Politics in Our Veins - by Domingo Morel & Yalidy Matos & Michelle Bueno Vásquez

Book Synopsis

Captures the complex journey of how Dominican Americans mobilized to become key progressive players in American politics

Dominican Americans are one of the largest and fastest-growing Latinx groups in the United States, with a population that has quadrupled from 517,000 to a little over 2.3 million as of 2023. While New York City is home to the largest Dominican community in the country--and is where most Dominican American elected officials (DEOs) are from--Dominican Americans continue to increase their representation nationwide. In Politics in Our Veins, Yalidy Matos, Domingo Morel, and Michelle Bueno Vásquez chart the rise of Dominican American political power across the United States, exploring the myriad factors that have contributed to their political success as thoughtful citizens, activists, and elected officials.

Drawing on original surveys, in-depth interviews with elected officials, and archival data, Matos, Morel, and Vásquez trace the past, present, and future of Dominican American political power, demonstrating how one group fought from the margins for a seat at the table. They explore how community, civic, and cultural organizations have played an important role in helping newly immigrated Dominican Americans gain political power through influential national coalitions like "Dominicans on the Hill" and the Dominican National Roundtable. They also examine how identity politics, in particular race and gender, influence the political attitudes and behavior of DEOs.

Ultimately, Politics in Our Veins shines a light on how Dominicans have created avenues for political engagement--identifying where barriers to participation have been dismantled, where they remain, and where new obstacles are emerging.

About the Author

Yalidy Matos (Author)
Yalidy Matos is Associate Professor of Political Science at Rutgers University. She is the author of Moral and Immoral Whiteness in Immigration Politics. Matos has been the recipient of the 2022 American Political Science Association Distinguished Junior Scholar in Political Psychology Award and a 2024-2025 Russel Sage Foundation Visiting Scholar.

Michelle Bueno Vásquez (Author)
Michelle Bueno Vásquez is a Doctoral Student in Political Science at Northwestern University.