Independent Chapters

Puerto Rico

On March 6, 2003 , a delegation of women who are staff and supporters of New York City 's Dominican Women's Development Center will travel to San Juan , Puerto Rico to participate in the inauguration of El Centro 's chapter on the Island and to celebrate March 8 as International Women's Day. The group of staff, DWDC supporters and their families will participate in a series of events in solidarity with the Dominican and Puerto Rican communities there. One of the activities in which the women from New York will take part in on Sunday, March 9 is an event in solidarity with the people of Vieques. On their journey by ferry to the island, they will make a symbolic offering in remembrance of the thousands of Dominicans who have died trying to reach Puerto Rico in tiny boats through the Mona Canal .

Puerto Rico has always been used as a point of entry to the US for many Dominicans who go there documented or undocumented in small boats through the Mona Canal due to the closeness of the two islands. It is estimated that there are approximately 300,000 Dominicans in Puerto Rico . Due to the severity of their economic and social situations, many Dominicans in Puerto Rico experience the harshest conditions: unemployment, low wages, lack of health insurance, discrimination, undocumented status, police brutality, rape, forced prostitution, domestic violence, teenage pregnancy, low educational attainment, and human rights violations.

The idea of creating a sister organization was presented as a request by a group of local Dominican leaders in Puerto Rico in June, 2002 and has been welcomed by this community. Some of the potential areas of work identified by the local leaders are: immigration, education, employment, health promotion, domestic violence, and civil rights protection and advocacy. Ms. Romelinda Grullón will be the Executive Director of the new center and the local board will be made up of the following individuals: Pura Vázquez, Hilda Guerrero, Ana Isabel Moscoso, Carla Abreu, Delia Figueroa, María Cristina Vlasidi and Silvestrina Rodríguez. An advisory council from New York City has been formed of local individuals who have offered to lend their important expertise in the organizational development of community-based organizations. Those identified are: Councilmember Margarita López, Esperanza Martell and Marta Morales of the San Romero de las Americas Church, Rev. Danilo Lachapell of the Evangelical Spanish Church, and three of the original founders of the DWDC: Mireya Cruz, Rosa Lavergne, and Rosita M. Romero. They are activists, social workers, community organizers and leaders in their respective communities.