Caribbean Immigrants have been living in America since the early 20th Century. Their homeland, the Caribbean region includes countries and island such as Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Barbados., Dominican Republic, Trinidad and Tobago, and the Bahamas. Caribbean immigrants have been prevalently settling in urban areas, although few have been settling in rural areas (Krohn-Hansen). Early Caribbean immigrants were slaves who had been taken forcefully or traded during the slave era. Others migrated in search of jobs as laborers after the abolition of slavery. Dominican migration into the United States increased between 1930-1971 after the Trujillo dictatorship was overthrown and softening of the immigration restrictions. The assassination of Trujillo led to an outbreak of violence in the Dominican Republic, resulting in many Dominicans Migrating to the United States (Pantoja). This paper will focus on Dominican immigrants in Washington Heights- Manhattan and how they have influenced the neighborhood.
Washington Heights is a neighborhood located on the northern region of Manhattan, New York. Manhattan is viewed as one of the world's premier business, cultural, entertainment and financial center. It is home to big-name attractions such as The Empire State Building, Central Park, Times squire, and St. Patricks’ Cathedral. Washington height has the highest elevated point in Manhattan and is also the most distinct neighborhood in Manhattan because of its hilly landscape. Its surrounding neighborhoods include Upper west side, Tribeca, Harlem, Upper East Side, Mid-town Manhattan, Green Village, and Little Italy. Washington Heights is an economic and culturally vibrant community with immigrants from different regions. Immigrants account for about 48% of the 209,617 Washington Heights population, with Dominican Republic Immigrants accounting for two-thirds of the immigrants (Alley). Washington Heights is nicknamed "The little Dominican Republic" due to its high number of Dominican residents. The average age in 2013 was 38 years, with 13% of the population being 65 years or older (Thomas).
Dominican influence in Washington Height is widely evident throughout the streets of Washington Heights. Plenty of Dominican Republic flags hang from apartment windows and doors. Dominican words such as “que lo que” and “dimelo” which mean “what’s up” in Spanish are prevalent in the area. Dominican Republic music genre such as Bachata and merengue are also very common in Washington Heights (Hernandez). Bachata and merengue musicians and dancers entertain customers in many restaurants and other entertainment joints, and many dance parties are held regularly in the neighborhood. Merengue and Bachata dance competitions attracting huge congregations of people are also regularly held in the streets and car parks (Hernandez).
Dominican Cultural Festivals are also held from time to time around Washington Heights. The Dominican Day Parade and Festival has been held once every year since 1982 to share their history and culture with other residents (Keyes). The festival features various uniformed and orderly floats from unions and city agencies to showcase the achievements and contributions of Dominicans in these institutions. The festival regularly attracts groups of city politicians and officials of Dominican origin or other leaders representing regions with huge Dominican populations. The festival also attracts high numbers of spectators, with Dominicans carry their homeland flags, others dressed in their colorful cultural costumes and others painting themselves and decorating their vehicles and bicycles in Dominican colors. The Dominican film festival is also held annually in Manhattan to celebrate film works that focus on the relationship, culture, and history between the United States and The Dominican Republic. In addition to films, the festival also organizes several workshops and events for the residents such as talks on Caribbean culture and identity in films and also gives the residents a chance to have a fun-filled family day (Dicker).
Dominican presence has also influenced the food culture and religion in the region. Dominican cultural dishes are a common delicacy in Washington Heights with restaurants selling Dominican dishes being the most common in this neighborhood. Dominican dishes have strong African, Spanish and Middle Eastern influences and consist of starches (potatoes, beans, and corns) and lots of meat. The dishes are mostly composed of rice, meat, beans, and salads (Marte). Well known dishes in the area include Locrio de Salami (rice dish), Ensalada Verde (Green Salad), Habichuelas Guisadas (stewed red beans), Mangu (mashed plantain), Tipili (bulgur salad), Chofan (rice dish), Tostones (Plantain fries) and Pollo Guisado (Braised Chicken). Dominicans are very religious people with strong attention to religion being passed to children from a very young age (Logan). More than three-quarters of Dominicans are Roman Catholics and this is noticeable by the huge congregations that attend The Church of Our Lady of Esperanza and the church of Intersection in Washington Heights for weekend mass. Most churches in Washington Heights are Roman Catholic churches and as a result are attended by many residents, although other religions are also practiced in the area.
Housing affordability for Dominicans in Washington Heights has been a huge challenge, with nearly all families living in the area renting their apartments. Rent fees have been growing faster than income rates and twice as fast as inflation, though people still prefer to live in Inwood and Washington Heights as rates are lower than other neighborhoods around Manhattan (Thomas). Gentrification has been one of the reasons for rent influx, with demand for housing by young professionals and high-income earners moving to New York resulting in competition for the available housing. Owning personal homes has been a challenge because household income among Dominican residents has been relatively low compared to other regions in New York. According to a report by Dominican Studies Institute in 2014, only 5% of Dominicans residing in Washington heights owned their own homes (Thomas). The government has tried to help the rent burdened residents by subsidizing almost three-quarters of all housing Units in Washington Heights.
There has been a significant reduction in Crime rates in Washington Heights over the past two decades. Washington Heights was considered one of the most dangerous places in the United States between the years 1990 to 2000 because of drug trafficking, high unemployment rates, and gangs related activities. High poverty levels and the temptation of quick money drove many young Dominicans into the crime world (Muldoon). Although crime is still a concern in the area, recent efforts by the government in the creation of employment and an increase in law enforcement officers and strategies have resulted in the decrease in crime rates. More street lights and cameras have been erected in Public areas, streets, schools, and car parks. According to a report by the New York State comptroller in 2015, increase in private sectors in Manhattan created employment opportunities for the residence. The report also indicated that that businesses increased by 10.3% which was quicker than the average 6.7% across New York, meaning Washington heights had a greater business growth and more job opportunities compared to the rest of the city (Thomas).
As of 2016, Manhattan District had approximately 29550 scholars, 19 out of school programs, 31 high schools, 3 public libraries, 8 daycares, and head start programs (Fernandez). Since most of the students are of Dominican origin, efforts have been put in place to ease the adjustment of Dominican Immigrant children into schools in the area (Dicker). According to a 2015 research by New York state comptroller, over one-quarter of Washington Height residents aged 25 or older had no high school diploma, with a third of the age group having a bachelor’s degree or higher (Thomas). Health care sector is the largest employer in Washington Heights with over 43 % of working Dominicans employed in this sector. There are three government health facilities in Manhattan. According to the New York City Department of health and mental hygiene, the life expectancy in the region was 83 years as of 2015.
Dominican immigrants have undoubtedly influenced the lifestyle of the people living in Washington Heights. Effects of the Dominican immigrants are evident in food cuisines, religion, festivals and the lifestyle in general of most residents within the region (Dicker). Increase in Dominican immigrants had led to an increase in crime in the 1990s but an increase in security efforts and more job opportunities have led to a drastic decrease in the vice rates. The interaction between the Dominican immigrants and local Washington Height residents has been positive and has made Washington heights a true neighborhood of cultural diversity (Marwell).
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