What do Lark-Marie, Alexandra, Lourdes, and Diana have in common?

All four women have Dominican roots, speak Spanish, are proud of their origins, and are working for their communities.

They are women who hold important political and judicial positions in New York State, an environment usually reserved for men, and where few Latinos have been able to gain power.

“Educate a man and you educate one person. Educate a woman and you educate a whole family,” said Ruby Manikan.

New York State was a one of the epicenters of the Women’s Suffrage movement in North America. It took more than a century of struggle for the women of this nation to gain access to the voting booths and participate equally in the election of public representatives.

This struggle for equal rights is the foundation of a generation of women who now exercise rights prohibited to their ancestors.

The same state that until 1915 did not permit women to vote, today counts among some of its most important political figures four women of Dominican origin who have overcome discrimination not only against their gender but against their race as well.

Lourdes Ventura, Assistant District Attorney in Corona, Queens

Lourdes Ventura’s story is an example of what courage, commitment, and determination can do for a person. As a grade-school student, Ventura was told that she would never go very far in life because she was the daughter of Dominican immigrants, her family was dependent on public assistance, and because she was a woman.

Today, those who tried to discourage Lourdes should know that this Latina is the Assistant District Attorney in Queens. Among her many accomplishments in this office she investigated cases of discrimination in areas like housing, credit, labor, education, and public services.

Lourdes has also served as the president of the Association for Latin-American Law Students and recently traveled to South Africa with the Center for Legal Resources to do community-based work.

In 1998 she returned to Queens from the University of Buffalo to start her career as a lawyer. She proved herself by gaining the position of Assistant District Attorney, the first Dominican woman to ever hold the job. Since her return to Queens, she remained active in community work, something she promised herself as a student that she would always do. Lourdes uses a quote from writer Maya Angelou as her personal motto: “Even though you try to drag me down, like the wind, I will rise.” The secret to her success, she says, has been to maintain focus, work hard and, above all, to be proud of her origins.

“I never forgot my roots. The history of my people is what makes me special. I think the power to dream, to grow, and to make progress is what takes us where we want to go,” Lourdes said.

Lark-Marie Antón, Mayor’s Press Secretary

This is a woman who has made good use of her education and grabs the bull by the horns. Lark-Marie is responsible for supervising all press and publicity functions for various New York City agencies and offices, among them the New York City Housing Authority, the NYC Commission for the United Nations, Consular Corps and Protocol, the Department of Records and Information, the Commission on Women’s Issues, the Office to Combat Domestic Violence, the Art Commission , and the Office of Veterans’ Affairs, to name a few. She is also the voice of the Mayor.

Of Dominican and Lebanese heritage, Lark-Marie is just 25 years old. She was born and raised in New York, and graduated from Marist College with degrees in Communications and Public Relations and Psychology. She later earned a Master’s Degree in Communication Studies from the University of West Virginia.

After returning to New York with her degrees, Antón worked as a producer on projects such as the 2001 MTV Movie Awards and TV Funhouse on Comedy Central. These experiences gained her an internship as a reporter for WNBC and a job as Polling Supervisor for the Marist Poll Institute.

Lark-Marie is a firm believer in the power of education and has taught as an adjunct faculty member at Marist College and as assistant professor at the University of West Virginia.

Alexandra Ventura

Born and raised in Queens and of Dominican heritage, Alexandra Ventura is the director of the New York State Citizenship Unit [which helps people through the naturalization process]. Through dedicated service, Alexandra built a bridge between the Dominican community and the Governor by bringing the needs of Dominican and other immigrants to the state’s attention.

Before the creation of the Citizenship Unit, Alexandra had worked side by side with Governor Pataki as Assistant Advisor on Special Projects and Protocol since 1997. Alexandra achieved a great deal for the Latino community by fighting for better conditions and developing programs to benefit Latinos in New York. Through her position, Alexandra launched interesting campaigns and oversaw the integration of the state government and the needs of Dominican immigrants. In 1998, she helped Mayor Giuliani organize aid for the Dominican Republic after Hurricane George.

Alexandra graduated from Syracuse University with two Master’s Degrees, one in Political Science and another in Public Administration. In 2002, the Dominican-American National Round Table, for which she served as Assistant Secretary, elected her to its Board of Directors. Alexandra is also a member of various organizations such as 100 Hispanic Women and the American Society for Public Administration.

Diana Reyna, District 34 City Councilmember

Diana Reyna represents Williamsburg, Bushwick, and Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn in the City Council. She has led a distinguished career in public service fighting for community issues.

Since 1997 until her swearing-in as Councilmember in 2001, Diana worked as the head of personnel for Assemblyman Vito J. Lopez. Before this she was a legislative aide.

As a Councilmember, Diana has been active and constant in the community that she represents. For example, in answer to the need for bank services in the Bushwick area, she helped found a federal credit union and serves on its board of directors. The credit union provides the community with services that before were absent.

Councilmember Reyna has also organized community activities. Now she is the coordinator of United Brooklyn and the “South Side Task Force,” Latino groups who offer a community forum for residents to express their opinions. She is also the facilitator of the North Brooklyn Public Housing Coalition and the Fathers of Bushwick, two other organizations that help residents get involved in the decision making process.

Diana is a graduate of Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. She was born in Brooklyn and is the daughter of two Dominican immigrants who came to New York in the early 1960s.