NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — The colorful sights, sounds and spirit of the 44th annual National Dominican Day Parade marched through Midtown Manhattan on Sunday.
The celebration traveled along Sixth Avenue between West 37th and West 55th streets.
WABC-TV is a proud sponsor of the parade
The theme of this year’s parade is “Identidad y Cultura,” or identity and culture.
Officials unveiled this year’s honorees at the Alianza Dominicana Cultural Center in Washington Heights on July 23.
There were 15 honorees, including this year’s parade grand marshal, Dr. Ramón Tallaj, the founder and chairman of SOMOS Community Care.
On Friday night, the parade gala was held at Greentree Country Club in New Rochelle. It featured music, dancing and awards recognizing the best of the city’s Dominican community.
Born in Santiago de los Caballeros, Dr. Tallaj came to New York in the 1990s. He founded SOMOS in 2015, and the network now provides health care access to more than 1 million minority and low-income New Yorkers.
“I’m going to take this recognition in the name of all the physicians and dentists who are in the city of New York who are taking care of so many for so many years in neighborhoods that are poor neighborhoods,” Tallaj said.
And it’s not just Dr. Tallaj who was honored. Salsa singer Jose Alberto was the parade’s godfather and more than a dozen other Dominican Americans served as ambassadors and honorees.
The parade is also a time to fundraise and help young students achieve their academic goals through its scholarship program.
Since starting the program in 2015, the National Dominican Day Parade has committed more than $1 million in funding to more than 200 students across 20 states, according to event officials. By offering scholarships, parade organizers and board members aim to help students of Dominican descent attain a college degree.
