ETHNOGRAPHY OF THE CITY
DominicanS in new york city
Natalie ARacena
INTRODUCTION
New York City is known for it's diversity and the emergence of cultures, one of them being the Hispanic community. The largest Dominican community that migrated to America was in the mid 1960’s. With their luggage they brought their food, music, language, and their hard work ethics. Dominican culture in America specifically in New York City is important because they bring a new flavor. We bring language like Spanglish, foods like mangu y los tres golpes , our music Bachata and Merengue, our views in politics, and our working hands. IMMIGRATION HISTORY
The Dominican American population is 1,414, 703. In the 1980’s, 250,000 Dominicans were legally admitted in the United States. This came after the political instability in the Dominican Republic in the 1960’s, 56% came in the 1970’s, and 506,000 came in 1990’s. 41% of Dominican American lives in New York City alone, and majority live in the Bronx and Manhattan. 390,000 lived in Washington heights, 29,000 in Boston, and 36,000 in Miami. Dominican Americans are constantly migrating back and fourth from NY to DR because of job instability. In 1985, 20% of the Dominicans that came to the U.S had already migrated before. This shows the connection between the Dominican Republic and America and how theirs a back-fourth relationship within Dominicans from their old home to their new home. LANGUAGE
In the Dominican Republic the official language is Spanish, which was probably already introduced in America by other Hispanic countries at that time. But what makes Dominican-American dialect different from other Hispanic American dialects it’s the vocabulary. We have words like “aguacero” which means heavy rain, “callao” which means a pebble, and “ratata” which means very cool and the list goes on. Dominican Spanish is very different then other spoken Spanish dialects because of our accent, pronunciation and even the speed in which we speak. When you speak Dominican American dialect or any other Spanish dialect in America it shows that you are not from here, which makes you feel isolated. Once you go back to your country, in this case the Dominican republic and you speak Dominican- American dialect it shows superiority, because it shows that you are coming from America the land of freedom, the land of the rich. This all happens because of dialect and how different cultures view different dialects differently. Through all of this we have contributed a new dialect and language to America. EMPLOYMENT
Dominicans who previously migrated to the U.S tend to start businesses once they return to DR to open bodegas, or to do real estate by renting apartments. Many that come to America can’t get good paying jobs and they have to do the jobs that many white Americans do not want to do because they’re life risking or unsanitary. Because Dominicans come from African decent, once they come to America they are categorized as blacks and deal with the same injustices that African Americans deal with in America. A lot of Dominicans in New York open up bodegas and restaurants where they sell Caribbean and Latin American products and ingredients commonly used in Dominican cooking. Some Dominicans open up hair salons and barbershops as well. Other Dominicans work in small firms and earn less than $150 a week. 45% work in non-unionized workplaces. Hispanic has the second largest unemployment rate in the U.S in 2016.Because of this is that Dominicans are constantly moving from New York to DR because they are looking for stability. Although Dominicans do not have it easy in America, they have it worst in Dominican Republic. The political system in DR is corrupt and there is a lot of violence and crime going on. It is hard to live over there without constant fear that you might get killed or robbed. |
FOOD
We can't forget the food, dominicans bring mangu y los tres golpes like I mention before, which is smashed plantains and fried salami, egg, and cheese with cooked onions on top. We also have Sanchocho which is a 7 meat stew. Our most common meal which is white rice with stewed beans, (pollo guisado) braised chicken, slice of avocado (maybe 2), and (tostones) fried plantains, and side of green salad. For our desserts we have habichuela con dolce which is sweet cream of beans, and Dominican cake which usually has a filling of pineapple, guava, or dulce de leche. Our most famous drink is morir sonanado which translates to "die dreaming" is made with condensed milk and orange juice. We also have our own ice cream carts mostly in Washington Heights, called frio frio. It's flavored ice, the most popular flavor is cherry. It's perfect for a hot summer day in New York. Our food is a huge part of New York City, many people of different backgrounds eat at Dominican restaurants that are commonly located in Washington Heights. Our food is very diverse from other cultures in America like Mexican, Indian, Japanese and more. We bring a new culture. CELEBRITIES, MUSIC, & FESTIVITIES
Dominicans have contribute their culture to New York by bringing artists like Romeo Santos, and Prince Royce to name a few, baseball players Sammy Sosa and Alex Rodriguez. Flex Sanchez who was the first to win the Olympic gold metal. We have festivities like the Dominican parade held in NYC that started in 1982 as a small celebration with concerts and cultural events in Washington heights. Held annually each August on 6th avenue as well as on Grand Concourse in the Bronx. We also celebrate Dominican Mother’s day, which is held on the last Sunday of May and Father’s day, which is held on the last Sunday of July. We also contribute music genres like Bachata and Merengue, which are very popular in clubs. POLITICS & MILITARY
Dominicans have contributed their knowledge and have served for this country like any other American. Angel Taveras is the first Dominican mayor of providence, RI. Adriano Espaillat is a Dominican American politician. He is the U.S Representative for NY 13th congressional district and first formerly undocumented immigrant to ever serve in congress. Marine CPI. Valdez was killed in 2005 by a suicide bomber in Iraq war she was honored in 2007. This shows the positive input Dominicans have in America, and how we too can fight for this country. RESEARCH METHOD
I conducted interviews with friends and family members that are Dominican-Americans. Through the questions I asked I validated a lot of the information I discussed above. It is hard to get jobs when you migrate from the Dominican Republic to America. You have to work really hard. They also told me a lot of the ways that they contribute Dominican culture to America whether is through food, language, music, celebrities, politicians, etc. It's interesting to see how people bring in their culture and values into other countries. It has allowed New York to become one of the most diverse places in the world. I am glad to see Dominicans contribute to that diversity. CONCLUSION
Overall Dominicans have contributed a lot to America, specifically to New York. We have become a part of the American culture and we have merge the two. This goes to show the importance of allowing diversity and different cultures in America. Dominicans didn't just migrate to New York to take jobs or opportunities from other Americans but instead we have added our music, foods, and we have enrolled into politics and the military to make a better and more safe America for all. |
References:
1. Chiamaka Nwosu, Jeanne Batalova – Newsletter, “Immigrants from the Dominican Republic in the United States” (2014)
2. Loida Maritza Perez – Novel, “Geographies of home” (1999) pg186
3. Sean T Buffington – Article, “Dominican Americans” (2017)
4. Elizabeth Grieco – Newsletter, “The Foreign Born from the D.R in the U.S” (2004)
5. Linda A. Winterbottom – Article, “Dominican Immigrants”
6. Jeffrey C. Mays – Article, “Dominican Parade in Manhattan is Seen as ‘What America Is All About’ (2017)
7. Pamela Hartmen – Article, “Dominican immigrants seek better life in New York City” (1988)
8. Herb Boyd – Newsletter, “Dominica-American New Yorkers leave their mark on New York City” (2017)
1. Chiamaka Nwosu, Jeanne Batalova – Newsletter, “Immigrants from the Dominican Republic in the United States” (2014)
2. Loida Maritza Perez – Novel, “Geographies of home” (1999) pg186
3. Sean T Buffington – Article, “Dominican Americans” (2017)
4. Elizabeth Grieco – Newsletter, “The Foreign Born from the D.R in the U.S” (2004)
5. Linda A. Winterbottom – Article, “Dominican Immigrants”
6. Jeffrey C. Mays – Article, “Dominican Parade in Manhattan is Seen as ‘What America Is All About’ (2017)
7. Pamela Hartmen – Article, “Dominican immigrants seek better life in New York City” (1988)
8. Herb Boyd – Newsletter, “Dominica-American New Yorkers leave their mark on New York City” (2017)