Whereas historically Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood have had the highest concentration of residents of Dominican descent in New York City, making it the center of Dominican culture in the United States; Whereas the neighborhood continues to be an iconic hub and cultural center for Dominicans, epitomizing the fusion of upper Manhattan and Dominican culture; Whereas referring to Washington Heights and Inwood as Wahi is perpetuating the rebranding and erasure of the community’s identity to appeal to an incoming wave; Whereas the cultural legacy of the Dominican community in the neighborhood must be upheld to ensure it does not disappear; Whereas Dominicans have been an integral part of the vibrant Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood community since the 1960s, in all areas including activism, advocacy, art, culture, literature, sports, business, and government; Whereas Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood have the highest population of Dominican immigrants in New York City, and Dominicans make up 63 percent of the immigrant population; Whereas, in 1613, Juan Rodriguez, a man who migrated from the island of Hispaniola, which is now known as the Dominican Republic and Haiti, was the first immigrant, the first Black person, the first merchant, the first Latino, and the first Dominican to have resided in metropolitan New York; Whereas Juan Pablo Duarte, the founding father of the Dominican Republic, has been immortalized in the neighborhood by the renaming of St. Nicholas Avenue to Juan Pablo Duarte Boulevard from 170th to 193rd Streets; Whereas small businesses in Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, and Inwood continue to be fueled by Dominican entrepreneurs and loyal patrons, creating a sense of community within local shops and restaurants