September 15 to October 15 marks National Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s a time dedicated to celebrating the cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. It began as a week-long celebration under President Lyndon Johnson in 1968. Then, it was expanded into 30 days by President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
You may be wondering why observance begins mid-month.
September 15 was chosen as the official start date because of its cultural importance, marking independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico and Chile follow soon after on September 16 and September 18, respectively.
Here in Montgomery County, nearly 20 percent of residents are Hispanic, making up the second largest race/ethnicity within the community, according to the U.S. Census Bureau,. In fact, the most common language spoken in the county, other than English, is Spanish with 14.5 percent being native speakers.
So, it comes as no surprise that there are a number of events in our area celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month. Here’s when and where you can experience the sights, sounds, and flavors of our valued and vibrant Hispanic community. Vamos!
Colores Opening Reception
Discover art from a survey of local Latin American artists at Colores art exhibit and art sale. Join the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County and the Gaithersburg-Germantown Chamber of Commerce at BlackRock Center for the Arts on September 14 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month, enjoy delicious appetizers, cash bar and an opportunity to network with artists. This event is free.
Dayramir Gonzalez Vicet
Kick-off Hispanic Heritage Month at BlackRock Center for the Arts with a performance by Dayramir Gonzalez Vicet. Vicet brings the lively sounds of Afro-Cuban jazz. He started his career at the age of 16 with Oscar Valdes’ ensemble. Some of his other achievements include three Cubadisco awards and the prestigious Berklee College “Presidential Scholarship”. Vicet has performed in 15,000-seat stadiums and headlined at Carnegie Hall. Tickets are on sale for his show on September 14 from 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
AFI Latin American Film Festival (September 19– October 10)
Now in its 35th year, the AFI Latin American Film Festival showcases the best films from Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. There will be films by Hispanic filmmakers as well as works portraying cultural life in various Spanish-speaking nations. Films include LA COCINA starring Raul Briones and Rooney Mara, Sundance Film Festival prizewinner IN THE SUMMERS starring Rene Perez Joglar, and others. Click here to see more about some the films that are included in the lineup.
Gaithersburg History Project
Learn about the Gaithersburg Latine community at the Gaithersburg Community Museum on September 17 at 7:00 pm. Maria Sprehn-Malagon will discuss the work to document the community. She will also show plans for research and community documentation. This program is free. Register to participate in person or on Zoom. It will also be streamed on YouTube, where Spanish translation will be available.
Salsa Dance Lesson and Grupo Fenix
Jump into fun with the Kensington Park Library at their Salsa Dance Lesson. Learn how to salsa dance with an award-winning Latin dance teacher. Listen to sounds from Grupo Fenix, a Washington DC based collective of musicians who focus on preserving and promoting musical genres from Mexican and Latin American cultures. The dance lesson takes place from 1:00 pm to 1:45 pm and the music performances starts at 2:00 pm and ends at 3:00 pm. Brigadier General Charles E. McGee Library in Silver Spring for a teen movie night showing of In The Heights on September 13th from 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm. Pizza will be provided for those who stay and watch the movie. Note: the movie program is only limited to 13 to 19-year-olds.
Montgomery County Hispanic Heritage Month Festival
This is the county’s inaugural Hispanic Heritage celebration! The festival takes place at Marian Fryer Town Plaza on Sunday, October 6 from 12:00 pm to 5:00 pm. Buy food from local vendors and businesses offering authentic Latin American cuisine, handcrafted artisanal jewelry, traditional crafts, folklore items celebrating Hispanic Heritage, live music and performances, and more. The festival also doubles as a health fair. Attendees can learn more about their health with health screenings, testings, health resources, and a Zumba class.
For more information on heritage sites around the county, visit HeritageMontgomery.org
“This Project has been financed in part with State Funds from the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority, an instrumentality of the State of Maryland. However, the contents and opinions do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Maryland Heritage Areas Authority.”
