For Immediate Release: Tuesday, September 24, 2019
From the Office of Council President Nancy Navarro
On Tuesday, September 24 at 11 a.m., special celebration will focus on ‘Latin Americans: A History of Serving Our Nation, State and County’
ROCKVILLE, Md., Sept. 23, 2019—The Montgomery County Council will hold it’s sixth annual Hispanic Heritage Month commemoration hosted by Council President Nancy Navarro on Tuesday, Sept. 24 at 11 a.m. The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Latin Americans: A History of Serving Our Nation, State and County.” The commemoration will include a video distinguishing Hispanic Americans in the Washington metropolitan area who have made important contributions to our communities. Council President Navarro began these commemorative events to honor leaders in our area and explore important public policy issues impacting the Latino population.
Those being recognized will share their experiences through a video presentation include Jonathan Acosta, singer and writer, Claudia Campos Galván, program director at Nueva Vida, Ana Sol Gutiérrez, former Maryland State Delegate, Moisés Linares, sports anchor for Telemundo, a division of NBC, Ricardo Loaiza, executive director of After School Dance Fund, Maricé Morales, former Maryland State Delegate and Javier and María José Solís, entrepreneurs with Toro Taxes.
“Our County is truly a microcosm of our nation’s changing demographics, and it is important that we celebrate our shared heritage by recognizing the valuable contributions the Latino-American community makes in our county, state, and country,” said Council President Nancy Navarro, who is the first and only Latina ever elected to the Council and serves as chair of the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. She also serves on the Council’s Education Committee and was a member of President Obama’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics.
“Being able to honor this diverse mosaic of cultures in this nation is what makes our country, the United States, such a strong beacon of democracy. It’s important to recognize the contributions, by not only our Latino/a leaders, but also those individuals who work hard each day to improve the lives of those around them. These are the true heroes.”
Council President Navarro recently introduced the Racial Equity and Social Policy Act, which will create a Racial Equity and Social Justice Program in the County. The Racial Equity and Social Justice Act will institutionalize the norms of equity and social justice into the work of county government.
Work on the Racial Equity and Social Justice Act officially began in April 2018, when the Council passed a resolution spearheaded by Council President Navarro to create the framework to develop a racial equity policy. Since that time Council President Navarro has met with community members throughout the county on racial equity and social justice issues.
The Hispanic Heritage Month event will take place in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. The special ceremonies will be televised live by County Cable Montgomery (CCM—Cable Channel 6 on Comcast and RCN, Channel 30 on Verizon). The broadcast also will be streamed at: http://tinyurl.com/CouncilMeetingPortal .
According to the United States Census, the total Latino population of the Washington metropolitan region is 1,483,786, of which more than 207,526 live in Montgomery County. These include people of El Salvadoran, Honduran, Mexican and Peruvian origin, among others. Between 1980 and 2017, the size of the County’s Latino population increased by 810 percent. Foreign-born Latinos represent 53.9 percent of the County’s Latino population, and 85.4 percent speak Spanish at home.
For more information, visit the Council’s 2019 commemoration webpage.
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Release ID: 19-305