in the Dominican Republic, lack of quality and skilled job opportunities, due to a poor education, discriminatory barriers they have been forced to endure and overcome, and various other obstacles that they have had to surmount, all while striving to become a productive and contributing people here in America.New York City’s fastest growing immigrant group are Dominicans, a Spanish speaking people, flocking from the Dominican Republic to the United States, New York City in specific. In 1980 the Dominican population in NYC was 125,380, in 1990 it was 332,713, and today in 1999 it is an estimated 500,000 people. The only problem with this is through the years of their migration to America, their per capita income has declined precipitously. It seems as though when the Dominican population in America increases, their income as a whole decreases. Nearly half of the Dominicans in NYC live below the poverty level. In 1990 29% of Dominicans where on welfare. Of foreign people immigrating to the U.S., only people from the former Soviet Union had a higher percentage of people living on public assistance. From 1989 to 1996 their per capita income declined 23% to $6,094 a year, in inflation adjusted dollars, while their poverty rate rose from 37% to 46%, that is almost double for the city as a whole. Unemployment also rose from 17.2% in 1990 to 18.8% in 1996 (Lopez, p. 3). The source of these severe economic problems according to Internet site, Latino Link, are from a lack of a proper education and skills, and their unusual young age.6 out of every 10 Dominicans in the U.S. reside in New York City. Washington Heights, located in upper Manhattan houses the largest Dominican population nationwide. Dominicans make up 7% of NYC, but their children make up 12% of elementary age kids. On average Dominicans are much younger in comparison to American’s age in NYC. The average age for a New Yorker is 36, compared to 24 for someone of Dominica...
