SAVE THE DATE

The Oak Park-based Dominican American Midwest Association (DAMA), held its 9th annual Gala Dinner, Award Ceremony and Fund-raiser at Biagio’s Banquet halls in Chicago. 

 Tony Jiménez, former Dominican Consul in Illinois, was honored for his dedication to humanitarian services to Latino causes and to the victims of Katrina.

DAMA also provided a $1,000.00 award to high school graduate Herson Escobar for his outstanding academic record and for being a model student to other Latino students of the  Humbolt Park area. He will be attending Depaul University. 

Also participating in the event was Junot Diaz, this year’s Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction with his novel The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Additionally, Diaz has been recipient of the prestigious National Books Critics Circle award for fiction. During the Gala Dinner, he was presented with resolutions recognizing his impact on contemporary American literature.  The resolutions were passed by Chicago Alderman Billy Ocasio (26^th Ward)  and by Cook County Commissioner Roberto Maldonado (8^th District).

DAMA is a non-partisan, nonprofit organization seeking to address the need of all Dominican-Americans in the Midwest region. Specifically, DAMA strives to create an awareness in the Dominican-American community that rights and duties permeate all social, cultural, and economic activity.