Salcedo,
Dominican Republic
Since April 1997
Committee Chair: Victor Ramirez
About
Salcedo
Mayor
Mercedes Ortíz
Salcedo is the capital city of the Hermanas Mirabal province in the Dominican Republic.
It is famous for being the birthplace of the Dominican heroines, the Mirabal sisters who gave their lives in the struggle against the dictator Rafael Trujillo. There is a museum in the town, Ojo de Agua (lit. Water Eye but also spring) commemorating three of sisters who were killed in the struggle against dictatorship. It is tended by the remaining sister, Bélgica Mirabal.
The city is named after Francisco Antonio Salcedo who fought in the northwestern part of the country against the Haitian army during the Dominican-Haitian War after the Dominican independence from Haiti in 1844. Salcedo became a municipality in 1905 and later became the head municipality of the Hermanas Mirabal province in 1952.
Farming is the only economic activity in the municipality, except for some very small industries; the main products are plantain, cassava and cacao.
Spanish
About the Partnership
The active sister cities ties between Atlanta and Salcedo contributed toward the opening of Delta Air Lines’ first direct flight to the Dominican Republic. The director of the Atlanta’s Office of International Affairs Claire McCleveighn, the chair of the ASSCC Victor Ramirez, and the ASSCC committee member Fernando Ramirez were at the cutting-ribbon ceremony for that flight at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, on December 1, 2005. They also flew on that inaugural flight to the capital of Santo Domingo and met with the US Consul General to inform him on future exchange plans between the two cities.
Parque Atlanta was a project created to honor the three Dominican heroines that were brutally assassinated by the Trujillo dictatorship in the year 1960. The park has a giant butterfly-shaped amphitheater symbolizing the three heroines who fought for freedom, justice, human and women’s rights in the Dominican Republic.
The park project initiated in 2001 with the collaboration of various community and business leaders, civic and government organizations from both sister cities, Atlanta and Salcedo. Parque Atlanta was dedicated in October, 2008 with music concerts played by the Musical Band of the Arm Forces of the Dominican Republic and the Orchestra of the Dominican Supreme Justice Court, among other artistic performers.
Recent Activities
2020
The City of Atlanta was pleased to join its Dominican Community in celebrating the Dominican Republic's 176th anniversary of Independence in February 2020.
The event provided an opportunity for Atlantans and Dominicans to come together in the spirit of fellowship to celebrate the country's freedom. The event highlighted the economic growth that and well-being Dominican nationals residing in Atlanta provide, as well as enhancing the relationships between Atlanta and the Dominican Republic.
Past Activities
The Dominican International Association and the Atlanta-Salcedo Sister Cities Committee commemorated 173 years of Dominican Independence on Monday, February 27, 2017. Ms. Colleen Kiernan, from councilman Kwanza Hall’s office, presented a proclamation on behalf of the Atlanta City Council recognizing the historic anniversary. In one of several paragraphs written on the plaque, it says that “Dominican nationals who reside in the City of Atlanta have significantly contributed to the economic growth and well- being of the city, while enhancing the bonds of friendship between the United States and the Dominican Republic”. Among the attendees were Atlanta Mayor’s Office of International Affairs Director Claire Angelle, Chair of the Atlanta Sister Cities Commission Shelby Grubbs, and members of the Atlanta-Salcedo Sister Cities Committee and the Dominican International Association.
2015
The Atlanta-Salcedo Sister Cities Committee and the Dominican International Association partnered with Pediatric Cancer Treatment Foundation to hold their annual "It is All about the Children" Gala Dinner & Silent Auction on October 3rd, 2015. The Honorable Mayor Valentin Fernández and Councilwoman Lorenza Bautista, from Salcedo, attended this fundraising event in Atlanta. Dominican songwriter Clelia Montes De Oca performed Latin love songs for the audience. PCTF donated $10,000 for the Atlanta Children’s Hospital and $1,800 for the Cancer Society of Salcedo.
2017
