Dominican Mug

Dominicans or Dominican Americans come from the Dominican Republic. This country shares its borders with Haiti. The Dominican Republic has rolling hills, and mountains. The chief export by far is sugar. Dominicans came to the U.S. because of economic hardships and because of the government. The Dominicans came here in the early 1980's and even more came in the 1990's. The Dominicans are relatively a new ethnic group. Since most are "campesinos", they lack education or skills. They also face language barriers and discrimination. 42% of all Dominicans don't know English well. 29% of Dominicans are on welfare. The more Dominicans that come here, the poorer they become as a group. They are also unusually younger than most immigrant groups. Many are illegal and fall under the poverty line. They are also plagued by high rents, unemployment, and stereotypes of drug-fueled crimes. Many Dominicans are working to combat these problems with associations. Despite their problems, Dominicans are very hard working. In Washington Heights, the Dominican expatriate capital, they have set up bodegas and cabs that compete with the yellow taxis. They have also set up bodegas, beauty salons, and restaurants throughout their barrios in New Jersey and New York. In New Jersey, Dominicans mainly settle in Paterson, Perth Amboy, or Union City. The vast majority of Dominicans have African blood in them. However society makes them seen only as Hispanic or Latino. Skin colors vary. Some have brown skin and others have skin almost as black as African Americans. 50% of all Dominican households are headed by women. The men do all they can to provide the family. Sometimes however some can't do that so they leave. Many Domincans work in construction, plumbing, repair, or as bodegueros. Women can't do this work so they are often cooks, or maids. So their children have to work harder in school. Another stereotype is that Dominicans are too lazy to learn English. This is not true. It's just that Domincans are often times working two or three jobs so they don't have the time. They have made great contributions in the field of baseball and music. Theri food consists of plantanos, yellow rice and beans, yuca, and beef. Over 95% of all Dominicans are strong Catholics.