Biographical Note: Rosita Mercedes Romero was born in the town of Isabela, Puerto Plata in the Dominican Republic in 1960. In 1973, she moved to Puerto Rico at the age of 12. After finishing high school, she briefly attended the University of Puerto Rico and came to the United States obtaining a bachelor’s degree from the University of New Haven, Connecticut in 1980; and her Master of Social Work from Hunter College in1990. She became an activist at the age of sixteen and had many plans and ideas for the improvement of her newly adopted community. In 1988, she founded El Centro de Desarrollo de la Mujer Dominicana, a non-profit organization dedicated to improving women living conditions. The Centro now employs 80 employees and offers services to approximately 10,000 individuals annually. She also administers the Centro de Ciudadanos Infantiles Mamá Tingó, which provides care, early education, and food security to children in the community. In addition, she created the first support group for LGBTQ in Washington Heights.
Scope and Content Note: The Rosita Romero Interview was conducted by the staff of the CUNY Dominican Studies Institute Archives during the celebration of Rosita Romero’s 50th birthday in 2010. The videotaped interview is an oral history documentation of her early life, lifetime struggles, her hopes for the future of minorities in their quest for equal rights.
Last Updated: 06/14/2021 13:43