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OFFICE OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS NEWSLETTER
"A More Equitable and Inclusive Montgomery County"
County Executive Marc Elrich
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Outreach Made Easy with Montgomery County's AAAG Mobile App | |
AAAG App is a new application developed to support the African Immigrant community as part of the African Affairs Advisory Group (AAAG) and serves as virtual Welcome Center. The app is designed to provide better information and outreach to the community and includes a range of features such as a "New to the Area" checklist, a directory of resources spanning housing, health, business, and more. Read more. | |
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Asian Pacific American Community
Small Business Roundtable
County Executive Elrich attended the Maryland AAPISTRONG Small Business Roundtable. He and other elected officials heard from small business owners about the struggles that they face and suggestions on how the State and County could help.
Solar New Year Festivals
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Above: Thai New Year at the Wat Thai Temple
Below: Cambodian New Year at the Cambodian Buddhist Society Temple
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The Cambodian, Thai, Laotian, Sri Lankan, Nepalese and various Southeast Asian communities celebrated their new years between April 13-16. County Executive Elrich attended several of these events.
Above: Asian and Faith Liaisons attended the Vaisakhi celebration at the Guru Nanak Foundation of America to bring greetings on behalf of the County Executive.
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Above: Sri Lankan New Year | | |
Above: Nepali New Year and Holi with the Nepal Education Cultural Center | | |
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Caribbbean American Community
Haitian Flag Day Events
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During the week of May 18th, thousands of County residents with links to Haiti will celebrate their country’s flag day. According to the organizers, the Institute of Grace and the Association of Haitian Professionals, the celebrations will consist of recreational and cultural activities at various County parks, offering residents the opportunity to enjoy Haitian food, music and games. The Caribbean Liaison and representatives of the County’s African American Health Program (AAHP) plan to attend some of the events during that weekend,to disseminate County information and other messages for improving the health and wellbeing of eventgoers residing in the County.
| Caribbean Owned Arts & Crafts Store Opens | |
True 2 Hue, a local, minority, female owned business has opened in Silver Spring! The business specializes in painting; hand building with clay; mosaics; wood art; and recycled art. Creative fun is available for the whole family. A ribbon cutting ceremony on March 16 included Councilmember Natali Gonzalez, Caribbean American Advisory Group Chair Venice Harvey-Mundle, Caribbean Liaison Rodrigue Vital and Luisa Cardona, Director of the Mid-County Regional Service Center.
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Latin American Community
LAAG to Review County Policy and Programs
The LAAG will begin a year-long overview of policy and programs pertinent to the Latino community at different County Departments. The policies and programs reviewed will be prioritized as they are in the Latino Agenda for Action Report 2020-2024. For more information, email Jessy Mejia Terry, Latino Liaison, at [email protected].
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Middle Eastern American Community
Arab American Heritage Month Celebration
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MEAAG and Arab Americans of Montgomery County celebrated Arab American Heritage Month on April 30 at the Executive Office Building Auditorium. Approximately 200 representatives of the Arab American community gathered to celebrate the richness of their culture. In his remarks, County Executive Marc Elrich highlighted the valuable contributions of Arab Americans in all fields and presented the Arab American Heritage Month Proclamation.
Sarah Siddiqui Wolek, Member of the House of Delegates (District 16); Montgomery County Council Vice President Andrew Friedson; Councilmembers Natali Fani-González, Laurie-Anne Sayles, Kate Stewart, and Sidney Katz delivered remarks about the significance of this event. The event's key speakers, Claudia Youakim, Program Director of the Arab American Institute and Abed Ayoub, National Executive Director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC), shared stories about their journey as successful Arab Americans and shed light on some of the challenges they have faced.
The program featured cultural and art exhibits, traditional fashion shows, music, and songs. This event would not have been possible without sponsorship and generous donations from Mazar Kabob Restaurant, Muath Music and his Band (who translated and presented the National Anthem in Arabic language), and Malikat Al-Dabke Dance by Quartertonez Music.
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Middle Eastern American Heritage Month Display | |
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Throughout Middle Eastern American Heritage Month in March, MEAAG furnished a display in the lobby of the Rockville Memorial Library. This initiative was led by Samira Hussein and Faiza Shabani, pictured at left.
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The Holy Month of Ramadan Events | During the Holy Month of Ramadan, observed from March 22 to April 20, many mosques, Islamic centers, and other organizations are sponsoring Iftar (breaking the fast) and charity events. | |
On April 9, the Sudanese Community organized a community Iftar. Dr. Shaza Shareef, the recipient of the Arab American Heritage Month proclamation from the City of Gaithersburg, organized the event, which drew hundreds of people. | |
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On April 13, the Muslim Community Center (MCC) organized an Iftar for the community and government officials.
Hundreds of people attended and interacted at this annual event.
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The Iranian New Year, Nowruz, was celebrated for thirteen days in March and April. The holiday marks the the start of spring and the beginning of a new year. Nowruz is a time of renewal, hope, and joy. During this holiday, families gather together to share traditional meals and exchange gifts while also honoring their heritage and cultural traditions.
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MEAAG and the Montgomery County Public Libraries have been hosting the fourth series of free meet-the-author book talks from February-April 2023. An online dialogue with Diana Abu-Jaber (American Jordanian) on her latest novel, Fencing with the King, took place on April 11. The book is available at bookshop.org, where you can choose to have sales benefit Friends of the Montgomery County Library (FOLMC). | |
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May Holidays and Days of Interest
Twelfth Day of Ridván, 5/1 | Wesak or Buddha Day, 5/5 | Ascension Thursday (Western), 5/18 | Shavuot, 5/25 – 5/27 | Buddha's Birthday, 5/27 | Memorial Day, 5/29
Upcoming Events
May 6 - Interfaith Works is hosting a Resource Fair. Please see flyers for more information on attending the event or having a table. Register here.
May 22 - House of Worship Security Training, 7:00 pm. Location and registration are pending. Email [email protected] for more information.
May 23 - A Faith Community Townhall will take place featuring the Jewish Council for the Aging, 7:00 pm. Register in advance here.
May 24 - The Religious Land Use Working Group will meet at 2:00 pm. For more information, please email [email protected].
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The Faith Community had an active April, with numerous events attended by the Faith Liaison, the County Executive, County officials, and community members. Click here for a full report with photos. | | |
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Media Day for the Scotland Juneteenth Heritage Festival
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