Mayor
Muriel Bowser

Director of Mayor's Office of Community Affairs  
Lamont Akins

Jackie Reyes-Yanes,
Executive Director

Camilo Manjarres,
Director of Operations

Marjhorys Ibarguen,
Public Information Officer

Dian Lammy,
Staff Assistant

Eduardo Perdomo,
Grants Management Specialist

Nathan Gomez,
Grants Monitor

Ronal Avila,
Language Access Coordinator

Angela Gonzalez,
Language Access Monitor

Ingrid Gutierrez,
Community Outreach Specialist

Alexis Valdovinos,
Community Outreach Specialist

In This Issue

• Letter from the Mayor
• A message from the Executive Director
• Agency Updates
• Announcements
• Spotlight Latinx In Government
• Upcoming Events

A message from the Executive Director

Querida Comunidad, August has been a great month for our immigrant community in Washington, DC. Mayor Muriel Bowser keeps fighting and showing her support for all immigrants in the city. It was just a couple weeks ago when, once more, she stood up against establishing a federal shelter in DC, which separates families and operates with inhumane practices. Mayor Bower has stated that DC will not allow such facilities to exist and instead we would focus on building affordable housing to keep families together:  “Our short-term family housing facilities represent community-based support networks that serve as a model for how we provide our neighbors with safe and dignified housing – a model we hope the federal government will emulate when housing families and children,” said Mayor Muriel Bowser.  On an exciting note, we celebrated the historic partnership between Washington, DC and San Salvador with a ceremony that was well attended by Latino leaders and members of the community who gave cheerful ovations to Mayor Muriel Bowser and Mayor Ernesto Muyshondt. Both mayors reiterated their commitment to working together to benefit the Salvadoran community in areas such as economic development, culture, education, and youth development among others. This exciting celebration reminded us that our culture enriches and makes this city great!   I also want to express my congratulations again to the GED Class of 2019 of the Next Step Public Charter School. I had the opportunity to accompany them during the ceremony and was very excited to see so many faces full of joy and hope.  This is a well-deserved success and it demonstrates how capable our young people are when they set their own goals and strive to achieve them without hesitation. Our youth are leading the way for those family members, friends, and neighbors who are coming behind them, and this shows how, as a community, we are moving forward.  And speaking of setting our community up for success: happy first day of school to my DC students! Team MOLA joined Mayor Bowser and other members of the administration in the Slow Down campaign DC. Every day counts and we want to make sure that all our kids are safe when commuting to school. This is why Mayor Bowser has also launched the new initiative “Safe Spots” aimed at improving safety for DC Public Schools students when they go or come back from school. Also, to my Latino students: as you go back to school don’t forget to pick up your Smartrip cards to ride for free on Metrobus, DC Circulator, and Metro! Remember #EveryDayCounts! This is the same message that together with MOLA’s outreach team we delivered to students at the Francis L. Cardozo Education Campus during their First Day of School Luncheon. We were really excited to be there supporting the new Principal Mr. Arthur Mola and greeting students.  As we welcome the month of September, I want to take this opportunity to remind all of our TPSianos to please renew your driver's license! The validity of driver’s licenses for TPS beneficiaries has been extended to January 2020 and the deadline to renew this important document will be September 9th. Please keep this deadline in mind and make sure that you get this done in a timely manner.  Lastly, I am overjoyed to announce that my office will once again celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15th until October 15th, 2019. We have some fun activities planned around this exciting time: first we are hosting a kick-off event for Latinos in DC at Toro Toro, then we will have a community celebration for the whole family at the Columbia Heights Civic Plaza; later on we will host a breakfast with seniors and for a great closing we will have our traditional Noche Cultural, which this year will take place at the Colombian Embassy. Please plan to attend with the whole family. For more information, connect with us on our social media outlets or our website. We hope you can join us!  That’s all for this month please continue to stay informed through our monthly newsletter: La Voz de MOLA!  Mil Gracias!   Jackie Reyes-Yanes Executive Director Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (MOLA)

#MBSYEP Mock Hearing and Closing Ceremony 2019

DOES and MOLA participants of the Summer Youth Employment Program 2019 concluded their enriching experience with a mock hearing and a closing ceremony.

During the events, Executive Director, Jackie Reyes-Yanes and DOES, Director Dr. Unique Morris showed their support to the youth and expressed feeling thankful that the world is in great hands. This summer employment program was a great learning experience and the beginning of many opportunities for our Latino youth pioneers.

 Happy Independence Day Bolivia!

Executive Director, Jackie Reyes-Yanes and Secretary of the District of Columbia, Kimberly A. Bassett joined Chief of Mission Rafael Canedo, Deputy Chief, Alejandro Bilbao from the Bolivia Embassy and members of the Bolivian community to celebrate the 194th anniversary of the independence of Bolivia.

For the occasion, Mayor Muriel Bowser also proclaimed August 6th as Bolivian Independence Day in DC and thanked the Bolivian community for all its contributions to Washington, DC.

Sister City Agreement: Washington, DC and San Salvador, El Salvador

Mayor Muriel Bowser together with San Salvador, El Salvador Mayor Ernesto Muyshondt celebrated the first anniversary of the signature of the Sister City agreement between Washington, DC and San Salvador, El Salvador. Community leaders, journalists, public servants and many members of the Latino community joined this historic moment for both cities. Mayor Bowser gave the Keys of the City to Mayor Muyshondt who also declared August 13th as  Washington DC Day in San Salvador and announced that an important street in San Salvador would be renamed “Washington, DC Avenue”.

See photos

 English Learners’ Back-to-School Fair

Team MOLA joined DC Public Schools at MacFarland Middle School in welcoming immigrants students and families who are back to school with a resource fair and know your rights workshops. Director Jackie Reyes-Yanes, who joined the fair, took the opportunity to address the students and the community and inform them about Mayor Muriel Bowser’s  programs and priorities for Latino residents in Washington, DC.

Ecuador Celebrated 210 years of Independence!

Executive Director, Jackie Reyes-Yanes accompanied Ecuadorian Consul Ambassador, Eduardo Calderón Ledesma at the 210th anniversary of the independence of Ecuador along with some members of the community. The celebration highlighted Ecuadorian traditional food, dance, and music. Mayor Muriel Bowser joined the celebration by declaring August 10th as Ecuadorian Day in Washington DC.

National Night Out!

Washington, DC celebrated National Night Out and MOLA’s outreach team joined Mayor Muriel Bowser, the Metropolitan Police Department, the District of Columbia Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department, the DC Department of Aging and Community Living, and many more agencies during this neighborhood fair where they  provided government resources and fun activities for the whole family.

 DC Women’s Equality Day!

Team MOLA joined Mayor Muriel Bowser and the DC Mayor’s Office on Women’s Policy and Initiatives to celebrate the 5th Annual Women’s Equality Day and Black Women's Equal Pay Day. It was a well-attended event, and women across all 8 wards participated in support of women's rights and equal pay. During the event, Mayor Bowser stressed that the DC Government is the best workplace for women and that her administration is making sure that every male in the government is receiving sexual harassment training.

 Ambassador of Colombia visited MOLA 

On behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser and the Secretary of the District of Columbia, Kimberly A. Bassett, Executive Director, Jackie Reyes-Yanes had the honor to host H.E. Ambassador of Colombia, Francisco Santos Calderón, and Consul Erika Salamanca. During the meeting, both parties discussed programs and initiatives that would benefit the Colombian population in Washington, DC in the near future. Director Reyes-Yanes also reiterated that the doors of Mayor Bowser’s Office on Latino Affairs are always open for the Embassy and the Colombian community.

 4th Annual Taste of the World Festival

Team MOLA participated in the 4th Annual Taste Of The World Festival hosted by the DC Department of Parks and Recreation at Guy Mason Recreation Center. During the event, our outreach team disseminated information about all of Mayor Bowser’s resources available to the community including activities around the Census 2020. Event attendees had the opportunity to get a taste of the world by trying traditional foods and enjoying music and dance performances from different countries. Children had the chance to play and see Peruvian Alpacas and dancing horses, which were one of the major attractions in the festival.