Dominican women and their contributions to the community – and the nation – will be front and center at this year’s Dominican Day Parade in New York City.
Under the theme “Celebrating and Empowering Dominican Women,” this year’s event will celebrate women working across the fields of technology, community service and the arts.
“The organization’s high-level mission is to raise awareness of the Dominican community’s contributions to American society and to raise funds for the [Dominican Day Parade’s] scholarship program,” explained Dominican Day Parade, Inc. president Angela Fernandez in an email to The Huffington Post. “The theme of honoring and empowering Dominican women sits squarely at the intersection of those goals, especially in a year where all women’s issues play a significant role in the election. This was our small way of contributing to that message.”
Fernandez explained that the parade’s theme will address “women’s rights from a position of power, especially economic power and social justice.” It is for that reason, she said, that many of the honorees are women in business or social justice leaders.
“You will see a celebration of the Dominican women that [understands] the importance of women’s participation in the economic and educational development of our communities and who we think are the best role models for future generations,” she promised.
More than 20 trailblazing Dominican women will be honored at the parade Sunday, Aug. 14, including the parade’s Madrina (Godmother), Daisy Auger-Dominguez, who is Google’s Head of Global Diversity Staffing. Other honorees include Miss Rizos Beauty Salon owner and founder, Carolina Contreras; “Bird Of Paradise” author Raquel Cepeda; and the executive director of the Dominican Women Development Center, Rosita Romero, to name only a few.
To find out more about the women who will be honored at this year’s event, visit dominicanparade.org.
The Dominican Day Parade will kickoff at 12p.m. Sunday. The parade’s Grand Marshal, singer-songwriter Juan Luis Guerra, will lead the procession along Sixth Avenue, between 36th Street and 52nd Street.
CORRECTION: This story has been updated to reflect that the statements provided by Dominican Day Parade, Inc. were made by Angela Fernandez.
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