ALLENTOWN, Pa. – Members of the city's Dominican community and others from around the region gathered at City Hall on Sunday to celebrate Dominican Independence Day with a flag-raising.
“Today, we will see our flag waving and be reminded that we are blessed to have two homes,” said City Council Vice President Cynthia Mota, who was born in the Dominican Republic. “We love Allentown, and seeing our flag raised is a sign that our city loves us back.”
- The Dominican flag rose over Allentown City Hall Sunday, in celebration of Dominican Independence Day on Feb. 27
- Dozens of people packed the city council chambers for speeches recognizing the community’s contribution in Allentown
- About 20,000 people of Dominican descent live in Allentown
The city council chamber was packed full as joyful celebrants squeezed in, many waving miniature Dominican flags.
By the time Sunday’s program began, dozens more waited in the hallway just outside.
They gathered to celebrate their community, and also to celebrate the anniversary of the Dominican Republic’s independence from Haiti. Among the crowd were political leaders like Mayor Matt Tuerk and state reps. Peter Schweyer and Josh Siegel.
The 2020 Census found that nearly 55% of Allentown residents are Hispanic. Roughly 20,000 of those people are Dominican, according to Mota.
Officials presented proclamations from the U.S. House of Representatives, The City of Allentown, Lehigh County and the Pennsylvania Legislature celebrating the Lehigh Valley’s Dominican community and Monday’s holiday.
“Today, we will see our flag waving and be reminded that we are blessed to have two homes.”City Council Vice President Cynthia Mota
Event organizers also recognized Dominican police officers, both from within Allentown and Lehigh County, and from departments as far away as Reading and Philadelphia.
In the afternoon’s final speech, retired Dominican National Police leader Damian Arias spoke of the history of Dominican independence, comparing it with the revolutions in neighboring Haiti and the United States.
Afterward, the crowd moved outside and gathered around the flagpole. Scored by the crowd’s raucous rendition of the Dominican national anthem, the flag slowly rose over City Hall.
In January, the city gained a sister city in the Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo Este, in recognition of the city’s Dominican community.
