IV 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION 
H. RES. 63 
Recognizing the Dominican community’s presence and contributions to 
Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
JANUARY 22, 2019 
Mr. ESPAILLAT submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Oversight and Reform 
RESOLUTION 
Recognizing the Dominican community’s presence and con-
tributions to Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, 
and Inwood. 
Whereas historically Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, 
and Inwood have had the highest concentration of resi-
dents of Dominican descent in New York City, making it 
the center of Dominican culture in the United States; 
Whereas the neighborhood continues to be an iconic hub and 
cultural center for Dominicans, epitomizing the fusion of 
upper Manhattan and Dominican culture; 
Whereas referring to Washington Heights and Inwood as 
Wahi is perpetuating the rebranding and erasure of the 
community’s identity to appeal to an incoming wave; 
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•HRES 63 IH 
Whereas the cultural legacy of the Dominican community in 
the neighborhood must be upheld to ensure it does not 
disappear; 
Whereas Dominicans have been an integral part of the vi-
brant Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and 
Inwood community since the 1960s, in all areas including 
activism, advocacy, art, culture, literature, sports, busi-
ness, and government; 
Whereas Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood 
have the highest population of Dominican immigrants in 
New York City, and Dominicans make up 63 percent of 
the immigrant population; 
Whereas, in 1613, Juan Rodriguez, a man who migrated 
from the island of Hispaniola, which is now known as the 
Dominican Republic and Haiti, was the first immigrant, 
the first Black person, the first merchant, the first 
Latino, and the first Dominican to have resided in metro-
politan New York; 
Whereas Juan Pablo Duarte, the founding father of the Do-
minican Republic, has been immortalized in the neighbor-
hood by the renaming of St. Nicholas Avenue to Juan 
Pablo Duarte Boulevard from 170th to 193rd Streets; 
Whereas small businesses in Hamilton Heights, Washington 
Heights, and Inwood continue to be fueled by Dominican 
entrepreneurs and loyal patrons, creating a sense of com-
munity within local shops and restaurants; 
Whereas Dyckman Street restaurants have witnessed a ren-
aissance creatively fusing Dominican cuisine with dif-
ferent cultures, such as Japanese and Italian, and local 
staples, such as 809 Bar and Grill, Mamajuana, La 
Nueva Espan˜a, and La Casa Del Mofongo, continue to 
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attract patrons from the tri-State area to dine on tradi-
tional Dominican fare and visit the lively neighborhood; 
Whereas Dominican vendors continue to serve the public with 
fresh fruits and foods from Dominican culture in La 
Plaza de Las Americas and the newly opened Uptown 
Plaza in Inwood, and line the sidewalks between Broad-
way and Audubon Avenue, a tradition that embodies the 
hard-working immigrant spirit of the neighborhood; 
Whereas the National Supermarket Association and the 
Bodega Association of the United States promote the cre-
ation of jobs and sustainable economic growth in inner 
cities and Latino communities that have been overlooked 
by large chains, such as Hamilton Heights, Washington 
Heights, and Inwood; 
Whereas professional associations, such as Dominicans on 
Wall Street (DOWS), the Association of Dominican- 
American Supervisors and Administrators (ADASA), the 
New York Dominican Officers Organization (NYDO), 
Dominican Bar Association (DBA), Dominican Medical 
Association (DMA), and the Dominican Medical-Dental 
Society (DMDS), highlight the contributions of profes-
sional Dominicans nationwide to the development of their 
communities; 
Whereas the New York Yankees, an all-American baseball 
team, had its beginnings in Washington Heights, baseball 
continues to be one of the main sports in the neighbor-
hood, and Dominican baseball players have brought great 
pride and recognition to the sport; 
Whereas three-time Most Valuable Player (MVP) Alex Rodri-
guez and four-time Major League Baseball All-Star 
Dellin Betances of the New York Yankees, were born in 
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Washington Heights, and Manny Ramirez, the award- 
winning MVP and twelve-time All-Star baseball player, 
moved from the Dominican Republic to New York City 
where he attended George Washington High School in 
Washington Heights and became a baseball prodigy; 
Whereas the Dominican Republic has won six medals at the 
Olympics, including Pedro Nolasco’s bronze medal in box-
ing at the 1984 Summer Olympics and, in 2004, Fe´lix 
Sa´nchez’s gold medal in the 400 meter hurdles; 
Whereas Dominican cultural and educational activists orga-
nized to reverse inequities in public schools within the 
area, and developed Gregorio Luperon High School for 
Science and Mathematics to meet the needs of immigrant 
Spanish-speaking adolescents and to create an inclusive 
learning environment; 
Whereas six schools in the area have been named after his-
toric Dominican figures: I.S. 218 Salome Urena, P.S. 
132 Juan Pablo Duarte School, Gregorio Luperon High 
School for Science and Mathematics, Mirabal Sisters 
Campus, Professor Juan Bosch Public School, and P.S. 
8 Luis Belliard; 
Whereas the Dominican Studies Institute of the City Univer-
sity of New York (CUNY DSI) located in Hamilton 
Heights, founded by Dr. Silvio Torres-Saillant and di-
rected by the renowned Dominican sociologist Dr. Ra-
mona Herna´ndez, is the first university-based research 
institute in the United States dedicated to the study of 
people of Dominican descent in the United States and 
other parts of the world; 
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