Mirabal Sisters Cultural & Community Center
Luis Manuel Tejada, Pedro Reyes, Margarita Reyes & Dario Abreu, Co-Founders
The Mirabal Sister Cultural and Community Center, Inc. (The Center) is committed to the well being and development of families residing in Hamilton Heights, home to immigrants primarily from the Dominican Republic. Established in 2001, The Center seeks to address the socio-economic reality that impacts their daily lives. The goal is to empower the community by promoting collective action to demand justice and better opportunity. Together with others, The Center participated in vigils to honor the Flight 587 victims, the committee against a juvenile prison in Washington Heights and the coalition for a bill to protect children against lead poisoning.
With a focus on housing, The Center is organizing tenant associations to address landlord violations, prevent evictions and oversee mandated apartment repairs. The Center has also mobilized in response to Columbia University’s plan to displace residents living in building located from 125th to 133rd Streets from Broadway to the Hudson River. As part of a coalition, The Center is organizing to stop the displacement of residents, prevent the privatization of the area’s public housing area and avoid higher rents. Center activists express their concerns at community board meetings and disseminate information throughout the neighborhood explaining the consequences of Columbia’s expansion.