BY: Adal Hussain, Chief Editor for World Liberty TV , Sunday August 13th 2023
The annual NYC Dominican Day parade for the Dominican Republic. The parade was on Sixth Avenue (AKA “Avenue of the Americas”, which no New Yorker calls it, but is appropriate for today). The parade was from 1pm to 5pm and started at 36th Street and went, I believe, to 62nd Street (that’s right next to Central Park).
I knew it would be big, but I’ve been to big parades: Puerto Rican Day, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s, among others.
I figured this would be well attended. It was more than “well attended”. It seems that everyone who even knows someone in the Dominican Republic was there. Huge crowds.
I was at Bryant Park, the corner of 42nd Street and 6th Avenue. There’s an elevated part and I managed to get to the top of the stairs, about 3 feet higher than the crowd in front of me.
Overall, the crowd in front of me was 6 or 7 people deep. That’s the deepest I’ve seen any parade except Thanksgiving (which is a special case).
Yes, that’s a snake around his neck. We parted like the Red Sea. He was one of three guys with snakes around his neck walking through the crowd (you can see another of them right behind him). After the parade, I saw two more.
Anyway, the parade started at 1pm and the crowd, which was already pretty wound up, cranked the noise level to 11.
The parade featured a number of different participants, but the radio stations seemed to be the all-out favorites. The crowd wanted loud, loud music; and the politicians really didn’t provide it.
There were a few new sights at this parade. There were groups of what I can only describe as “colorful characters”. I’m sure they are symbolic of some folk traditions, but I don’t know what they might be.
Some of them had horns (really long horns) and some had devilish masks, and some just had bullwhips. Yep, bullwhips. That’s a new one on me.
At one point, about 20 characters came out cracking their whips and the crowd loved it. Me, too. Then there was a small group of others and then a group of kids with bullwhips. They were really into it, but they just couldn’t crack the whips like their elders.
The Dominican Day Parade is much more than a parade. Throughout the year, we hold various events including workshops, scholarships, food drives, the annual gala, and parade kick-off events in all five boroughs.
The mission of the Dominican Day Parade of New York City is to celebrate the richness of the Dominican culture, folklore, and popular traditions.
The Parade highlights promote and acknowledge the heritage and contributions of the Dominican community in the United States and throughout the world.
The Dominican Day Parade, Inc. is a nonpartisan, 501(c)(3) nonprofit, that organizes the annual parade and festivities that promote the richness of the culture, folklore and popular traditions of the Dominican Republic.
The organization strives to provide an understanding of the heritage and contributions of the Dominican community in the United States of America and throughout the world.
The parade is a tradition beloved by the Dominican community, but it is only the tip of the iceberg for our organization! For us, the Dominican Day Parade is much more than a parade.
Throughout the year, we hold various events including food drives, the annual gala, and parade kick-off events in all five boroughs.
Understanding the value of education, the Dominican Day Parade takes great pride in providing scholarships and mentor opportunities to exceptional students of Dominican descent.
Through the funds raised from our annual gala, we granted $200,000 in scholarships in 2019 to support awardees through college and post graduate institutions.
Helping these promising young people continue to excel in their future ventures allows us to achieve our primary goal: to support and celebrate the Dominican community!
President Luis Abinader , The Dominican Republic President Luis Abinader was in attendance and was recognized as the Grand Marshal. Other Diginatries in attendance and marching in the parade included: Governor Kathy Hochul, Senator Chuck Schumer, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Public Advocate, Jumaane D. Williams, Congress member, Adriano Espaillat, Congressman Jamaal Bowman, Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, New York Police Department’s Commissioner, Edward Caban and many more political leaders, labor leaders and community in attendance.
See more in our World Liberty TV, Political Blogs by clicking here.
Katie Taylor edged out Amanda Serrano to retain her undisputed Lightweight crown in an epic fight for the ages at a sold-out Madison Square Garden in New York, live on DAZN.
Taylor controlled the opening four rounds but Serrano came on strong in the fifth and had her fans on her feet as she seemed to hurt the Irish legend and the roof came off the sold out arena as they traded heavy blows, but Serrano seemed to be getting on top.
If the fifth round was exciting, the sixth blew it out of the water as Taylor threw everything she had at the Brooklyn ace who fired back in kind. Taylor seemed to regain her composure despite the heavy shots she’d taken as rounds seven and eight came and went with the defending champion picking her shots and trying to resist going toe-to-toe with the heavy-handed Puerto Rican.
Both fighters knew the bout was in the balance and served up a stunning final two minutes, and after the crowd roared their appreciation for being lucky enough to witness an unforgettable and history-making night, it was Taylor whose hand was raised by split decision (97-93, 96-93 and 94-96).
It was a very close fight which Katie Taylor won and retained her Undisputed World Lightweight Boxing Championships on a points victory. Both of the woman fought their hearts out and did not disappoint in any way , it was definitely the fight of the year for man or woman fight this year.
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Years in the making, the biggest fight ever in women’s boxing between the pound-for-pound #1 and #2 fighters of the world is one that will not only make boxing history, but women’s sports history. MSG has hosted thousands of fights through its illustrious years, beginning more than a century ago on July 17, 1882; now, 140 years later, this matchup finally marks the very first time two female fighters are headlining a combat sports event at ‘The World’s Most Famous Arena‘.
Irish icon Taylor (20-0 6 KOs) puts all the Lightweight belts on the line for the sixth time since winning them in June 2019 in a war with Delfine Persoon and seeing off the Belgian in a rematch in England before repelling the challenges of Miriam Gutierrez, Natasha Jonas, Jennifer Han and Firuza Sharipova – and there’s added spice to the fight as Taylor holds a win over Amanda’s sister Cindy in Boston back in October 2018.
Puerto Rican sensation Serrano (42-1-1 30 KOs) already has an unrivalled legacy in the sport as a seven-weight World champion. The Brooklyn based champion enters the momentous bout in sparkling form after knocking out Daniela Bermudez last March, dominating Yamileth Mercado in August and overpowering Miriam Gutierrez in two separate cards co-starring Jake Paul. Amanda was the 2021 Female Fighter of the Year for DAZN, ESPN and WBC among others.
Taylor and Serrano came face-to-face at MSG today for the first time since the fight was announced.
This is a Fifty, fifty fight both have a tough task ahead of their selves, and it’s hard to make a prediction.
Whoever wins will become the Greatest woman fighter on the planet, and the pound for pound woman fighter also known as Greatest Woman of All Time. (GWOAT).
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