[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 177 (Wednesday, December 19, 2001)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2328-E2329]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         TRIBUTE TO THE DOMINICAN AMERICAN NATIONAL ROUNDTABLE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, December 18, 2001

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, Representatives of the community with a 
common heritage from the Dominican Republic gathered December 7-9, 2001 
for the fourth annual conference of the Dominican American National 
Roundtable. Each year, this group comes together to reflect on the past 
year, discuss areas of need within the community, and plan for the 
upcoming year. This year's conference was especially meaningful in 
light of the recent tragedies affecting the Dominican American 
community and I extend my most sincere congratulations to the DANR and 
its president Adriano Espaillat for hosting such a successful weekend 
here in Washington DC.

[[Page E2329]]

  Already struggling to overcome the devastating effects of September 
11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon, the crash of 
American Airlines Flight #587 has impacted our Nation's Dominican 
community deeply. Almost all 260 persons aboard the flight were of 
Dominican ancestry and, as was pointedly demonstrated during the 
conference, it seems as if every person of Dominican heritage in the 
United States has been personally touched by this tragedy. During the 
opening session Moises Perez, Executive Director of Alianza Dominicana 
a social service community based non-profit agency located in northern 
Manhattan illustrated this with this with a story of personal quest to 
find one person who did not know someone aboard the plane. He has yet 
to find one person.
  Our ability to gather and reflect on these recent occurrences was 
essential in providing a discourse for this community to begin to make 
sense of these horrific events. It also provided a forum to discuss the 
next forward step. As the Dominican community continues to mourn the 
loss of so many loved ones, we must support its efforts to continue its 
work to address the items that impact the community.
  This year's conference celebrated the opening of the DANR's 
Washington DC office. The DANR seeks to bring the voices of all people 
of Dominican origin who lived in the United States together and provide 
a forum for analysis, planning, and action to advance the primary 
interests of the community. The office will serve as the coordinating 
center for the Dominican American's agenda, ensuring that their voice 
is heard at the national level and their interests are being addressed 
in the legislative arena. Representing the largest Dominican community 
in the United States, I am strongly supportive of the opening of this 
office and I pledge my support to this community as it continues to 
grow in strength and size in the United States.
  This year's theme, ``Empowerment through Education'' demonstrates the 
importance of education to the future of this community. Like many 
Americans, education is high on the list of critical priorities for the 
Dominican American community. However, the Dominican American 
population is plagued by sky rocketing drop out rates, poorly funded 
and dilapidated schools, educators ill-prepared to face the challenges 
of migratory communities and bilingual education, and a lack from or 
familiar with the community.
  I commend the DANR's commitment to its youth. In addition to the 
participation of so many key leaders within the community, the presence 
of a large number of young people was particularly heart-warming and 
telling of the potential success this community will find if it is 
given the opportunity to participate in the framing and addressing of 
the issues and challenges which face it. From high school to graduate 
school, these students represented the future leaders of the Dominican 
American community and their dedication to their roots in the Dominican 
Republic and United States is evident. Too often our children are 
forced to shed and hide the heritage that defines them. Our culture is 
not a curse; it is a blessing, and we must never let our youth forget 
that where we come from is essential in determining who we will become.
  I would like to thank all those whose hard work made the weekend 
possible, especially the DANR President Adriano Espaillat. I would also 
like to extend my appreciation to the DANR Board of Directors including 
Alejandra Castillo, Raysa Castillo, Miguel De Jesus, Ana Garcia, 
Epifanio Gil, Josefina Infante, Rafael Latingua, Mania Luna, Manuel 
Matos, Rafel Morel, Barbara Perez, Moises Perez, Felipe Rodriguez, 
Ydanis Rodrigues, Elvis Ruiz, Luis Salcedo and Slivio Torres-Saillant 
and the DANR staff consisting of Jose Bello, Rademes Peguero, Victor F. 
Capellan, Ninoska Uribe, Roberto Alvarez, and Margarita Cepeda.
  I look forward to continuing our work to supporting and advancing the 
Dominican American community.

                          ____________________