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Washington, DC (June 30, 2009)
DANR Congratulates Camelia Valdes As The First Dominican American In U.S. History To Head A Prosecutor’s Office
Hon. Camelia Valdes | The Dominican American National Roundtable (DANR) congratulates Camelia Valdes as the new Passaic County Prosecutor in New Jersey. This makes her the first Dominican American to head a Prosecutor’s office in U.S. history. Valdes was nominated to the position by New Jersey Governor Jon S. Corzine on March 16, 2009 and was confirmed by the New Jersey State Senate on June 26, 2009.
“We are very proud of Camelia Valdes for her achievement and wish her success as the chief law enforcement official in Passaic County,” said Nestor Montilla, President of the DANR. “We congratulate her on her confirmation and for making history not only for Latinos around New Jersey as the first Latina County Prosecutor in New Jersey’s history, but also for Dominicans around the country as the first Dominican American county prosecutor.”
Camelia Valdes was sworn-in to her position on June 30, 2009. Prior to this appointment, she served as the Assistant U.S. Attorney in its Newark, NJ office. Prior to her position in the U.S. Attorney’s office, Valdes served as an Assistant Counsel in the N.J. Governor’s Counsel’s Office under Governor Christine Todd Whitman and Acting Governor Donald T. DiFrancesco. Valdes is the former President of the Hispanic Bar Association of New Jersey.
Born in the Bronx, NY to Dominican parents and raised in Newark, NJ, Valdes is a product of the Newark Public Schools. She received her undergraduate degree in sociology and criminal justice from Seton Hall University in 1993. She graduated from Rutgers Law School in 1996 and received her LL.M. in Trial Advocacy from Temple University in May 2001.
Passaic County has the largest population of Dominicans in New Jersey, estimated at around 75.000. The State of New Jersey has the second largest population of Dominicans in the U.S., which according to the Latino Studies Institute, it is estimated over 250,000. Five of the ten cities with the highest concentration of Dominicans in the nation are in the New Jersey: Paterson, Passaic, Union City, Jersey City and Perth Amboy.
New York, May 30, 2009
DANR LAUNCHES “UNO MAS UNO” NATIONAL CAMPAIGN
TO MAKE DOMINICANS COUNT IN THE USA
Community Leaders Met at Bronx St. Nicholas Tolentine Church
The Dominican American National Roundtable -DANR- announced the launching of the national awareness campaign “Uno Más Uno”(One Plus One) with the first Town Hall meeting at the Bronx St. Nicholas Tolentine Church, at 2345 University Avenue.
Some participants of the town hall Meeting denoting with their index fingers extended the theme of the DANR’s national awareness campaign Uno Más Uno/One Plus One (Photo by Eduardo Hoepelman). |
The “Uno más Uno” campaign is a DANR broad public effort in the U.S. and Puerto Rico to highlight the fact that Dominicans are not properly counted by the U.S. Census and to demand the inclusion of a category checkbox to respond to the question of nationality in the Census form, along with Mexicans, Puerto Ricans, Cubans and others.
“It’s inconceivable and detrimental to our community that the Dominican presence in the United States is not properly reflected by the Census,” said DANR president Nestor Montilla. “The second largest immigrant group should have its own nationality box, as do Mexicans, Puerto Ricans and Cubans.”
Since resources are distributed according to official demographical data, the undercounting of the Dominican population in the U.S. Census diminishes the possibilities of this community getting its fair share in the areas of education, health care, economic development, and political representation. Currently Dominicans must check the general “Hispanic” checkbox or the “Other” checkbox or write-in their nationality in the Census forms, which has proven to be very confusing.
For more than a decade, DANR has been lobbying among legislators and decision makers in the U.S. to ask for their help in bringing the Dominican population to light through the U.S. Census.
“We are bringing hundreds of people to Washington on June 23rd this year to ask Congress to assist in an accurate count of Dominicans in the Census,” continued Montilla.
A bill to create a Dominican nationality checkbox was recently introduced in the Senate by US Senators Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand and in U.S Congress by Harlem and Northern Manhattan U.S. Representative Charles Rangel.
“It’s time to make sure all New Yorkers are counted fairly and accurately in the census,” said US Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “New York’s Dominican community contributes so much to our economy, our diverse culture and our way of life in New York. Ignoring these contributions in our census data is wrong and prevents us from obtaining a true picture of the people, families and communities of our state. It’s time to make this important change.”
Congressman Charles Rangel said: "The Census has a huge effect on how services are determined and how money is distributed to communities, not just by the various levels of government, but also private foundations and other grant makers. We owe it to the Dominican community -- all communities --to do all that we can to assure an accurate count. This bill helps do that."
According to an 1199 SEIU-DANR study about Dominican Voter Capacity, Dominicans reside in all 437 Congressional Districts, including Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. An estimated number of the population tells us that by 2010 there will be 1,920,831 Dominicans living in the US, including 825,957 Dominican adults. Dominicans are already the third largest Hispanic group in the US, following Mexicans and Puerto Ricans, and the second largest immigrant group.
Hon. Julissa Ferreras, Queens Councilwoman and member of the DANR National Board of Directors at the DANR Bronx Town Hall Meeting. |
The Bronx Town Hall meeting featured several speakers, including Gate Millennium Scholars representatives, Nelson Valdez, Vice President of 1199 SEIU, Ligia Jacques, U.S Census Regional Deputy Director, and president Montilla. Also attending was Assemblyman Nelson Castro; Bronx District Leader Hector Ramirez, Queens Councilwoman Julissa Ferreras, Allentown, PA councilmember Julio Guridy.
President Montilla and the DANR Board of Directors are encouraging all community leaders, elected officials and the general public to join the DANR national effort to make Dominicans count in the United States.
Ligia Jacques, U.S Census Regional Deputy Director, at the DANR’s First Bronx Town Hall Meeting. |
FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE DANR “UNO MAS UNO” NATIONAL AWARENESS CAMPAIGN, CLICK ON IMAGE BELOW AND DOWNLOAD COMPLETE PDF.
The Board of Directors of the Dominican American National Roundtable and DANR President Néstor Montilla cordially invite you to the following events:
Summer / Fall National Youth Fellowship Program
“Training the Next Generation for Economic Reform”
July 26, 2009- August 1, 2009 & Fall 2009 Internship
The Dominican American National Roundtable Youth Initiative is hosting its Summer/Fall National Youth Fellowship Program: “Training the Next Generation for Economic Reform” beginning in the summer of 2009. This training will bring together college students of Dominican descent both at the undergraduate and graduate levels who are interested in taking on leading roles as advocates of economic reform in their communities. DANR Fellows will receive 1-week training in Washington, DC where they will learn about the current state of the economy throughout a series of workshops, events, outings and more. In the fall of 2009, fellows will then be placed at a 12-week internship site, within their residing state, where they will put their training and knowledge into practice. Fellows will be asked to provide self-made workshops and newsletters on topics such as financial literacy, law and the economy, banking, personal and business economic development, credit, student loans, mortgages, and others. All majors welcome.
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