The Somos convention has been a precedent for New York City lawmakers since 1988. Initially known as Somos Uno, the occasion was intended to satisfy the desires of New York State’s Latino community. The conferences were held twice a year and served as a platform for policymakers and leaders to raise issues in their communities.
While serious issues are being addressed, Somos also has an opportunity for lawmakers to go berserk: with unofficial parties and networking opportunities.
So far, the meetings have been held in Albany and San Juan, Puerto Rico. In 2025, Somos will be based in 3 locations: Albany, Puerto Rico and for the first time in the Dominican Republic, a resolution approved this year and without controversy. .
Leaked messages from conference leadership suggested bypassing Puerto Rico and hosting the conference in the Dominican Republic, drawing pushback in some communities. Newspaper reports suggested that the change would create a divide between the Puerto Rican and Dominican communities in New York.
Leading the discussion to make the change was Assembly Member Karines Reyes, who clarified for City & State that she wanted to move the conference, not just to the Dominican Republic, but to other Latin American nations each year to show greater representation of New York state’s diverse population. A compromise came when it was decided to add the third annual conference in the Dominican Republic.
City
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What is your reaction to the debate that has arisen around your proposal to move it to the Dominican Republic?Was this debate expected?
Well, I think first of all, it’s vital to make it clear that the proposal will never change the convention completely. And I think the choice of words makes all the difference. The proposal to rotate the convention. It is not a total withdrawal from the Puerto Rico convention. It’s a concept for us to explore how we can be more inclusive with other Latino teams at our convention.
And did you expect the debate? I knew there would be other people who wouldn’t be entirely happy with the concept of rotating the conference. But I think, in general, it’s hard to discuss the changing demographics within the Latino community. community. And it’s hard to forget the diversity among New York City’s Latinos.
Will there be any inclusion from other countries where New York City’s demographic is represented?
Absolutely.
In fact, my original plan was not to move the convention from Puerto Rico to the Dominican Republic. The plan is that we look for tactics to hold the convention in other Latin American countries, such as the Dominican Republic. And that is my first recommendation, simply because of the enormous number of Dominicans in New York. But in my proposal, there is also the concept that we look at Mexico as the next country we move on to. Just look at Colombia because we have so many elected officials of Colombian descent. It’s all part of a giant vision to see how we move forward with the convention.
What topics are you contemplating for the 2025 convention, and how will those discussions differ in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico?
When we were organizing the painting discussions and workshops of the last conference, I wasn’t doing it on my own. The procedure we used to curate the conversations of the last two meetings that I have chaired has been very biological and has been very biological.
I anticipate that a conference for the Dominican Republic, a conference in Mexico, and the upcoming conference in Puerto Rico is going to be the same. Part of that organic process is how we ended up with 30 workshops at the Albany conference in 2023 and 36 workshops at the Puerto Rico conference in 2023. There is an increased interest to participate in the conference when you allow people with space to curate those conversations.
The Somos conferences are always sold out. People are very excited to attend and to talk about what’s going on in their communities. Do you think that Somos will grow in scale? Instead of it being like around 2000 attendees, do you think that the attendee list will get bigger?
Absolutely, I think, you know, capacity has been a problem the past year. And in the past conference, we saw a record number of first-time attendees as well. I attribute that to what I mentioned before, just the organic process by which we allow people to take part in the conversation that happened during Somos. So I anticipate that we are going to continue to grow. There are going to be more and more people interested in participating in the conference, because they feel represented and welcome and feel part of the conference.
That has always been my goal. And then now of course, we’re going to have the challenge of capacity to deal with again. But I think that’s a good problem to have. And, moving forward I think that also better serves the growing Latino community.
Will the Dominican Republic have the same service opportunities as Puerto Rico?
Absolutely.
If there is something that is not lacking, it is opportunities to offer service trips. Many communities in need in Latin America and the Caribbean could use our help.
For the Dominican Republic, will it be Puerto Plata or Punta Cana?
This has not yet been made official. Ideally, I’m thinking of homes that can accommodate the length of the conference, providing proximity to the airport, security measures, and all those things; Punta Cana is the most suitable place.
I understand from your biography that you identify as Afro-Latina with a history with the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico, do you have any personal feelings about this expansion and updating within SOMOS?
I was born in the Dominican Republic. I lived in Puerto Rico with my dad. My dad’s Puerto Rican. My Puerto Rican family still lives on the island of Puerto Rico, everything that the island struggles with impacts me directly. But I think it’s also a moment to be proud of when I can say that we are including another important part of the Latino Diaspora in the events that we do.
A convention in the Dominican Republic, while arguably not the first, I think it’s worth noting that there have been smaller events since the convention in the Dominican Republic. But I think intentionally hosting an event in the Dominican Republic will be a proud moment for many Latinos, even those who are necessarily Dominican or Puerto Rican. I think for Latinos, for a varied organization of Latinos, it’s a door that allows them to be represented at a convention as well.
Any leftover ideas?
I think the procedure and the public debate that was taken was premature, as the conversations about the proposal were personal conversations that unfortunately spilled over into the public sphere. And I think that’s a disappointing truth that undermines our ability as Latinos to get in. combination and talk about the problems we have. So I hope that in the future, other people will be more aware of how the things they do or what they say publicly can cause divisions that rarely are necessarily or shouldn’t be divisive.
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