ABSTRACT
W omen have been essential to the development of the dominican community of New York City. Women are the foundation of their communities protesting, organizing, bringing resources, and raising consciousness. But few people look at the building of foundations. When one looks at the Dominican community of New York City, the base of that community is also neglected. This chapter examines the role of women in the political incorporation of Dominicans in the United States. I have previously argued that Dominican men dominated mainstream politics, both social service politics and electoral politics, leaving women out of the picture. Dominican women, however, are present, both building and leading the community grassroots politics. While men are the mainstream leaders, running for office, directing the "powerful" social service agencies, being the media spoke-persons, women politicize the grassroots of their communities. The following event descriptions illustrate my argument.
