Our President's Message

The appointment of Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the United States Supreme Court is a reason for all Latinos and persons of diversity and immigration to celebrate.  Fear of and resistance to diversity has been recognized time and again as the greatest threat to our American Democracy.  Diversity on the United States Supreme Court bench, or for that matter, any Court, is essential to preserve the values and freedoms of our democratic heritage.  Diversity is the best method for insuring the protection of individual rights and the facilitation of the pursuit of individual liberties.  It is important that in safeguarding individual liberties that a Court is not hostage to its own unrecognized bias or prejudice. The best guarantee against this silent obstacle to justice is diversity on both the trial and appellate Courts.

Judge Sotomayor, raised by her mother in the projects of the Bronx, succeeded in becoming a lawyer, then United States District Court Judge, followed by her appointment to the prestigious Second Circuit Court of Appeals, promoted by the President of the United States to the United States Supreme Court. Judge Sotomayor is a role model for all of our children. She is the embodiment of all the opportunity that America offers.

The Dominican American Society of Queens and our Board of Trustees is committed to listening, learning, and reflecting on how we can benefit by Judge Sotomayor’s example and reach out to and encourage Dominicans, Latinos and all persons of diversity to participate in community activities, networks and also pursue education and careers.  We trustees are committed to continuing to provide various after school and adult programs, seminars, competitions and projects that facilitate the education of our youth and prepare adults for employment opportunities in business, government, and law in the Queens Community. As President, it is my chief goal to cultivate within DAS membership an energized interest to network our participants into the community and to encourage our children to acquire all the education our city and state schools and colleges offer.

It is within and through community based organizations such as DAS that we believe biases can be best broken down through the kind exchange and collegiality that is produced with education, networking and participation.  It is in this atmosphere of diversity and immigration that the preservation of all the values embodied in the United States Constitution can best be achieved.

God Bless America,
Si Se Puede,


Joseph P. Awad
President, DAS Board of Trustees