How come we don't have those ( ) ......

If you live in NYC, use the resources available to you. There are tons of libraries and universities at your disposal.

Go to any CUNY school and check out the reading list for their Caribbean History courses in the bookstore. I would recommend Hostos Community College on 149th Street and Grand Concourse in the Bronx for two reasons-they have a preponderance of Dominican students and the eye candy is amazing.

Or send emails to any of the professors in the history department of whatever university you visit. You can even try visiting some professors during their office hours.

Many would not mind recommending books and films on the subject.

You can also go to the main branch of the NYC public library and do some independent research. Customer service will point you in the right direction.

My Dominican brother! I salute you for trying to learn more about our 500 year struggle. Even though many state that you can't live in the past it is good to find out more about it to proceed on to the future. Some of the books that you could read are in Spanish and others are in English. Besides we have many accomplishments that and people in our national history that are worth mentioning. Porfirio Rubirosa, Zoe Saldana, John Lithgow, Gregorio Luperon, Minerva Bernardino, Americo Lugo y Max Urena.
Please Read
The brief and wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Historia Dominicana Frank Moya Pons
Dominican Cultures Bernardo Vega
The Dominican People Ernesto Sagas y Orlando Inoa
The impact of intervention by Bruce Calder

Then their are incredible websites that are very informative and have awesome pics of times past and present.

La Venda transparente de Raifi Genao
Historiadominicana.com.do

Good sites, their are more and there is nothing like going to DR and studying over their. You can get your Bachelors of Arts for 4000 dollars!!! Just an idea it'll be three or four years of schooling but the knowledge you attain will be invaluable to you. So if you have any other questions please feel free to PM me anytime.

Lando

Lando calrisian said:

My Dominican brother! I salute you for trying to learn more about our 500 year struggle. Even though many state that you can't live in the past it is good to find out more about it to proceed on to the future. Some of the books that you could read are in Spanish and others are in English. Besides we have many accomplishments that and people in our national history that are worth mentioning. Porfirio Rubirosa, Zoe Saldana, John Lithgow, Gregorio Luperon, Minerva Bernardino, Americo Lugo y Max Urena.
Please Read
The brief and wondrous life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz
Historia Dominicana Frank Moya Pons
Dominican Cultures Bernardo Vega
The Dominican People Ernesto Sagas y Orlando Inoa
The impact of intervention by Bruce Calder

Then their are incredible websites that are very informative and have awesome pics of times past and present.

La Venda transparente de Raifi Genao
Historiadominicana.com.do

Good sites, their are more and there is nothing like going to DR and studying over their. You can get your Bachelors of Arts for 4000 dollars!!! Just an idea it'll be three or four years of schooling but the knowledge you attain will be invaluable to you. So if you have any other questions please feel free to PM me anytime.

Lando

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Agreed

The OP should also think about taking a flight to the DR and visit the Dominican Museum.

El MUSEO del HOMBRE DOMINICANO is full of great material on the subjects he?s inquiring about. To the OP, don?t think about how much $$ you?ll spend on airfare and maybe accommodations, if you don?t have family here. You should look at this trip as a knowledge seeking affair, or an awareness recognition for life.

You live in NYC and you cant identify Dominican culture all around you? Come on man whats wrong with you? They have a high school named after Juan Pablo Duarte AND Gregorio Luperon in Washington Heights. They have a branch of the NY Public Library on W.163rd and Amsterdam...they have the Schomberg Center on W.135th and 6th Avenue. And the Dominican Institute on W. 155th and Broadway(mostly its an Art Musuem). Ah man, what the hell? You didnt even TRY to do the limp leg footwork. GOOGLE is your friend.

There is also CUNY's Dominican Studies Institute at City College of NY (138th Street and Convent Avenue):

The City College of New York :: CUNY Dominican Studies Institute

makaveli; As a cubano born and raised, I feel no particular pride, affinity or kinship to my race or nationality. Self steem should DERIVE from your own basic virtues and accomplishments.

You re in over your head. If you couldnt inquire yourself being from NY, then I don't know what it is you are really expecting to discover. Who the history books have determined is "important" or relevant for "Hispanics" depends on who wrote the book. People will tell you Christopher Colombus was important because he discovered, claimed, and named the Dominican Republic(Espanola) but it also bought about years of racial oppression, genocide and slavery. And further how can he discover and claim a land that already had an indigenous population? That is how you came about.

If you are looking for an equivalent of MLK, Ghandi or Medgar Evers, in Dominican history or even in general Latin American history you are going to come up short. There are none to few. Probably because in spite of all evidence contrary they refuse to acknowledge there are social problems that would give rise to those types of individuals. Most of the "important" figures are political blowhards and entertainment types. Civil rights types are parochial because every Latin American country has a different history and differing ethnic compositions. What brought Evo Morales to power in Bolivia wouldn't work in Panama. Social stratifications in Puerto Rico aren't necessarily the same in Paraguay or Guatamala. Emilio Zapata means nothing to Cubans like he does to Mexicans. Likewise with Jose Marti or Simon Bolivar or Toussaint L'Overture.

In any event, Schomberg Center at the NYPL on West 135 and Lenox across from Harlem Hospital should be where you start. And look up Miriam Hernandez at CUNY Hunter College.

Makaveli said:

Shout out to the people who answered my thread. and shout to the ones who actually helped and kicked some knowledge on some books i should read. @Lando I've actually read both of Junot Diaz books, both good i enjoyed them.

Let me address this BTW, I have not trouble identifying with dominican culture, I know what it is, I'm fluent in spanish, I have dominican friends, I know about my dominican culture.

the purpose of this thread was to try and get some knowledge of my history, my hispanic history, how did we come about, what kind of books can i read that shows that, important figures (ex. like MLK, Malcolm X, Rosa Parks) you feel me, who were those important figures for us Hispanics, not just Dominicans.

I came here because i was trying to connect with other Dominicans, and Hispanics on a deeper level.

I'm not trying to get a Major in Dominican studies, i just want to know more about our important figures, our struggle, how did it start for us. thats just all, i don't have trouble identifying w/ dominicans.

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If by our you are refering to all Hispanics (American) perhaps these people would qualify: Discovery History Makers-Before 1901-1949

Dominican heroes include people like the Mirabal sisters, Los Padres de la Patria, Francisco Caama?o, Manolo Tavarez, Mam? Ting? - but is it notable Dominican-American figures you are looking for? Like Dominicans who have achieved extraordinary things in the US in culture, politics, sports?

Makaveli said:

I'm not trying to get a Major in Dominican studies, i just want to know more about our important figures, our struggle, how did it start for us. thats just all, i don't have trouble identifying w/ dominicans.

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You've used this term a few time already so I think I see where your coming from; you want a "counterpoint" history to the blacks struggle in the US as a means of having equal footing in conversations. Unfortunately, in the US Dominicans don't really have a well defined or documented struggle, ie it's been more on a personal level for those that immigrate to the States that can pass as white and those that would be considered blacks would be lumped together with the blacks by the white majority(still a personal level of struggle too). However, even this automatic labeling is changing rapidly in the States with the increase of the latin demographic.

I would think rather than get into a discussion about whose "struggle" is more important you can just focus on the positive such as in the DR a similar struggle was not needed because of the lack of racism relatively speaking. Nonetheless, the DR did experience a period of occupation and oppression by it's neighboring country, Haiti. Furthermore, as you are interested in Latin American studies there is a wealth of free information readily available like wikipedia and I think you will find the history of many countries is quite diverse often times with it's own unique issues.

Wikipedia ? Yeah, right !!
Since you are in New York, you will find plenty of resources and knowledgeable people about Latin American and/or Dominican history (including the challenges,struggles and accomplishments faced by these immigrant groups in the US).

:surprised:surprised I was going to recommend Libreria Caliope, but just checked and they have closed!!!! ? wow...too bad...