required to obtain identi-fication documents that would allowthem to vote.

It would consequently establish a form of“poll tax” which will undermine electoralparticipation.

DANR Calls on US Senate andPresident Bush to Work Together to Pass Real ComprehensiveImmigration Reform

On June 12, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)called on the United States Senate tokeep working towards a comprehensive

immigration reform bill that provides apath towards citizenship for the thou-sands of undocumented Dominicansand millions of undocumented immi-grants, and does not create new familyreunification obstacles. The DANR iscalled on President George W. Bush towork harder to engage those membersof the United States Senate who wereresponsible for attempting to derail thebill with unworkable amendments.Additionally, the DANR expresses strongdisappointment that the Senate wasunable to come together to pass animmigration reform bill.

The DANR is hold Republican andDemocratic Congressional Members, as

well as President Bush responsible forpassing immigration reform in theCongress this year. Failure to pass a billwould be viewed by DominicanAmericans who are spread throughoutall fifty states as a failure of national lead-ership to address one of the most criticalissues affecting our Nation today. TheSenate compromise had some negativeprovisions that needed to be improvedupon through amendments or inHouse/Senate conference. The DANRexpressed its strong disappointment inthe failure of many family-based amend-ments last week. An immigration bill thatseparates families goes against the coreprinciples of family values in America.

Capitol Building in Washington, District of Columbia


DANR urged the Senate to return itsfocus on providing leadership andresolve to provide true ImmigrationReform.

DANR Vows to Keep Fighting for RealComprehensive Immigration Reform

On July 3, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)vowed to continue to fight for real com-prehensive immigration reform that isfair, realistic, and achieves the goal ofbringing the thousands of undocument-ed Dominicans and the estimated 12 mil-lion undocumented immigrants into theAmerican sunlight while uniting families.The DANR thanked the many Senatorswho tried to make improvements to theso-called “Grand Compromise” andattempted to keep the debate alive inthe U.S. Senate.

The DANR worked with Congress topass immigration legislations that com-mand broad bi-partisan support includ-ing the DREAM Act, which will addressthe challenges facing the thousands ofundocumented students who are seek-ing educational opportunities that willultimately benefit all Americans.

The DANR expressed grave concern thatmore anti-immigrant local ordinanceswill be proposed if Congress does notact on comprehensive immigrationreform.

DANR Urges US Senate to Pass DREAM Act Amendment to NationalDefense Authorization Act

On July 17, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)

is called on the United States Senate topass the Development, Relief, andEducation for Alien Minors Act (DREAMAct). United States Senators RichardDurbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), andRichard Lugar (R-IN) are expected tointroduce the DREAM Act as an amend-ment to H.R. 1585: The National DefenseAuthorization Act For Fiscal Year 2008 asearly as today. The amendment requires60 votes in the Senate to pass. If theDREAM Act becomes law, it will bringour undocumented immigrant studentsone step closer to having access to a col-lege education and a path to citizenship.Our undocumented students did notcome to the U.S. by choice and manyhave lived in the U.S. for most of theirlives.

The DANR Praises Court Ruling on Anti-Immigrant Ordinances ofHazleton, Pennsylvania. US DistrictJudge Ruled Hazleton Ordinances asUnconstitutional

On July 27, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)praised the ruling in a Pennsylvania U.S.District Court in the case of Lozano V.City of Hazleton. The Court ruledHazleton’s anti-immigrant ordinances asunconstitutional. The Hazleton ordi-nances sought to impose severe penal-ties on landlords and employers if theyrented to, or hired undocumented resi-dents. Under another law, Hazleton ten-ants would have had to prove they werecitizens or lawful residents, register withthe city, and pay for a city-issued rentalpermit in order to receive an occupancypermit. The Hazleton ordinances wereconsidered to be among the strictest

anti-immigrant local laws in the UnitedStates.

On July 26th 2007, Judge James M.Munley of the U.S. District Court inScranton, PA issued a ruling via a 207page opinion that the Hazleton, PA ordi-nance, known as the “Illegal ImmigrationRelief Act”:

The challenge to the Hazleton ordi-nances were led by the Puerto RicanLegal Defense & Education Fund(PRLDEF), the American Civil LibertiesUnion (ACLU), the ACLU of Pennsylvania,the PA Community Justice Project, thelaw firm of Cozen O’Connor, and locallawyers David Vaida and George Barron.

DANR Urges US Senate to Pass DREAM Act Amendment to HR: 1585:National Defense Authorization Act

On September 20, 2007, The DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR)called on the United States Senate topass the Development, Relief, andEducation for Alien Minors Act (DREAMAct). United States Senators RichardDurbin (D-IL), Chuck Hagel (R-NE), andRichard Lugar (R-IN) were expected tointroduce the DREAM Act as an amend-ment to H.R. 1585: The National DefenseAuthorization Act For Fiscal Year 2008.The amendment requires 60 votes in theSenate to pass. If the DREAM Actbecomes law, it will bring our undocu-mented immigrant students one stepcloser to having access to a college edu-cation and a path to citizenship. Ourundocumented students did not cometo the U.S. by choice and many havelived in the U.S. for most of their lives.


































SPECIALEVENTS


Dominican Identity and Migrations to HispaniolaDANR hosted a showing of the film “Dominican Identity &Migration to Hispaniola”. This was a the film that was shownduring the DANR conference and recently during the NJConference on Dominican Affairs. Approximately 135 peopleattended including students from high schools and colleges,community leaders, professors and much more.

The film documents the roots of the African, African–American,Caribbean, European, Arabic, Jewish, and Asian migrations toHispaniola and how these groups have contributed to the mul-ticultural richness of the Dominican people. The documentaryplaying time is approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Dominican Identity and Migrations To Hispaniola wasresearched and produced by Nestor Montilla, a board memberof the DANR and also Director of Public Relations at HostosCommunity College, a campus of the City University of NewYork located in the Bronx, NY. The film was commissioned byAna I. Garcia–Reyes, Director of International Programs forHostos Community College and the 2002 President of theDANR. The film is narrated by Dr. Irma Nicasio of theUniversidad Autonoma de Santo Domingo.

The White House Reception in honorof the 163rd Dominican IndependenceCelebrationOn Monday, March 5, 2007, the White House hosted the 5thAnnual Dominican Independence Day Reception. The keynotespeaker this year was Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez.Hon. Carlos Gutierrez, Secretary of Commerce commemoratedDominican Independence Day at the White House. In hisremarks, the Secretary praised the Dominican government formoving forward with CAFTA–DR implementation, “I applaudDominican President Leonel Fernandez and the government ofthe Dominican Republic for implementing the CAFTA–DR FreeTrade Agreement. CAFTA–DR has proven to be an exceptionalagreement. I'm very pleased that the Dominican Republic isjoining its Central American neighbors in implementingCAFTA–DR. The Dominican Republic is our largest export mar-ket among the CAFTA–DR countries with exports totaling $5.3billion in 2006. We are pleased to be able to advance ourlong–standing friendship and deepen our trading relations withthe Dominican Republic".

1 Artwork of the film "Dominican Identity & Migration to Hispaniola"

2 Hon. Carlos Gutierrez, Secreatry of Commerce

3 Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez poses with DANR Board Members in the Indian Treaty Roomat the White House

4 Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez with DANR Board Members

5 Victor Capellan at The White House

2

3

4

5

1


On April 19, 2007, DANR convened its Members of its NationalBoard of Directors as well as community leaders, and generalmembers to attend the 5th Annual Legislative Day–“Dominicans on the Hill” sponsored by Altria. Dominicans onthe Hill has become one of DANR’s hallmark activities wherebyDANR members can come to Washington, D.C. to meet withmany key members of Congress and address important legisla-tive issues that are taking center stage in our Nation’s capital.These issues include immigration reform, K–12 and HigherEducation, Small Business and Entrepreneurial programs,health care and the upcoming 2010 Census.

The day’s event began with a Legislative Breakfast hosted in theU.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. DANR welcomed theparticipation of Senator Robert Menendez (NJ), Rep. CharlesRangel (NY), Rep. Carolyn Malloney (NY), Rep. DonnaChristensen (US Virgin Island) and Rep. Hilda Solis (CA).

After the breakfast sessions, members of the Board of Director’sheld one–on–one office meetings with key members ofCongress and their staff, including: Rep. Christopher Murphy(CT), Rep. Charles Dent (PA); Rep. James McGovern (MA); Rep.Robert Andrews (NJ); Rep. Eliot Engel (NY); Rep. MarioDiaz–Ballart (FL); Rep. Joseph Crowley (NY); Rep. LincolnDiaz–Ballart (FL); Rep. Luis Fortuno (PR); Rep. Patrick Kennedy(RI); Albio Sires (NJ); Rep. James Langevin (RI); Rep. SteveRothman (NJ); and Senators Whitehouse (RI); Senator JackReed (RI), and Senator Bill Nelson’s staff.

1 One of the halls at the US Capitol Building. 2 Congressman Charles Rangel.

3 Rep. Carolyn Maloney. 4 Rep. Eliot Engel. 5 Rep. Hilda Solis.

6 Senator Robert Menendez. 7 Delegate Donna Christensen.

8 Victor Capellan, President DANR. 9 DANR Board Members at Capitol Hill

1 2

3 4

5 6

7 8

9

DANR 5th Annual Legislative Day“Dominicans on the Hill”


here. Presently, some interpretations of thecurrent immigration laws classify a singlenon-violent misdemeanor as a basis fordeporting individuals from the UnitedStates, no matter how long he or she hasbeen a lawful permanent resident andregardless of the time lived in the UnitedStates. Children of U.S. citizens who havelived their entire life in the U.S. and do notrecognize the culture or language of theirparent's home country face the reality ofbeing deportated with no option of relieffrom removal. DANR asks the USDepartment of Justice and HomelandSecurity to work to modify the punitiveinterpretation of the immigration law thatcan lead to one's removal from the UnitedStates.

2010 Census:

After the 2000 Census report was pub-lished, the Dominican American NationalRoundtable made several requests to theU.S. Bureau of the Census asking it to revis-it the data upon which it based the numberof Dominicans living the United States.According to the Census, less than a millionDominican lived in the U.S. at the time.However, academics and other organiza-

IMMIGRATION

The Dominican American NationalRoundtable strongly urges Congress topass comprehensive immigration reformthat recognizes our Nation's proud historyas a country of immigrants, but alsoenhances our national and communitysecurity.

Dominican Americans form a loyal commu-nity that has benefited tremendously fromthe U.S. immigration system, but also rec-ognizes the need to improve our systems toaddress long-standing shortcomings. TheDominican community values the role offamily in our society, and in support of thisvalue urges Congress and the President topass laws and regulations that will increaselegal immigration, especially based on theprinciple of family reunification. We strong-ly support initiatives that will eliminate thevisa and processing backlogs for familiesseeking reunification through legal means,provide an earned legalization program toaddress the undocumented immigrantswho have become a critical part to oureconomy, and create legal means for theflow of workers in both high- and low-skilledjobs to fill jobs Americans do not fill.

The DANR is also aware and understandsthat as part of comprehensive immigrationreform we must enhance enforcement ofour immigration laws, to address the crimi-nal smuggling organizations that prey onour communities and create vulnerabilitiesin our homeland security.

DANR also recognizes the importance ofDominicans to become a permanent part ofthe United States by acquiring U.S.Citizenship. Although the decision tobecome a U.S. citizen is a personal deci-sion, DANR strongly encourages allDominicans who have achieved lawful per-manent resident status to acquire U.S.Citizenship and support our country's val-ues. We ask that Congress provides suffi-cient appropriations to U.S. Citizenship andImmigration Services to ensure that all whoqualify for and seek the honor of becominga U.S. citizen can do so in an efficient andeconomically affordable manner.

Finally, DANR urges Congress to review ourcurrent law’s basis for removing (or deport-ing) individuals based on the commission ofnon-violent misdemeanors, and considerreinstating judicial discretion to provide aone-time waiver from removal for individu-als who have established otherwise strongties to their community and family members

The Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR) is a non-partisan, non-profit organization which seeks tounite the different voices of all people of Dominican origin in the United States. DANR provides a national forumfor analysis, planning, and action to advance the educational, economic, legal, social, cultural, and politicalinterests of Dominican-Americans. DANR is the only national organization serving the growing Dominican-American Community throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Island. It aims to ensure thatall Dominican-Americans enjoy the full exercise of the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the U.S.Constitution.

Legislative Priorities

Hon. Bob MenendezCongressman Charles Rangel


tions estimated that Dominicans accountedfor 1.2 to 1.5 millions. Among the manyexplanations for this undercounting andmisreporting is the fact that the Censusform does not include a stand alone box forDominicans among the Hispanic groups.Instead, Dominicans must respond bychecking the “others” box ofHispanic/Latino groups. This is a significantcontrast to stand alone boxes used specifi-cally for Mexican, Puerto Rican and Cuban.

According to a Census report on HispanicPopulations issued in May 2001, www.cen-sus.gov/prod/2001pubs/c2kbr01-3.pdf,when asked to identify a person’s Hispanicorigin, the box related to “others” was des-ignated as a “catch-all” box on the formwhere all other Hispanic/Latino groupswere to be consolidated as a single number.Therefore, not only did the “others” boxinclude Dominicans, but it also included allof Central and South Americans, as well asSpaniards. It is believed that in 2000,approximately 10 million Hispanics wouldhave filed under “others,” a number equiv-alent to at least 28% of the total 35.6 millionHispanics as identified by the 2000 USCensus. However, the 2000 US Census onlyidentified 39 % of these “other” Hispanics.

Based on U.S. Census data, DANR stronglybelieves that the 2000 Census made a grossnumerical misreporting and undercountingas to the number of Dominicans living in theU.S. As we prepare for the 2010 Census, theDANR is committed to ensure that suchmistakes do not re-occur, and thatDominicans are afforded a separate standalone box along side Mexican, Cubans andPuerto Rican.

The consequences of such misreportingand underreporting result in serious policyimpacts for Dominican-American communi-ties throughout the United States. If theprocess by which Dominicans are countedand reported through the U.S. Census, thenDominican Americans and Dominicans liv-ing in the Unites States will continue to beharmed in the following ways:

1) Public Invisibility

U.S. Media, grant makers, interest groups,political parties and other organizations atthe local, state and federal levels will con-tinue to ignore the presence and contribu-tions of U.S. Dominicans.

2) Advocacy Problems

Without an accurate counting ofDominicans our community-based organi-zations, nor government institutions, willnot be able to extend their efforts toincrease government and community serv-ice, as well as civic participation. Further-more they will not be able to tap into pub-lic and private grants in order to service ourgrowing communities.

3) Undermine the understanding ofDominican Americans

Academics, business, government, and pol-icy-makers need accurate numbers to assistin their knowledge, service and design ofpublic policy initiatives and programsdesigned at servicing Dominican- Americancommunities. In particularly, the process of

re-districting congressional maps will beimpacted by such flawed census informa-tion. Overall, this leaves governmental insti-tutions limited to using only the annualCurrent Population Survey for their studiesand evaluation of policy initiatives until thenext census in 2020.

4) Distrust in the US Census Bureau

It will be difficult for Dominican advocatesto encourage greater community participa-tion in future Census programs if there is noassurance as to the credibility and accuracyof the data.

The DANR urges the House Committee onOversight and Government Reform,Subcommittee on Information Policy,Census, and National Archives, as well asthe Senate’s Commerce Committee toinquire and investigate the Census contin-ued undercounting and underreporting ofDominican American communities aroundthe country as we prepare for the upcoming2010 census.

EDUCATION

The Dominican community places a highvalue on the education of its children, andas such it is a top priority of the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable (DANR).Throughout the years, DominicanAmericans have made many advances inthe area of education attainment. However,despite these accomplishments, the educa-tional attainment gap between Dominicansand other groups continues to persist andgrow.

Hon. Eliot Engel, Cid Wilson and H. E. Flavio D. Espinal Hon. Donna Christensen


Among our major concerns is the increasingdropout rate, not only among Dominicans,but also among all Latino communities. Thisis, as DANR recognizes, one of the greatestchallenges of Dominican Americans. Inorder to counter this growing trend, DANRproposes increased funding for local inter-vention measures aimed at the elementaryand secondary level since the highest per-centage of dropouts comes before the 10thgrade. DANR firmly believes that increasefunding for community based organizationsin order to help support Dominican familiesas they work to prevent truancy and schooldrop-out is a critical investment in our com-munity’s future.

DANR is working to promote greater accessto Higher Education. According toHispanics in College (Fry, 2003), only 16% ofHispanics who graduated from high schoolgo on to complete a bachelor degree.

DANR supports legislation and programsaimed at reversing the drop out rate, nar-rowing the achievement gap and promot-ing higher education in our community.DANR urges passage of the DREAM ACT,which would provide undocumented immi-grant students raised in the U.S., and whohave graduated from U.S. high schools, toattend college and place them on a path tosuccess and citizenship in America.Furthermore, DANR calls for increasedcapacity-building support for Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs); and urges atten-tion to Hispanic student needs in theReauthorization of the No Child Left BehindAct.

SMALL BUSINESS

The Dominican-American community hasbecome a hallmark of Latino entrepreneur-

ship. Currently Dominican-Americans smallbusiness owners are paving the way tourban revitalization and renewal. However,access to capital, technical assistance andbusiness education continue to be absent,and resources remain scarce whenDominican Americans are consideringstarting their own business venture.

The DANR in collaboration with the privatesector such as Freddie Mac and other finan-cial institutions has begun to promote andimplement financial literacy programsdesigned for both individuals and smallbusiness entrepreneurs. We believe finan-cial literacy is a critical tool to ensureagainst debt-driven communities and topromote family and business financial secu-rity and prosperity.

Given the present housing reality, DANRcontinues to monitor homeownershipopportunities, and to work against predato-ry lending practices, as well as to monitorforeclosure rates within the differentDominican-American communities aroundthe country.

DANR urges Congress to ensure that Latinocommunities around the country are afford-ed financial opportunities and protectionagainst predatory and high risk lending.

HOPE/DR-CAFTA

The DANR seeks to serve as a vehicletowards improving Dominican-Haitian rela-tions. As Dominican-American, the DANR iscommitted to advocate for legislation andpolicies designed to strengthen collabora-tive efforts between the DominicanRepublic and Haiti, but also betweenDominican-Americans and Haitian-Americans. DANR believed that promotingeconomic opportunities and development

between the two countries also strengthensopportunities for our respective communi-ties living in the U.S. DANR seeks toenhance social and cultural understanding,as well as promoting democratic principlesof governance, social equality and humanrights.

Along these goals, DANR, supports theimplementation of the Haitian HemisphericOpportunity through Partnership Encour-agement Act of 2006 (HOPE). DANRbelieves that with the return to office ofPresident Preval, Haiti stands at a criticaljuncture to create sustained economicopportunity for its citizens. Job creationand investment opportunities are but twoof the key cornerstones needed to securesuch economic development as incorporat-ed under HOPE.

Currently, Dominican Free Zones entrepre-neurs and Haitian entrepreneurs haveengaged in joint ventures which seek toleverage economic development opportu-nities for both countries under DR-CAFTAand HOPE. But despite its economicpotential, entrepreneurs are facing imple-mentation challenges under both tradeagreements and legislation. The increasedjob loss in both countries is a direct threatto the future of the island, and thus baringa direct impact on both immigrant commu-nities in the U.S. Among the most notablechallenges for economic developmentunder DR-CAFTA and HOPE concern“short supply list,” Mexico Accumulation,pocketing and twin plants.

DANR hopes to engage members ofCongress in revisiting the DR-CAFTA andHOPE implementation process.


DANR at the 7th New JerseyConference on Dominican AffairsThe concept of the Conference emerged in August 2000,in a historical gathering of forty Dominican leaders at thePaterson Museum. Following five months of meetingsheld throughout the state, where the educational, eco-nomic, legal, social and political status of the more than200,000 Dominicans in New Jersey were discussed, it wasdecided on that summer afternoon that it was necessaryto address the urgent reality of Dominicans residing in thisstate, in a "group conversation"/ "meeting of the minds"setting. A steering committee, led by Maria TeresaFeliciano, and including Manuel Segura, Juan Jimenez,Narciso Ortiz, Samuel Bautista, and Pedro Martinez, wasappointed to organize the first New Jersey StateConference on Dominican Affairs.

1 Dora Maria Abreu at the 7th New Jersey Conference on Dominican Affairs.

2 Victor Capellan addresses the audience on Dominican Affairs.

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1 Students from New York joined DANR Board Members atthe Youth Planning Meeting

2 Relief Efforts in New York City

3 DANR Board Member Alejandra Castillo spent a morningvisiting children from Haina

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DANR Youth Planning MeetingDANR President Victor F. Capellan hostsa meeting at College in New York Cityfor young people interested in launchingthe DANR Youth Initiative. BoardMembers Cid Wilson, Julissa Ferreras,Nestor Montilla and Dora Maria Abreuwere present as well as Jeanne Mullgravthe Commissioner of Youth andCommunity Development for the City ofNew York.

DANR Noel TropicalStorm Relief EffortsTropical Storm Noel hit the DominicanRepublic and Haiti causing major flood-ing and other damages. DANRannounced the creation of the DANRTropical Storm Noel Relief Fund that willhelp with the relief efforts taking place inthe U.S. for the purpose of supportingthe thousands of Dominicans who havebeen affected. The community wasurged to help with the relief efforts bydonating to the DANR Tropical StormNoel Relief Fund on the DominicanAmerican National Roundtable or bymail. A fund was set up to collect reliefsupport to help the victims. Charitablecontribution to the Dominican AmericanNational Roundtable's Tropical StormNoel Relief Fund to help provide relief tothe victims in the Dominican Republic ofTropical Storm Noel.

National Youth ConferenceDANR supported the National YouthConference as a co–sponsor and DANRPresident Victor F. Capellan served askeynote speaker.


DANR Membership DriveA membership drive campaign waslaunched on June 1st, 2007. The goalwas to have at least minimum 300 newmembers by August 2007.

DANR/DR–CaftaBreakfastCommerce Secretary applaudedDominican Republic CAFTA–DRImplementation. Secretary Gutierrezreleased a statement following PresidentBush's certification that the DominicanRepublic has implemented theCAFTA–DR, opening the way for theagreement to go into force today. TheDominican Republic is the United States’largest export market among theCAFTA–DR countries, with exports total-ing $5.3 billion in 2006. The historicagreement will create greater access tothe Dominican market for U.S. exporters,level the playing field for American work-ers and promote democracy in theregion.

DANR 2nd AnnualDominican MakingWaves CruiseProvidence, RI leaders held the SecondAnnual Dominican Making Waves”fundraising event.

DANR meeting with H.E. Flavio Dario Espinal in Washington,DC and other representatives from Dominican Republic andUnited States

DANR Board Members from New York and Rhode Island

DANR Board Member Pura Vazquez, DANR President VictorCapellan and RI State Senator Juan Pichardo during thebreakfast in Puerto Rico

DANR FraternizationBreakfast in PRDANR President Victor F. Capellan,Former DANR President and 10thAnniversary Conference Chairman CidWilson and Board Member AlejandraCastillo, join Puerto Rico Board MemberPura Vazquez to host a breakfast forDominican leaders in Puerto Rico.

DANR Youth ConferenceBrown University Students

DANR supported the National YouthConference as a co–sponsor and DANRPresident Victor F. Capellan served askeynote speaker.

DANR in DR HAINA / US Hispanic Chamber of CommerceAs part of the overall USHCC“DR–CAFTA” trip to the DominicanRepublic, members of the traveling dele-gation comprised of entrepreneurs andmedical professionals visited the neigh-borhood of Haina in Santo Domingo.The delegation delivered medical sup-plies to leaders of the Haina communitywhich has seen the highest rate of chil-dren born with cerebral palsy due tounderground water contamination.


































STRATEGICNATIONALPARTNERS


Capital AwardsWashington, DC (March, 2007)

The NCLR Capital Awards is the premier Hispanic event inWashington, DC, providing an opportunity for attendees to net-work with top policy- and decision-makers who work to improvethe lives of Hispanic Americans.

The National Council of La Raza (NCLR) Capital Awards is anannual gala event which brings together more than 800 electedand appointed officials, Hispanic leaders, community activists,executives from the Fortune 500 companies, philanthropic lead-ers, and scholars who come together in Washington, D.C. tohonor members of Congress from both sides of the aisle fortheir outstanding support to legislation and public policies vitalto Hispanic Americans.

Latino Leader NetworkLunch with Omar MinayaWashington, DC (September 19, 2007)

Latino Leaders Luncheon Series

The Latino Leaders Luncheon Series was launched by MickeyIbarra & Associates in 2004 to provide a platform for prominentLatinos to network with each other and gain insight from their

peers. The first Latino Leaders Luncheon was held at the BostonPark Plaza on July 27, 2004 during the Democratic NationalConvention where then Representative Bob Menendezaddressed an audience of over 500 Latino delegates and lead-ers. Additional speakers included former Secretary of Housingand Urban Development Henry Cisneros, former Small BusinessAdministrator Aida Alvarez and then Los AngelesCouncilmember Antonio Villaraigosa.

The 2006 Series added the Latino Leaders Issue Hour, a dia-logue on issues important to the Latino community. The LatinoLeaders Luncheon Series featured speakers are presented withthe Nambe Eagle Leadership Award as a symbol of vision,achievement and commitment to the Latino community.

DANR at NCLR Conference Miami, FL (Julio 19-24, 2007)

NCLR’s Annual Conference is the largest gathering of its kind inthe Hispanic community, serving as the meeting ground forover 20,000 community organization leaders, activists, and vol-unteers; elected and appointed officials; members of the cor-porate, philanthropic, and academic communities; senior citi-zens; college students; and youth. The National Council of LaRaza (NCLR) was thrilled to hold this year’s Annual Conferencein Miami, Florida! With the most recent U.S. Census polls

1 DANR President Victor Capellan, NCLR President Janet Murguia and DANR Vice President Luis Guzman at NCLR Captiol Awards. 2 Luis Guzman, Alejandra Castillo and Victor Capellan. 3 DANR Board Members with Mickey Ibarra and other guests

1 Victor Capellan, Saily Cabral, Maryland Secretary of Labor Tom Perez and Dora Maria Abreu. 2 Omar Minaya with Mickey Ibarra. 3 DANR President Victor Capellan addresses the audience atthe Latino Leader Network Luncheon.

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reporting that more than 60% of Miami’s two million residentsare Hispanic, Miami was the perfect venue for NCLR’s 2007Annual Conference and Latino Expo USA.

U.S. Hispanic Chamber ofCommerce visit to DRDominican Republic (March, 2007)

DANR was invited to join the U.S. Hispanic Chamber ofCommerce’s delegation together with its President, DavidLizarraga, and Executive Director, Michael Barrera, on its firstvisit to the Dominican Republic. DANR was represented byNational Board Members, Alejandra Y. Castillo and MurielAlfonseca. The visit’s achieved its primary goal to create com-mercial dialogue and partnerships under the DominicanRepublic-Central America Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA).Throughout the visit members of DANR and USHCC held sev-eral meetings with members of the Dominican Senate andChamber of Deputies, the Dominican Secretary of Industry andCommerce, as well as with the Import-Export representativesand entrepreneurs. The visit culminated with an presidentialdinner hosted by President Leonel Fernandez at the DominicanPalace where both USHCC and DANR shared their view, goalsand long-term collaborative projects designed to best capital-ize the growing trade potential and opportunities under DR-CAFTA.

Congressional Black Caucus GalaWashington, DC (October 1, 2007)

With a focus on Leadership Education, Public Health, andEconomic Development, CBCF is the premier organization thatcreates, identifies, analyzes and disseminates policy-orientedinformation critical to advancing African Americans and peopleof African descent towards equity in economics, health andeducation. Democratic presidential candidates – SenatorsBarack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of NewYork – and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) were amongthe thousands of attendees at the gala dinner held at theWashington Convention Center.

1 DANR Board Members Dora M. Abreu, Everin Perez, Jovanna Garcia and Aura Guzman. 2 DANR Board Members at NCLR Conference in Miami, Florida. 3 Luis Guzman, Dora M. Abreu and Oscar Herasme

1 Cid Wilson with Congressman Charles Rangel. 2 Cid Wilson with Delegate Donna Christensen and Congresswoman Yvette Clarke. 3 Cid Wilson with Rev. Al Sharpton.

Alejandra Castillo and Muriel Alfonseca at the National Palace in Dominican Republic

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Hispanic Heritage Month at The White HouseWashington, DC (October 10, 2007)

President Bush attends the Hispanic Heritage MonthCelebration at White House and recognized the rich culturaltraditions of the Hispanic American community and the greatcontributions of Hispanic Americans to our country. DuringHispanic Heritage Month, the White House celebrates thediversity that makes our country stronger — and the heritageand the spirit that Hispanic Americans bring to this greatdemocracy. To help celebrate the heritage and spirit, an incred-ible talent: “Cachao” born in Havana performed under thedirection of producer Emilio Estefan.

1 President George W. Bush, Emilio Estefan and other guests celebrating the Hispanic HeritageMonth at The White House

2 Victor Capellan with Emilio Estefan

3 Alejandra Castillo, Emilio Estefan and Muriel Alfonseca

4 Invitation to the Hispanic Heritage Month event at The White House

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Coors Lideres Training WorkshopsNew York October 12 & Washington, DC (October 30, 2007)

Coors Brewing Company rolled out the second phase of itsCoors Líderes campaign with the Coors Lideres TrainingWorkshop for Hispanic non-profits and partner organizations.The unique leadership development program is being offeredin five cities across the country. According to Rafael Fantauzzi,the Hispanic Corporate Relations Director for Coors BrewingCompany, the Líderes Training Workshop Program is a four-hour training program based on a personalized assessment tooldeveloped by The Gallup Organization. Based on years ofresearch and behavioral studies, Gallup found that individualswho focus on their areas of greatest talent have the best oppor-tunity of attaining personal and professional success. “This is anexceptional opportunity for Coors to provide capacity-buildingfor our partnering Hispanic non-profits” Fantauzzi said.

Launched in June 2006, the Coors Líderes Program celebratesand supports leadership within the Hispanic community. Thefirst phase of the campaign showcased national and local lead-ers in the Hispanic community through twelve print ads high-lighting twenty Hispanic leaders during Hispanic Heritagemonth. This advertising campaign portrayed the diverse demo-graphics represented in the U.S. Hispanic community and cele-brated its leadership, biculturalism and bilingualism. In additionto the five workshops, the 2007 Coors Líderes Program rolledout a second print advertising campaign during HispanicHeritage month. The national and local Hispanic leaders high-lighted in the campaign were chosen in part by Hispanic non-profits because these individuals embody the values of theorganizations and because they represent the Hispanic commu-nity at large.

Puerto Rican Legaland Education Fund (PRLDEF) New York, NY (November, 2007)

DANR attended the 30th Anniversary Gala of the Puerto RicanLegal and Education Fund. This year, PRLDEF honored DANRfounding member Ramona Romero, Esq. with its prestigiousLucero Award.

3 Alejandra Castillo, Executive Director of CHCI Esther Aguilera and Muriel Alfonseca

1 Cid Wilson andRamona Romero atPRLDEF Gala atthe Grand Hyatt inNYC

2 Group Photo atPRLDEF Gala atGrand Hyatt inNYC

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AWARDS&

RECOGNITIONS

Johnny Ventura (born Juan de Dios Ventura Soriano, March 8,1940, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) is a widely renownDominican merengue composer and singer, the first toachieve widespread fame outside of the Dominican Republic.He is known throughout the world as the legendaryMerenguero, "El Caballo".

Mr. Ventura and his orchestra, the "Combo Show", added rockand roll elements to the genre in the early 1960s, influencedby the early stars of American rock (including Elvis Presley). Hishits include “Patacón pisao”, “Pitaste”, “El elevador”, “Laagarradera”, “Capullo y Sorrullo”, “Filete” and “El tabaco.”He has recorded over 100 albums, and he continued torecord into the 1990s.

Rosita M. RomeroHermanas Mirabal Award for Leadership - Woman

Rosita M. Romero was born in the Dominican Republic to aworking class family. Her parents migrated to Puerto Rico in1973. After living in Puerto Rico for six years, she moved to the


United States in 1979, where she has resided since. Shestarted her professional education at the University PuertoRico, completed a Bachelors of Arts Degree in Sociology atthe University of New Haven in Connecticut, and laterobtained a Master in Social Work, from Hunter College Schoolof Social Work. She is married and has two wonderfulchildren. Presently Rosita is the Executive Director and co-founder of the Dominican Women’s Development Center, asixteen year old organization that works with Dominican andother Latina Women in the Washington Heights/Inwood area,organizing them to deal with the problems affecting their dailylives.

Ms. Romero also organized several community events andcoordinated many youth and family projects within thecommittee. She has considerable experience in the area ofcommunity organizing, advocacy and coalition building.

Presently she is the Co-Convener of the Washington Heights/Inwood GENE Project Coalition; a member of the New YorkPresbyterian Community Health Advisory Council; a memberof the Planning Council of the Columbia Center for the Healthof Urban Minorities (CHUM); a member of the Start RightImmunization Coalition in collaboration with the MailmanSchool of Public Health from Columbia University; a memberof the Healthy Schools/Healthy FamiliesCoalition in collaboration with New YorkPresbyterian Hospital; and the SisterlinkProject on Prevention of Perinatal HIV ofthe Northern Manhattan PerinatalPartnership.

She is recognized as a strong leadercommitted to social justice and is wellrespected in her community. In theprocess of becoming a leader she hasmotivated, helped, and inspired othersto do the same. She has received aLatino Achievement Award from the Officeof Latinos Affairs at New York University;the Susan B. Anthony award from theNational Organization of Women;the Mother Theresa of CalcuttaAward from Dominican Sunday,Inc.; the Women of PowerAward from Casa AtabexAche; the Community ServiceAward from CongressmanCharles B. Rangel; for hercontribution to theEmpowerment of DominicanWomen; a CommunityService Award from thePuerto Rican Legal Defenseand Education Fund; aWomen’s Leadership Award

Johnny VenturaJuan Pablo Duarte Award - Lifetime Achievement Award

Amaris D. GuzmanLeadership Program DANR Rising StarAward

Amaris D. Guzman is a nativeborn Dominican American bornand raised in Paterson, NJ. Sheis recent graduate of St. John'sUniversity in Queens, NY andreceived a Bachelors of Sciencedegree in Criminal Justice.During her years at St. John's,Amaris became president andfounder of the Latino AmericanStudent Organization and wasnominated student leader ofthe year for Latin HeritageMonth in October of 2006.

As a student leader, she alsoattended over a dozenStudent Leadership Conferences around the nation includingFlorida, Texas, Washington D.C., and the Tri-State area. Hercommunity activism has allowed her to travel to different partsof the world including Panama, Puerto Rico, and theDominican Republic.

In the summer of 2005, Amaris participated in the DANR'sDominican Leadership Institute which taught the dynamics ofPolitics and Democracy. This program allowed her to activelypartake in leadership roles within the organization. She iscurrently a Co-Chair of the DANR Youth Initiative begun in theFall of 2007 to help address some of the issues of DominicanAmerican Students and their communities. Amaris currentlyresides in Queens, NY where she will attend CUNY-BaruchCollege for her Masters in Higher Education Administrationbeginning in the spring of 2008.

Hugo M. MoralesSanchez & Mella Award for Community Service Award

Hugo M. Morales, M.D., DPN-P, F.A.P.A., originally appointedby Governor Pataki in June 2002 as a trustee of the Board ofThe City University of New York, Dr. Morales was reappointedby Governor Spitzer in October 2007.

Dr. Morales was the Medical Director of the Bronx MentalHealth Center, which he established and organized in 1965 inorder to provide innovative, comprehensive ambulatorymental health care services to low-income minority patients ofthe Bronx and other boroughs from 1965 to 1999.

Previously, Dr. Morales was Junior Psychiatrist at ElmhurstHospital in Queens (1961-62), Senior Psychiatrist at ManhattanState Hospital in Wards Island (1963-65), and Director of the


from Alianza Dominicana; an Outstanding Woman of the YearAward from El Diario La Prensa; a Thank You Award from theNeighborhood Trust Federal Credit Union; a Certificate ofRecognition from Entre Nosotras, Inc.; a Women of the NewMillenium Award from Hostos Community College for herOutstanding Leadership.

Francesca PeñaAmbar Award for Excellence

Francesca Peña was born in the Dominican Republic. Shemigrated to the United States at the age of 15. She began herpedagogical career in 1992 as a Mathematics teacher. In 1999,Francesca was a valued member of the team responsible tore-design and restructure the George Washington High SchoolCampus. In 2001, she was appointed Principal for the HighSchool of International Business and Finance. Under herleadership, this school received two big recognitions: In 2002,the Chancellor recognized the school as one of the top 200best performing schools in the city, therefore, exempting theschool from implementing the mandated curriculum.

The State Commissioner of Education recognized the schoolfor being one of the 574 out of a total of 2,041 statewideschools that accomplished the dual goal of increasing student

achievement while closing the gap instudent performance for the

school year 2003-2004. In 2004she was promoted to Local

InstructionalSuperintendent for

Region 10 in Manhattan.In 2005 Francesca wasappointed CommunitySuperintendent forSchool District 6 inManhattan. Last year,five of her ten schoolswere recognized bythe State Education

Department as highperforming/gap closing

schools. Francesca is currentlyserving as High School

Superintendent for theNew York CityDepartment ofEducation overseeing58 High Schools

throughout the City.


Department of Psychiatry at St. Francis Hospital in the Bronx(1966). Dr. Morales is a Diplomate of the American Board ofPsychiatry and Neurology, the American Board of QualityAssurance and Utilization Review Physicians, as well as theAmerican College of Forensic Examiners. Dr. Morales receivedhis Medical Degree from the University of Santo Domingo.

Dr. Morales was Chairman of the Dominican Board of theGovernor's Office for Hispanic Affairs, from 1984 to 1992, andserves as member on the Hispanic Federation Committee, theNew York State Department of Health Medical AdvisoryCommittee, the Governor's Task Force on Rape and SexualAssault, and the Hostos Community College Advisory Board.

Dr. Morales was a member of the Blue Ribbon Panel of theNew York City Board of Education in 1987, and the Presidentof the Bronx County Medical Society in 1985, President ofA.P.A. (Bronx Psychiatric) Society, Life Fellow of the AmericanPsychiatric Society, Founder and Chairman of the Dominican-American Foundation, and recipient of the Ellis Island Medalof Honor in 1996. Dr. Morales is Vice Chair of the Board'sStanding Committee on Academic Policy, Program, andResearch.

Alianza Dominicana Trinitaria Award to the Community of the Year

Alianza Dominicana, Inc. is a non-profit communitydevelopment organization that partners with youth, familiesand public and private institutions to revitalize economicallydistressed neighborhoods. Alianza's mission is to assistchildren, youth and families to break the cycle of poverty andfulfill their potential as members of the global community.

Founded in 1987, Alianza Dominicana, Inc. develops modelneighborhood-based initiatives using comprehensive and

integrated services thatattend to children,youth and families'multiple needs. Sinceits founding 13 years ago,Alianza has emerged as themost comprehensiveDominican human service andcommunity developmentagency in the US. It is the leadingauthority on Dominican-Americans, the fastest growing Latinopopulation in New York State. Dominicans are the secondlargest Latino community in New York State and the fourthlargest in the country.

Offering services in 11 sites, Alianza annually services morethan 17,000 individuals from Manhattan and the four otherboroughs. With a budget of $10 million and the most talentedand committed staff ever to work for one organization, AlianzaDominicana is the largest and most relied upon community-based youth and family service agency in the area.

Rhadames PegueroCaonabo Award for Leadership - Male

Executive Director of The Dominican American NationalFoundation, and Founder of the DANR

Rhadames Peguero was born on May 06,1946 in Santo Domingo, Dominican Re-public. He performed a leading role infounding the Dominican AmericanNational Foundation in 1989, and theDominican American NationalRoundtable in 1997, in Miami Florida.Peguero is known for successfullyestablishing the first DominicanAmerican 501© (3) non-profitorganization in Miami Florida.

In 1972 Mr. Peguero was electedpresident of Club 30 de Marzo inNew York City. In 1979,after residing in SantoDomingo for twoyears, he moved toMiami Florida andjoinedDominicana deAviacion, assalessupervisor.

In 1988 his attitude changed in the wake of the detention ofseveral Dominican “yoleros”; his desire to “change the world”emerged, and with the support of friends and relatives, theyestablished The Dominican American National Foundation.

The naming of Juan Pablo Duarte Park in the neighborhood ofAllapattah was an initiative of Mr. Peguero with the full supportof DANF’s board of directors.

Mr. Peguero is currently a board member of the Miami DadeCounty Youth Crime Task Force, he has served as a boardmember in the Miami Dade County Hispanic Affairs,Allapattah YMCA, City of Miami Community Development,and many others non-profit institutions.

In 2001 he was selected as “Nuestro Orgullo Hispano” byChannel 23 in Miami, and in 2004 by Miami Jackson SeniorHigh School as “Principal for a Day”.

Hon. Charles B. Rangel (Charlie) Special Recognition

Congressman Charles B. Rangel is serving his 19th term as theRepresentative from the 15th Congressional District,comprising East and Central Harlem, the Upper West Side,and Washington Heights/Inwood. He is the Chairman of theCommittee on Ways and Means, Chairman of the Board of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Dean ofthe New York State Congressional Delegation.

Congressman Rangel is a founding member and formerchairman of the Congressional Black Caucus; he was alsochairman of the New York State Council of Black ElectedDemocrats and was a member of the House JudiciaryCommittee during the hearings on the articles ofimpeachment of President Richard Nixon.


Congressman Rangel served in the U.S. Army from 1948-52,during which time he fought in Korea and was awarded thePurple Heart and Bronze Star. Congressman Rangel hasauthored several pieces of legislation to benefit minority andwomen veterans, including a successful bill that establishedthe Office of Minority Affairs Within the Department ofVeterans Affairs.

Congressman Rangel is a graduate of New York University andSt. John's University School of Law. He has spent his entirecareer in public service, first as an Assistant U.S. attorney forthe Southern District of New York, and later in the New YorkState Assembly. He was elected to the92nd Congress on November3, 1970, and has been re-elected to eachsucceeding Congress.

Congressman Rangellives in Harlem withhis wife Alma, who isa founding member ofthe CongressionalBlack Caucus Spousesand participates inmany civic andcommunity organizations.Congressman and Mrs.Rangel have twochildren.

Women’s Month Washington, DC (March, 2007)

DANR saluted women on National Women’s HistoryMonth, which is observed every March. DANR encour-aged everyone to celebrate the achievements and richhistory of the women’s movement, especially the manyDominican women who have helped to shape the land-scape of American life by overcoming obstacles andbreaking glass ceilings to empower our community.

In recognition of National Women’s History Month, theDANR highlighted a few examples of women who aremaking a difference in their respective communities.While this is not a ranking and certainly not a completelist, it is a sample of the many outstanding women wehave in our community.

Maritza Del Toro (NY)

Berenice Gomez (NY)

Joseline Peña-Melnyk (MD)

Christina Díaz-Malone (VA)

Celeste Santana (NJ)

Nancy Silverio (NY)

Helen Voutsinas (NY)

Nurys De Oleo (NY)

Elsa Mantilla (NJ)

Ana Rosa Varges (NJ)

Ana Duarte (NY)



































SPONSORS&

SUPPORTERS

Salutes

The Dominican American

National Roundtable on its

10th Anniversary National Conference

PATH TO PROSPERITY

Strong Leadership ...

Stronger communities!

Freddie Mac is dedicated to strengthening communities by expanding housing and rental

opportunities throughout the U.S. We’re committed to helping people get a home they can afford and keep.

Together, we’re working to create a better today and a better tomorrow. www.FreddieMac.com

A better today. A better tomorrow.

Salutes

The Dominican American

National Roundtable on its

10th Anniversary National Conference

PATH TO PROSPERITY

Strong Leadership ...

Stronger communities!

We proudly support the Dominican American National Roundtable

10th Annual National ConferencePATH TO PROSPERITY

Strong Leadership ... Stronger communities!

SAVE THE DATE

11th National Conference The Providence Westin Hotel

Providence, Rhode IslandOctober 10-12, 2008

12th National ConferenceWalt Disney WorldOrlando, Florida

December 2-6, 2009

Documents

Dominican American National Roudtable (DANR)