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OFFICE OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS NEWSLETTER
"A More Equitable and Inclusive Montgomery County"
County Executive Marc Elrich
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Asian Pacific American Community
September Events
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County Executive Elrich attended the Confucius Day ceremony held by the Washington Metropolitan Confucius Memorial Ceremony Committee (WMCMCC). To learn more about Confucius Day, click here. | |
The Rockville Sister City Corporation in partnership with Taiwan Sister Cities held the 5th Annual Bubble Tea festival at Rockville Town Square. The event featured performances; vendors who sold food and bubble tea; and tables that provided information about Yilan City, Taiwan, Rockville's Sister City, . | |
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The Coordination Council of Chinese American Associations (CCCAA) held a Mid-Autumn Festival (also known as Moon Festival and Mooncake Festival). The Mid-Autumn Festival celebrates the day when the moon is at its fullest and is also a harvest festival. Although the holiday is observed in different Asian countries, the main theme is family togetherness, giving thanks for the harvest and eating mooncakes. To learn more about Mid-Autumn Festival, please click here.
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Outreach to Haitian Newcomers
The Caribbean American Liaison and OCP’s Outreach Manager conducted an outreach event on August 27 for nearly 100 Haitian newcomers at Eglise de Dieu, a Haitian church in Burtonsville. The event was designed to address legal needs, provide employment and humanitarian services, and medical care. Service providers including AAHP, Rainbow Community Development, Central American Resource Center, HHS’s Babies Born Healthy Program offered services to the newly arrived Haitian individuals and families displaced from their Caribbean country due to unrest and gang activity. The outreach effort was repeated on September 30.
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Latin American Community
Hispanic Heritage Month Celebrations Around the County
The County is celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with a diverse schedule of events and programming through October 15. A series of regional calendar of events are now available online at www.montgomerycountymd.gov/partnerships. For a flyer, click here.
Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations were launched on September 15 with the County Executive touring new Latino businesses and highlighting the community’s economic contributions. That evening, the first of the TGIF – Encore Concerts took place at the Marian Fryer Town Plaza in Wheaton. These concerts, held every Friday, feature a diversity of Latin rhythms and sounds, as well as a variety of Latin food, art, and artisanal drinks from small business vendors. Click here for TGIF flyer.
Hispanic Heritage Month also will include educational programming from Montgomery County Public Libraries and Montgomery College. All events are free and welcome the entire family. For more information, please contact Jessy Mejia Terry, [email protected]
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Middle Eastern American Community
Voter Education
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The Middle Eastern American Advisory Group met on September 27 via Zoom. The guest speaker, Gilberto Zelaya, PhD, Community Engagement/Public Relations Officer, Montgomery County Board of Elections, discussed voter registration and launched MEAAG's Voter Education Initiative for 2023-2024 in partnership with the Board of Elections.
Author Conversations
MEAAG and the Montgomery County Public Libraries' virtual branch will be launching its new series of free meet-the-author book talks. More information will be announced soon.
Middle Eastern American and Arab American Heritage Months Celebrations
OCP will organize two celebrations in March and April 2024 to celebrate Middle Eastern American and Arab American Heritage months. Local Middle Eastern American and Arab American community businesses, nonprofits, artists, and vendors are invited to exhibit free of charge at this public event, but no sales transactions are permitted. Please contact OCP’s Middle Eastern Liaison for more information.
If you are interested in volunteering, learning more about the amazing Middle Eastern American and Arab American community and culture, and gaining hands-on experience in organizing community events, please contact the OCP’s Middle Eastern Liaison for more information. Volunteers will receive certificates of recognition and student volunteers are eligible to receive SSL credits.
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October Holidays and Days of Interest
Mehregan, 10/2 | Shemini Atzeret, 10/6-10/7 | Simchat Torah, 10/7-10/8 | Indigenous Peoples' Day, 10/9 | Navaratri, 10/15-10/24 | Birth of the Báb, 10/16 | Birth of Bahá'u'lláh, 10/17 | Durga Puja/Ashtami (Hindu), 10/22 | Dussehra/Vijaya Dashami (Hindu), 10/23 |
Pavarana, 10/28 | Kathina, 10/28-11/27
Upcoming Events
The Office of Community Partnerships and the Upcounty Regional Service Center are hosting an event on Thursday, October 12 from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm to connect faith and community leaders to local resources available in the County, and hear about their concerns. The meeting will feature speakers from a few County departments and will allow time for attendees to share their own experiences. Light food will be provided. Space is limited to 60 attendees, so only one individual per house of worship or organization, please. Register here.
The Office of Community Partnerships and the Silver Spring Regional Service Center are hosting a similar event on Tuesday, October 24 from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm. Please register here.
The Religious Land Use Working Group will meet on October 25 at 2:00 pm. For more information, please email [email protected].
The Resettlement Working Group will meet on October 25 at 7:00 pm . For more information, please email [email protected].
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September Activities
Please click here to view.
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LGBTQ+ Advisory Group
2023 LGBTQ+ Survey Report
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Montgomery County’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Group initiated an LGBTQ+ Community Survey in June and July 2022. The survey was designed to help County leadership establish a foundational understanding of the experiences of LGBTQ+ persons in Montgomery County that can inform and guide the County’s work in this community going forward, as well as provide a baseline with which to compare progress in the future. The 2023 LGBTQ+ Survey Report is available at https://montgomerycountypride.org/
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The Morazan Sister City hosted its Hispanic Heritage Month Gala on Friday, September 22 at the Silver Spring Civic Center. Over 150 people attended, supporting the Sister City Committee’s
fundraising goal and celebrating with live music, dinner, and networking. The County Executive's remarks focused on building a new phase of the Sister City relationship to support economic development and exchange. For more information, please email Jessy Mejia Terry.
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