[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 13]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 17366]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       HONORING THE 23RD ANNUAL DOMINICAN INDEPENDENCE DAY PARADE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 22, 2004

  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to recognize and pay tribute to one 
of New York's oldest celebrations of Dominican culture, Manhattan's 
Dominican Day Parade.
  The annual parade, which once ran through the heart of Washington 
Heights, has grown to become one of August's most anticipated 
celebrations of cultural and ethnic pride on New York's Sixth Avenue 
since the 1980s. The parade not only is a celebration of pride, but 
also pays homage to the declaration of the Nation's independence on 
February 27, 1844, when the Dominican Republic established 
constitutional autonomy. For Dominicans in the United States the 
commemoration, held in August, is a second Independence Day serving as 
a cultural holiday.
  The Dominican Day Parade has paid tribute to the cultural heritage of 
the Dominican Republic and the vast contributions the Dominican 
community has made in the State of New York and in the Nation. Through 
the parade, the President and the Dominican Day Parade Committee have 
promoted unity as well as the advancement of Dominicans in New York 
City. Dominican youth are our hope for the future and we want to 
encourage them to strive for excellence and advancement through this 
great celebration.
  As in past years, this celebration follows Dominican Heritage Week 
and the Gran Parada Dominicana in the Bronx. On August 8th, beginning 
from 36th Street to 59th Street on Sixth Avenue, New Yorkers of all 
ages will get a chance to learn about some of the ways in which this 
vibrant community is transforming the Nation.
  I invite my colleagues to join me in honoring this celebration and 
continue to support the great accomplishments made by Dominicans around 
the Nation and all over the world.

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