Gaithersburg Celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The City of Gaithersburg invites you to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with educational & cultural presentations & activities. Residents are encouraged to learn about & celebrate Hispanic culture and participate in local events & programs taking place throughout the month, many coordinated by the City’s Multicultural Affairs Committee. The Mayor & City Council will officially designating September 15 through October 15, 2022 as “Hispanic Heritage Month” in the City of Gaithersburg. The official proclamation will be presented at the September 6 Mayor & City Council meeting. The public is welcome to attend the meeting, watch it live on YouTube or watch it via Zoom by registering here.

The proclamation will be received by María Helena Malagón. María is the only child of Spanish Civil War refugees. She was born in the Dominican Republic and spent her childhood in Mexico, New York & Washington D.C. She has lived in Gaithersburg for more than 40 years. María’s interest & passion for multicultural issues led her to become one of the first ESOL teachers with Montgomery County Public Schools, including Gaithersburg Middle School. In 1984, she was selected to be the Director of the Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs, a position she held until her retirement in 2002. As the Director, she brought together a highly talented multilingual/multicultural team of individuals who helped develop & implement instructional & support services for more than 11,000 students in 185 schools & their families. María served on numerous local, state & national committees, advocating for English language learners. After retiring, María began volunteering at Hero Dogs, a Gaithersburg-based service-dog training organization. With her Labradors, she makes therapy visits to hospitals, schools & retirement communities including Asbury Methodist Village.

The roots of Hispanic heritage in North America span more than 500 years, and individuals sharing this heritage have made vast contributions to the strength, prosperity & culture of our nation. The observance celebrates the culture & traditions of U.S. residents who trace their cultural heritage to Spain, Mexico, and the Spanish-speaking nations of Central & South America and the Caribbean. The Hispanic American community is the largest ethnic minority in the United States, with the 2020 Census indicating that approximately 28.5 percent of the City’s population identify themselves as Hispanic or Latino, up from 24.2 percent in 2010.

The mission of the Multicultural Affairs Committee is to enrich our City through the promotion of understanding, respect, and appreciation of the many cultures of Gaithersburg.