; Whereas the Centro Civico Cultural Dominicano, a nonprofit community organization founded in 1962, continues to build on the invaluable contributions of Dominicans by engaging and empowering Dominican and Hispanic communities locally; Whereas, in 1966, Club Juan Pablo Duarte was founded on Dominican Independence Day to educate the public on Dominican history, and the organization remains active today and is now known as Instituto Duartiano; Whereas Centro Cultural Deportivo Dominicano, a social club founded in 1966, remains a longstanding pillar of the local community, where the sound of traditional merengue tipico continues to expand the cultural roots of the Dominican immigrant experience; Whereas Dominican native Normandia Maldonado had a long history of cultural activism in Washington Heights, founding, alongside other notable Dominicans, several prominent and long-lasting organizations, such as the Instituto Duartiano of the United States in 1966, the Centro Cultural Ballet Quisqueya in 1967, and the Dominican Day Parade, Inc., in 1983; Whereas, in 1979, the pioneering Community Association of Progressive Dominicans was founded at 3940 Broadway to deliver services in a culturally competent manner to Dominicans and other Latinos who were facing economic hardship and faced language and cultural barriers to access aid; Whereas the Dominican Women’s Development Center has been a vital resource to the Washington Heights and Inwood communities since 1988, providing comprehensive services specifically to the working class, poor women, and families; Whereas Alianza Dominicana, a leading Dominican organization in Washington Heights for over two decades, became an economic engine that provided jobs to over 350 individuals who worked on issues such as domestic violence, drug abuse, and other social ills; Whereas Alianza Dominicana also played a vital role in helping families of the Flight 587 tragedy to secure the services they needed