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OFFICE OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS NEWSLETTER
"A More Equitable and Inclusive Montgomery County"
County Executive Marc Elrich
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Latin American Community
Bienvenidos Resource Fair
The Bienvenidos Initiative will be hosting its fourth Bienvenidos Resources Fair on Saturday March 11 from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at Montgomery Village Middle School for newcomer families in Montgomery County. The event is open to all families interested in learning about the services and resources available in the County, and will feature a presentation by the Bienvenidos Initiative, Montgomery County Public Schools, The Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center, and a legal orientation by Catholic Charities. Children are welcome. This event will be conducted entirely in Spanish. Please see the flyer for more details.
Spanish Virtual Forum on Opioids and Fentanyl
On February 21 the Office of Community Partnerships in collaboration with DHHS, MCPD, MCFRS, and the Executive’s Public Information Office hosted a virtual Spanish forum for parents about opioids, fentanyl, and how to save a life by administering Narcan. The event was live on the County’s Spanish Facebook page @MontgomeryCountyenEspanol, and featured a three-person panel that included Dr. Rolando Santiago, Chief of Behavioral Health and Crisis Services; Captain Oscar Garcia of Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Services; and Officer Helga Mathis-Negron of the Montgomery County Police Department. The forum was moderated by Public Information Officer Lorna Virgili. View the event here.
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Middle Eastern American Community
Monthly Meeting
MEAAG held its monthly meeting by Zoom on February 15. The Middle Eastern Liaison provided updates about OCP activities and community members shared information about previous and upcoming community matters. Discussion topics included antisemitism and Islamophobia, affordable housing for large families, preparation of FY24 budget priorities for the County Executive, and the 2023 Middle Eastern American and Arab American heritage months in March and April, respectively. The main MEA heritage celebration occurs Saturday, March 11. See article below.
Middle Eastern American Heritage Month
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Please join MEAAG on March 11 from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm at the Executive Office Building cafeteria, 101 Monroe St, Rockville, MD. The event theme is local humanitarian efforts. Serving as emcee will be Luby Ismail, a leading authority and expert on cultural competence, religious diversity, Arab cultures, and Islamophobia. Local Middle Eastern American community businesses, nonprofits, artists, and vendors are invited to exhibit at this event free of charge, but no sales transactions are permitted. Please see flyer and visit this Eventbrite link to register. For more information, contact OCP's Middle Eastern Liaison.
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Call for Volunteers
Volunteers are needed at the Middle Eastern American Heritage Month celebration. Learn more about the Middle Eastern American community and culture and gain hands-on experience organizing community events. Volunteers will receive certificates of recognition and student volunteers are eligible to receive SSL credits. Please contact the OCP’s Middle Eastern Liaison for more information.
The Holy Month of Ramadan
On March 21, County Executive Marc Elrich and County Council President Evan Glass will present a joint proclamation recognizing the holy month of Ramadan. Representatives of Montgomery County's rich and diverse community will gather to celebrate. If you are interested in attending this event, please contact OCP’s Middle Eastern Liaison by COB Friday, March 10.
Author Conversations
MEAAG and the Montgomery County Public Libraries will host the fourth series of free meet-the-author book talks from February-April 2023. All talks run from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm. View flyer here.
- February 7 (virtual) -- children’s author Reem Faruqi, Milloo’s Mind
- March 7 (in-person at Rockville Memorial Library) -- Mojdeh Bahar, poet and translator, Milkvetch & Violets. Register here.
- April 11 (virtual) -- Diana Abu Jabe, Fencing with the King. Register here.
All three books are available at bookshop.org, where you can choose to have sales benefit Friends of the Montgomery County Library (FOLMC).
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March Holidays and Days of Interest
Purim, 3/6
Chotrul Duchen, 3/7
Holi (Hindu), 3/7
Norouz (Nowruz), 3/21
Kuan Yin (Avalokitesvara) Birthday, 3/21
Ugadi, 3/22
Ramadan: The Islamic Month of Fasting, 3/23
Khordad Sal, 3/26
Ram Navami (Hindu), 3/30
Upcoming Event
Montgomery County Resettlement Working Group will meet on March 21 at 7:00 pm. For more information, email [email protected].
February Activities
The Faith Community Advisory Group hosted a public meeting on February 13, which was open to the faith community of Montgomery County. Guests speakers from MCPS presented information about the anti-racism audit. View a recording here.
A House of Worship Security Training was held on February 15. Subscribe to Faith Community newsletters to learn more about this and other upcoming events.
Statement on incidents impacting Jewish and LGBTQ+ community
Click here.
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Montgomery Sister Cities
Morazan Sister City
The Morazan Sister City comittee met with nonprofit and social development organizations from the Morazan region during February, and will be meeting with County Executive Marc Elrich in March. This will be the first meeting of the Sister City with the County Executive, and its focus is to follow up on his announcement in October that he would be traveling to El Salvador in 2024. More details on date and time can be shared via email by contacting Jessy Mejia Terry, Latino Liaison..
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