Lawyer Roberto Alvarez writes today in El Caribe that the Dominican community in the US could play an influential role in the US presidential election. He said that Dominicans are on the cusp of becoming the third strongest Latin electoral force in the US, behind the Mexicans and Puerto Ricans. By 2010, it is expected that the number of Dominicans residing in the US will surpass the Cuban national population. He said that by the second decade of the 21st century, Dominicans could become the second most dominant Latin American nationality in the US socio-political landscape. His statements are based on the numbers derived from a study titled Dominicans in the United States: A Socioeconomic Profile, as conducted by the Institute of Dominican Studies of the City University of New York.
Alvarez points out that the Latin community in the US today does not have any official spokesperson, as El Salvador’s President Francisco Flores and Mexico’s Foreign Relations Minister Jorge Castaneda once were. Alvarez feels President Fernandez, however, possesses the qualities and the background to take such a role: electoral legitimacy, government experience, international attention, background as an immigrant, and a significant Dominican diaspora that desires greater recognition.
President Fernandez is scheduled to travel to New York City to attend the 7th Annual Dominican American National Roundtable Conference from 17-19 September at The Great Hall of The City College of New York.
See http://www.danr.org/ip.asp?op=Registration&m=x0030002004Conference