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Conclusion
Gaining political influence is something that is a sure sign of assimilation. In the past wave of immigration, the Irish assimilated through Tammany Hall and received services they needed through political influences. Today, the Dominican community is becoming increasingly involved in politics which leads to better incorporation into the American society. This also leads to social capital, which is the networks of support among a group which helps them improve the community and receive more services.
Through the interviews that we conducted, it is clear that the Dominican 1.5 and 2nd generation feels that they are gaining more of an influence in the political arena.
As Dr. Lavergne said, "We’ve been making a lot of strides in the political areas. We have a lot of representation on community boards. We’ve been gaining a lot of ground in this area. We have many social clubs where people gather to play dominos, but really a lot of political discussions go on. We talk about who we will try to get elected into positions of leadership. This is kind of like the rich people going to play golf together."
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