; Whereas Dominican artists and artists born to immigrant Dominican parents in Washington Heights add to the dynamic blending of cultures that has historically personified the neighborhood’s identity; Whereas, from the late 1950s to mid-1960s, the Malagon Sisters, one of the first Dominican music acts to successfully cross over, lived in Washington Heights at 600 West 164th Street, Apt. 47; Whereas the Malagon trio contributed to the exposure of merengue, cha-cha-chá, and other Latin American genres, and their vocal and wide variety of instrumental talents earned them opportunities to perform at prestigious venues such as the Apollo Theater, and on iconic platforms such as the Ed Sullivan Show; Whereas Milly Quezada, the Queen of Merengue , was raised and rose to stardom in Washington Heights with Milly y los Vecinos, a band she created with her siblings; Whereas Quezada arrived in the neighborhood at age 11 and lived at 500 West 171st Street, and she attended George Washington High School; Whereas Dominican-American artists Lucia Hierro and M. Tony Peralta have both been recognized internationally for their thought-provoking work exploring the Dominican-American experience in intersecting areas of class, culture, identity, and gender; Whereas Dominican theater artist Mino Lora cofounded the People’s Theater Project, which provides creative youth development programs for children growing up in the immigrant communities of upper Manhattan; Whereas playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda conceived In the Heights , the Tony Award-winning musical set in Washington Heights, which tells the tale of immigrant Usnavi de la Vega who longs to return to his native Dominican Republic, yet ultimately staying because he, like so many Dominicans, has become part of a vibrant community and has made it his permanent home