Black Enterprise magazine this month looks into the advances Dominicans in the United States have been making to build bridges between blacks and Hispanic communities. Cid Wilson, who is president of the Dominican American Round Table and board member of Dominicans on Wall Street (DOWS) is one of those forging ahead these new political alliances. Black Enterprise magazine explains in its February issue that the media frenzy surrounding the emergence of the Latino population as the largest minority group has led to a contest-like atmosphere between the racial groups. It reports that now Afro-Latinos are increasingly pushing to become an economic and political force, and by doing so may bring the Hispanic and black communities together. Dominican Cid Wilson is taking a leadership role in this direction. “We can honestly say we know what it’s like to feel racism and discrimination – on the Latino and the African-American sides,” he says. “The way to build bridges is to get involved in both communities.”
Darys Estrella, an associate at Goldman Sachs, is another Dominican that is exercising leadership in the United States, while keeping ties with her country of birth. Latina magazine tells her story in its February edition feature “Mujeres on the Verge” that includes her in a group of 10 Latin women who are “set out to change the world.” The magazine highlights that Estrella shares her financial expertise with corporations in her native country, helping them to expand their businesses.