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
• Spotlight MOLA Grantees
• Upcoming Events

A message from the Executive Director

Querida Comunidad, Happy Heritage Month! We are still celebrating all the contributions in services, culture, education, and development that Latinos have made to Washington, DC. Our Mayor Muriel Bowser has proclaimed the period of September 15th to October 15th in 2019 as Hispanic Heritage Month in D.C. This month has brought a lot of joy and pride as we witness all the great things that we as a community are accomplishing in the District. Together, with my team, we had the opportunity to accompany La Cosecha in its opening concert and block party, which was an amazing start to what will be a great space to celebrate and spotlight our Latinamerican culture and traditions. I am so thrilled to see so many Latino businesses prospering in the city! This is one more proof of what we  are made of and that we Latinos are capable of participating in diverse platforms in the city. Also, September is the month when we commemorate and celebrate the historic movements for independence of several Latin American countries. Our Office on Latino Affairs was really proud to raise the flags and take part in the celebrations of independence of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belize, Mexico, Chile, and Guatemala,  the latter brought for the first time a group of children's marimba from their country for an exceptional closing of the event. It has definitely been an exceptional month, full of patriotism and festivities. As we celebrate, we also continue working tirelessly for our community. A key activity for this month was accompanying Mayor Bowser in her efforts to advocate for Washington, DC statehood. We were able to witness the historic moment when our Mayor took over Capitol Hill and spoke up on behalf of the more than 702,000 Washingtonians who are entitled to have full voting rights and have representation in Congress.   “To those who doubt DC: It is true that we are more brown and more liberal than some of you, but denying statehood would be unfair no matter who was affected. Americans are entitled to equal protection under the law, and that’s why we are demanding #DCStatehood.” Mayor Muriel Bowser  Lastly, we had a blast during Fiesta DC weekend. Mayor Muriel Bowser honored us by opening and  being the Grand Marshall of the Fiesta DC Parade of Nations! All those countries that participated displayed extraordinary performances and showcased their rich traditions and colorful clothing along Constitution Avenue. The following day, during Fiesta DC Festival we enjoyed interacting with a diverse crowd of visitors who were able to learn much more about our culture, food, music and resources available for our community. This event had a great turnout and demonstrates that we, Latinos, are a diverse organized community in the District. Also, a big thank you to María Patricia Corrales, president of the Fiesta DC organization, for her efforts and tireless work in making sure that this event was a success. Thank you for being so faithful to La Voz de MOLA Newsletter. See you next month!  Mil Gracias!   Jackie Reyes-Yanes Executive Director Mayor's Office on Latino Affairs (MOLA)

For a Healthy Latino Community

La Clínica del Pueblo and the Latino Commission on AIDS along with the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs launched the National Latinx/Hispanic Health Leadership Summit in 2020. The summit will highlight and discuss the impact of HIV, hepatitis STI’s and mental health issues affecting the Latino community in DC as well as discuss strategies and solutions to those issues. Executive Director Jackie Reyes-Yanes who was part of the press conference, manifested that "the nation's capital will be honored to host, support, and participate in the summit. The health and well-being of all are one of Mayor Muriel Bowser's priorities."

MOLA kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month in DC

Team MOLA with the support of the Mayor's Office of Nightlife and Culture, the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities and the DC Office of Human Rights kicked off Hispanic Heritage Month  2019 with a mixer celebration for Latinx of diverse work sectors and business leaders at Toro Toro restaurant.

The event had a great turnout and attendees took advantage of the opportunity to mingle and network with other colleagues.

See photos

Mayor Bowser encouraged Maternal and Infant Health

The National Maternal and Infant Health Summit presented by Mayor Muriel Bowser in partnership with Aetna was held on September 10th. This successful event reiterated the commitment to ensuring quality maternal health care in DC. The event featured discussion panels with health experts and members of the local community where issues of medical care, the role of parents, nutrition, and solutions to the maternal mortality crisis in DC were addressed.

Celebrating Latina Women Leaders in the DMV

Executive Director Jackie Reyes-Yanes was recognized for her innovation and leadership during the celebration of 100 Latina Women leaders in the DMV in 2019, which was hosted by the organization El Poder de Ser Mujer. The recognition was granted in the political leaders category and celebrated Director Reyes-Yanes’ extraordinary work and unwavering support to the Latinx community in Washington, DC, which inspires and motivates other members of the community.

Green Proposal Former Parking    Lot 7-11

Executive Director Jackie Reyes-Yanes on behalf of Mayor Muriel Bowser and along with DC MOCRS, Cynthia Turcios and councilmember Brianne K. Nadeau met with Amigos Park last September 12th. The group met at the Mt. Pleasant Library and was led by  Arturo Griffiths from Trabajadores Unidos de Washington DC. The group is interested in turning the former parking lot of the 7-11 in Mt. Pleasant into a park called Amigos Park. This green proposal would benefit Kenyon communities in Washington, DC and it would be designed for neighbors in the area to meet and socialize. 

MOLA hosted a Community Celebration for HHM 2019

MOLA team was present at the Community Celebration in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month and celebrated the occasion with international and local music artists. The community enjoyed musical performances by artists Lilo Gonzalez, Grupo Esperanto, and La Marvela. Executive Director Jackie Reyes-Yanes thanked the community for attending and shared about the work that the Office on Latino Affairs is doing to benefit Latinos with the support of Mayor Muriel Bowser.

See photos

District Department of Transportation (DDOT) celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

Team MOLA joined The Diversity & Inclusion event in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month hosted by DDOT. The event presented a short film that showcased the lives of members of the Latino Community. MOLA’s Director of Operations, Camilo Manjarres shared important information about the objectives and achievements of the Mayor’s Office on Latino Affairs and Mayor Bowser’s resources for the immigrant community in DC.

Washington DC vibrated with Fiesta DC Parade & Festival

Fiesta DC celebrated its 48th anniversary this past weekend. Mayor Muriel Bowser led the Parade of Nations and Jackie Reyes-Yanes, Executive Director and team MOLA participated in the event. During the parade, the participating countries celebrated and honored Latin culture by displaying their music, dance and traditional clothing. During the second day, the festival featured musical performances and community resource stations that were well-liked by the attendees.

See photos

Senior celebration

Executive Director Jackie Reyes-Yanes, DC Council member Brandon T. Todd and La Clínica del Pueblo joined the 6th Annual Senior Health Fair hosted by Vida Senior Center. The event was attended by dozens of seniors from the Latino community who had the opportunity to get medical checkups. DC Census and Team MOLA also attended the event and  provided available community resources and information. The attendees, as well as the participating health organizations enjoyed a great event which was aimed at benefiting the Senior community.