The Dominican ambassador to the United States, Sonia Guzmán, reported that Dominicans are the fifth largest population of Hispanic origin in the United States, only surpassed by Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and El Salvador, according to data from the Census Bureau.
Guzmán indicated that of the almost three million Dominicans who formally reside abroad, more than 2.3 million live in the United States, representing 70%, according to a recent report from the Institute for Dominicans Abroad.
The diplomat revealed that the Dominican population in the US is mainly concentrated in New York, New Jersey, Florida, Massachusetts, and Pennsylvania. The other states with a large Dominican presence are Rhode Island, Connecticut, North Carolina, Maryland, and Texas.
Sonia Guzmán offered these data when participating in the “First Meeting with Elected Dominican Political Leaders in the United States,” organized by the Presidency of the Republic, Pro-Dominicana, the Institute of Dominicans Abroad, and the Lawrence Mayor’s Office with the presence of the President of the Republic, Luis Abinader.
The ambassador added that “within the demographic statistics, three relevant aspects mainly concern us: More than half of the Dominican population is female. However, women receive less institutional support than men; second: Although progress has been made in education, it is still necessary to join efforts to obtain scholarships and educational funds aimed at low-income families so that their children can access higher education institutions and third: The percentage of Dominicans living in a state considered to be in poverty, by purchasing power, is higher than the average for Hispanics.
For this reason, Sonia Guzmán considered it essential to carry out joint initiatives between all the institutions, representatives, and political leaders so that our community has access to the corresponding information on personal improvement programs to take advantage of the opportunities.
Guzmán announced that the embassy is currently carrying out joint work with Dominican associations and foundations whose platform is to provide advice and guidance to these sectors of society, organizations that work for the personal and economic empowerment of women, who seek to develop their capacity, motivating them to use all their talent and potential.
Political leaders of the DR in the US
The Dominican ambassador to the United States thanked President Luis Abinader for the trust he had placed in her by appointing her as the representative of Dominicans abroad as a diplomat.
She also stressed that the Dominican diaspora residing in the United States is proud to have such a broad and outstanding representation in positions of great relevance for the development of their community, which in one way or another can influence decision-making according to your needs and circumstances.