By NAN NEWS EDITOR
News Americas, NEW YORK, NY, Mon. Feb. 27, 2023: Dominican Americans today marked the 179th anniversary of the Dominican Republic’s independence with the ringing of the NASDAQ Opening Bell.
US Congressional Representative and first Dominican American in Congress, Adriano Espaillat was joined by the Consulate General of the Dominican Republic in New York, Consul Eligio Jaquez; and a delegation of Dominican officials from the international, state and city sectors to ring the opening bell at the NASDAQ MarketSite in New York Times Square in honor of Dominican Heritage Month and the Dominican Independence Day.
Others joining the celebration were: José Vicente, Dominican Republic Minister of Finance; Ambassador of the Dominican Republic to the United States Sonia Guzmán; New York City Councilmember Carmen De La Rosa; New York City Councilmember Pierina Sanchez; New York City Councilmember Shaun Abreu; New York City Councilmember Christopher Marte; Yonkers Councilmember Corazon Pineda-Isaac; NYC Department of Transportation Commissioner Ydanis Rodriguez; Deputy Bronx Borough President Janet Peguero; NYPD Deputy Commissioner Wendy Garcia; Samuel Collado, President, National Supermarket Association (NSA); and Catherine Addona-Peña, Senior Vice President, Chief Risk Officer and Head of Group Risk Management at Nasdaq.
“As elected and public officials of Dominican descent representative of the federal, state and city levels, it was our collective honor to ring the New York Opening Bell during a ceremony which took place earlier today at the NASDAQ OMX MarketSite Facility in honor of Dominican Independence Day and in recognition of the expanding influence of Dominican culture and heritage in communities throughout the United States,” said Rep. Espaillat.
“We look forward to working with NASDAQ to assist on the enforcements of trade agreements that cultivate new and exciting opportunities for American businesses throughout local markets, the growing Dominican diaspora, and around the world,” Espaillat added.
With a growing presence in communities around the nation, it remains vital that Dominican Americans and individuals of Dominican descent have an opportunity to let their voices be heard on the issues and concerns facing our communities, including the national economy, business market, and trade.
In a statement, US State Department Secretary, Anthony Blinken, said “the Dominican Republic remains a key friend and partner of the United States in the region.”
“Together we are combating disease, fighting corruption, taking action against climate change through the U.S.-Caribbean Partnership to Address the Climate Crisis (PACC 2030), and deepening our economic ties,” he added. “ We are proud to stand alongside the Dominican Republic in these efforts and will continue to do so.”
The Dominican Republic Independence Day is celebrated every year on February 27. The first celebration was observed in 1844.
