NYC’s Dominican Day Parade a bust on row over Haitians

New York.- New York’s Dominican Day Parade was a flop after boycotts by several institutions, led by the nationalist Instituto Duartiano.

Organizers attribute the lackluster event to their inviting a delegation of Haitian officials and personalities to the parade for the city’s Dominican community.

The journalist Roberto Gerónimo told outlet Listin Diario that the parade failed to live up to expectation as the boycott called by several community groups dwindled attendance

With the chants “boycott, boycott, boycott” the Instituto Duartiano, the Dominican Agenda in New York, the Dominican Committee Abroad (Codex), and other civic groups called to boycott the event three days before the parade was held.

Geronimo slammed the display of pro-Haitian pickets in the parade, including one about the activist, Sonia Pierre, founder of the Dominican-Haitian Women’s Movement and who accused the Dominican Republic before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR), claiming that two girls of Haitian descent had been denied their birth certificate.

“The public didn’t attend because of yesterday’s rains over New York, but because of the institutions’ call not to attend,” Geronimo said.