WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region.
When the Montgomery County Council held its Hispanic Heritage Month ceremony Tuesday, Council member Gabe Albornoz gave his colleagues a heads up — it would be emotional for him.
Albornoz, the son of immigrants, held up a copy of the program for his mother’s 1971 naturalization ceremony.
After taking a deep breath, he began to read from a letter to his mother from then-Rep. Paul Sarbanes. His voice shaking, he read, “I want to congratulate you … on becoming an American citizen.”
He also held up an English-Spanish dictionary given to him by his grandmother. Albornoz joked that he had always assumed she gave it to him because she was decluttering her meticulously kept home, but said, “I realize all these years later, that she didn’t want me to forget where I came from.”
“This is the most important Hispanic Heritage Month of my lifetime,” Albornoz said. “It’s hard to be in this room and not feel the sadness and the anger and the tension of what’s happening and transpiring in this country right now.”
“What warms my heart, and what gives me hope is all of you. Look at this room!”
He noted Tuesday that the Hispanic community is made up of people from all walks of life, including entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers and scientists.
“We have the best of the best,” he said. “We are here, we are proud and we are not leaving!”
After concluding his speech, Albornoz turned to his colleague on the council, Natali Fani-González, who gave him a hug before she began her remarks with a shake of her head.
“I am so proud to live in Montgomery County, and … I’m very proud to serve with each one of you,” she said of her fellow council members.
Like Albornoz, Fani-González described the concerns she has for the immigrant community in Montgomery County as the federal government continues a crackdown on illegal immigration that’s swept up citizens in its enforcement actions.
“I’ve got to say, it’s hard for me as an immigrant to recognize this country today,” Fani-González said. “I think we need now more than ever we need to embrace our culture.”
Noting Montgomery County’s reputation as a community that prides itself on its diversity, she said, “We are in a very difficult time, and it will take all of us to keep working together and keep defending what we have today.”
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