Last Wednesday night, State Senator Jose Peralta and the Dominico-American Society of Queens (DAS) hosted the Dominican Heritage Month at La Boom, in Woodside. During the celebration, which included live performances by Frankie Fernandez, La Mezcla, Ballet Mestizo and Grupo Recogi2, Senator Peralta and DAS honored the work and success of several Dominican and Dominican-Americans leaders who made great contributions to the community. Additionally, Senator Peralta presented on Tuesday a resolution on the New York State Senate to mark the 174th anniversary of the Dominican independence.
“Dominicans and Dominican-Americans make enormous contributions to the city, state and the nation. As we celebrate Dominican Heritage Month, this is a very special moment for me as I am the first Dominican-American to be elected to the New York State Senate. I am proud to serve all the New Yorkers who call our district, the United Nations of all Senatorial Districts, home,” said Senator Peralta. “The Dominican population is continuing its growth and is now the largest Latino group in New York City, which includes more than 30,000 Dominican and Dominican-Americans in my district, and fifth largest in the United States.”
Jose Tejada, Executive Director of DAS, said, “As a Dominican-American, I am proud to have celebrated Dominican Republic’s 174 years of independence alongside those of varying ethnicities and backgrounds. Our passionate music, beautiful culture and delicious food have been on display at this year’s extravaganza. We want to truly thank our New York State Senator, Jose Peralta and our elected officials for their continued support in helping our communities. This event would not have been possible without them and the community.”
Senator Peralta presented the 2018 honorees with a proclamation: Ana Alaimo, owner of Santo Domingo Car Limo Services; Francisco Diaz, owner of Addictive Wine & Tapas; Soraya Sussman, Executive Director of Quality Control and Vice President of Practice Transformation at Somos Community Care; and Tairy Ynoa, reporter with Telemundo 47.
He also presented a proclamation to the Dominico-American Society of Queens, which was “originally founded to serve the needs of residents living in Queens, and it has evolved over to decades to serve the needs of families located throughout New York City.” According to the proclamation, DAS “serves thousands of individuals and families each year,” and “tires to help those failing or struggling to achieve” the American Dream.
