Beyond Washington Heights: Identities, Language and Economic Outcomes of Dominicans in a New Destination

Leif Jensen, Pennsylvania State University
Sal Oropesa, Pennsylvania State University
Jeffrey H. Cohen, Pennsylvania State University
Jacqueline Toribio, Pennsylvania State University

Immigration scholars have shown increasing interest in the geographic redistribution of the immigrant population away from traditional destinations and toward new gateway communities, thus raising old and new questions about assimilation and context of reception. This paper focuses on this issue through a case study of Dominican immigrants, a group worthy of study for several reasons. Dominicans have a sizable and growing population, are often phenotypically black yet Spanish speaking, have relatively high poverty rates, and are flocking to new places. One such new destination is Reading, Pennsylvania, an economically struggling industrial city with a sizable Hispanic population embedded within an otherwise white region. Through analysis of primary data gathered via in-depth key-informant interviews, and a structured survey of Dominican households, we assess the nature and interplay between race-ethnic identity, linguistic abilities and preferences, perceptions of local context, and economic circumstances and trajectories of Dominicans in Reading.