The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex), presented the Mr. Oscar de la Renta Dominican Emigrant Award to Casilda Luna, an outstanding Dominican in Washington, D.C., United States.
Since 1962, Luna has focused her work in favor of her compatriots, promoting national culture and the social welfare of Dominicans living in that city.
Luna received the award from President Luis Abinader and Foreign Minister Roberto Alvarez in a ceremony held at the National Theater.
During his speech, President Abinader highlighted the role played by the valuable Dominican community abroad, emphasizing that they are people of good social treatment, hospitable and hard-working.
On his side, Chancellor Alvarez highlighted the work being done by Mirex and the Institute for Dominicans Abroad (Index) in order to protect Dominican nationals wherever they are.
Luna, who was awarded one million pesos, was born in Samaná, Dominican Republic. In 1962 she arrived in Washington, D.C. where she became a skilled organizer of the Latino community in that city, exercising leadership that allowed her to create programs and organizations that impacted the development of the most vulnerable groups. Due to her fight for the human rights of immigrants, The Washington Post called her “the mother of immigrants”.
Also recognized were 9 other outstanding Dominicans in Canada, USA, Italy, and Puerto Rico.
They are Alan Junior Reyes, César Sánchez Beras, Ramón Modesto Tallaj, Teresa Josefina Bello de Burgos, Mirtha Racelis Mella De Jesús, Juan Emilio Romero Durán, Rhadamés Ávila, Rubén Darío Jiménez Mercedes and José Francisco Rodríguez.
