WaHi Street To Be Renamed For Dominican Independence Day

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — A Washington Heights intersection will soon be known as "27 de Febrero Way" to celebrate the Dominican Republic's Independence Day and the more than 1 million Dominicans who live in New York, City Council members announced this week.

Officials will gather at the southeast corner of 181st Street and Amsterdam Avenue on Feb. 23 to officially co-name the intersection in honor of the country's independence day, one of several celebrations in the borough for New York City's Dominican Heritage Month.

The co-naming will honor the Dominican community, which has become the largest emigrating group in New York City and represents about 30 percent of the entire Latino population citywide, Council Member Ydanis Rodriguez said.

"Dominicans are now part of every aspect of the socioeconomic and cultural fabric of New York City," Rodriguez said in an invitation to the ceremony. "Whether is through music, literature, cuisine, fashion and design, film/stage/television, education, government/politics, or sports, Dominicans occupy many spaces and contribute in multiple ways to the cultural, political and economic vibrancy of New York."

New York City has the largest Dominican community in the United States and the largest in the world outside of Santo Domingo, according to a study by the Pew Research Center.

Dominicans first arrived in the United States in 1613, with the arrival of Juan Rodriguez, who also was the very first immigrant, to New York City, Rodriguez said.

The Dominican population steadily grew through the years with the arrival of thousands more through Ellis Island in the 20th century. There are now more than 2 million Dominicans across the country, more than 1 million of whom live in New York, Rodriguez said.

The co-naming ceremony, set for 2:30 to 4 p.m. on Feb. 23, is one of several events throughout the month to celebrate the community. Dominican Heritage Month was officially recognized as a holiday in 2016.

Washington Heights hosted the Dominican Heritage Awards last week and promoted an art exhibit hosted by Borough President Gale Brewer that opened at the beginning of the month.

"With the renaming of this intersection, we celebrate the history and trajectory of Dominicans in New York City and seek that New Yorkers of Dominican descent see themselves represented, their influence reflected on their streets, and their ties to the City strengthened," Rodriguez said. "Please join us and our Latino brothers and sisters in honoring the Dominican Independence Day for generations to come."

A previous version of this article had the original ceremony date of Feb. 27, which has since been rescheduled to Feb. 23.