51³Ô¹ÏÍø

Charlie Rangel on a float dancing to music at Dominican Day Parade. There is an opening wide shot of people dancing in the streets waving flags. There is a crowd on the side lines waving dominican flags while cheering. The camera pans right slowly as a white vehicle pulling a float approaches. Charles Rangel is on the float and the camera zooms in slightly on him. A crowd of people on the float wave flags and dance. Charles Rangel is the U.S. Representative for New York's 15th congressional district, serving since 1971. A member of the Democratic Party, he is the third-longest currently serving member of the House of Representatives. As its most senior member, he is also the Dean of New York's congressional delegation. In January 2007, Rangel became Chair of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, the first African-American to do so. He is also a founding member of the Congressional Black Caucus. The Dominican Day Parade in New York City started in 1982 as a small celebration with concerts and cultural events in Washington Heights section of Manhattan. Organized by Dominican American community leaders, the parade which is held annually each August on Sixth Avenue, has grown to become a showcase of national pride with thousands of participants and spectators. Similar parades, but of lesser scale, are held every year in Haverstraw, New York, Paterson, New Jersey, Boston, and along the Grand Concourse in The Bronx.