Hispanics and Latinos in Washington, D.C.

The Latino community represents more than 10% of Washington, D.C.'s population. Spanish is the second most spoken language in the city after English, and most government city programs publish and advertise in English and Spanish among other languages. In 1976 an Office of Latino Affairs was created by Mayor of the District of Columbia Walter Washington^[1]

There is a growing and flourishing Hispanic community in the states of Virginia and Maryland in the Washington, DC metropolitan area, with a total of 814,000 Hispanics (9.7% of the population). The Hispanic community is the second most populous ethnic community in the United States with more than 50 million residents. Every Hispanic country has had embassies in Washington D.C. since the early 1800s. One of the first embassies in DC was the Argentinian embassy, created in 1824.

Demographics

Demographics of Hispanic and Latino Americans Hispanic population in DC is 71,000 living (10.6% of DC population).^[2] The population that commutes to DC from Maryland and Virginia is around 814,000; 512,000 live in Virginia (9% of Virginia population)^[3] and 230,000 live in Maryland (9.5 of Maryland population)^[4]

Culture

Although Latinas/os can be found all across the city, high rent and gentrification programs have pushed them further and further out of the city, but there are some areas where their concentration is highly noticeable like Adams Morgan, Bloomingdale, Columbia Heights, Georgia Avenue, Petworth, Shaw, and all across North East D.C..

Recreation

In the GALA Hispanic Theatre Hispanic plays are performed all year round.

Lifestyle: In addition to having one of the largest concentration of Latinos in the country, Latinos from the LGBT community are widely represented. Many associations, night clubs, restaurants, cafes, and stores cater to their needs and/or dedicate a day or night to cater to this sub-community all across the city. Saturday night clubs such as Fuego (location varies) are famous in the city. This program/event can congregate over 1,000 LGBT Latinas/os per night. Several publications advertise and promote services and programs for the Latino LGBT community.

Latino Festival

Latino Festival, or Fiesta DC, is an annual celebration of Latino heritage held in September on Washington, DC.^[5][6] .

Organization

Fiesta DC has been held annually for more than 45 years and is organized annually by Fiesta DC, Inc., a non-profit organization founded in Pennsylvania in 1971.^[7][8][9] The celebration had taken place between the 900 and 1400 blocks of Pennsylvania Ave. After the construction of Trump Tower at 1100 Pennsylvania, however, Fiesta DC organizers moved its location to the area between 300 and 700 Pennsylvania Avenue. According to Said Maria Patricia Corrales, President of Fiesta DC, this is due to the cost of installing barriers that would preserve the building's parking area.^[10] A parade, called the Parade of the Nations,^[11][12][13] is celebrated the day before the festival.

Dates

Every year Fiesta DC is celebrated in Washington DC to promote and celebrate Hispanic heritage. Fiesta D.C. is celebrated the 3rd Sunday of September every year. The following is a list of dates of previous Fiesta D.C. Celebrations;

Education

There are various bilingual schools in Washington D.C. Among them are the following:

• Elementary schools: Oyster Elementary school.
• High schools: Bell Multicultural High School.
• Technical schools: Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.
• Universities: Ana G. Mendez University System and the Catholic University of America are the most open universities for Hispanic students in Washington D.C.

Other centers have Spanish and Latino representatives for the recruitment of Latino students such as George Washington University, Gallaudet University, and The University of Maryland, College Park.

Furthermore, there are many organizations that foster the educational and professional needs of young Latino students like the Latin American Youth Center.

Media

Entertainment: Cultural programs and events for the Latino community thrive all across the city, including frequent concerts by top Latin music artists such as Juanes, Shakira, Alejandro Fernández, Juan Gabriel, and Ricky Martin. Some Hispanic channels are Univision, Telemundo, and Azteca America. Some Hispanic radios are El Sol and radio Viva. Latin music is heard all across the city (supermarkets, Starbucks, restaurants, etc.).

Newspapers: There are about six newspapers in Spanish including The Washington Hispanic, El Tiempo Latino and El Pregonero.

Health

There are several medical centers that cater to the needs of the Spanish-speaking population as La Clinica del Pueblo and the Office of Human Services of the District of Columbia. . And there are many centers that offer services in Spanish and have special programs for the Latino community such as the Whitman-Walker Clinic, Mary's Center, and Columbia Heights Clinic.

Some hospitals like the Washington Hospital, Providence Hospital, Howard University Hospitals, The George Washington University Hospital provide services in Spanish. Most hospitals offer bilingual services including translators and bilingual staff on call twenty-four hours a day.

Economy

Washington, DC metropolitan area is a place where more than 800,000 Latinos make different transactions as business-people, entrepreneurs, workers, owners and buyers of houses, food, and appliances, as well as renting apartments or locations for living and business, etc. There are different Latino brands that are popular in the area such as Chipotle Mexican Grill and Oscar de la Renta.

Institutions

• Office of Latino Affairs of the District of Columbia (MOLA)
• La Clinica del Pueblo
• Central America Resource Center (CARECEN)
• Latin American Youth Center (LAYC)
• Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School

Politics

Since more than 10% of D.C. residents are Hispanic, they are a very important factor in elections in the area. Sonia Sotomayor is Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States. Ana Sol Gutierrez, is the member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 18. Walter Tejada is an Hispanic politician for Virginia.

Accessibility

Most government programs and facilities provide services in Spanish. The transportation system like the Metro and buses offer information (e.g. brochures and announcements) in English and Spanish.

Services: Bilingual staff can be found in most supermarkets, pharmacies, restaurants, laundromats, etc. There are programs for Latinos who suffer from substance abuse like AYUDA. The Latino Federation of Greater Washington gathers the largest group of Latino organizations in the area and Latino serving populations programs in the region.

Senior Latinas/os: EUFULA.

Supermarkets: Whole Foods (bilingual staff), and Latino products, Panam, and Bestway.

Embassies

Embassy of Bolivia, Washington, D.C.
Coordinates	38°55′9″N 77°3′39″W / 38.91917°N 77.06083°W / 38.91917; -77.06083
Location	Washington, D.C.
Address	3014 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.

All Latin American countries have diplomatic representation in Washington, D.C., including Cuba. The World Bank, The InterAmerican Development Bank, The International Monetary Fund, and the Organization of American States have clubs, associations, and committees that gather Latinos from many countries and regions.
The metropolitan area of Washington, D.C. has the largest population of Salvadorans in the world after San Salvador. Also, there are communities from Peru, Guatemala, Honduras, Colombia, and other Latin American countries.

Some of the embassies in DC are the following;

Notable residents

• Sonia Sotomayor is one of the seven Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.
• Sonia Gutierrez, American educator and Hispanic rights activist.
• Jennifer Miel is the Executive Director of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s U.S.-Turkey Business Council. She also serves as the U.S.-Bahrain Business Council Executive Director and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Turkey and Middle East Affairs Director.^[25]
• Ana Sol Gutierrez Member of the Maryland House of Delegates from District 18
• Walter Tejada, Hispanic politician of Virginia.
• Geovanny Vicente Romero, Hispanic political analyst, international consultant and educator at Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School.^[26][27]
• Pedro Aviles, Director of Central America Resource Center (CARECEN).^[28]

See also

• Hispanic and Latino Americans
• GALA Hispanic Theatre
• Latino diaspora
• Latin American culture
• Carlos Manuel Rosario

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hispanics and Latinos in Washington, D.C..