Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

Prince George’s County Council Commemorates Hispanic Heritage Month

In observance of Hispanic Heritage Month 2023, the Prince George’s County Council hosted Latinos: Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America on October 3, at the Wayne K. Curry Administration Building in the Council Hearing Room. The event was located at 1301 McCormick Drive in Largo.

Latinos: Prosperity, Power, and Progress in America celebrated the rich history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic Americans in Prince George’s County and featured guest speaker, University of Maryland College Park Associate Professor of American Studies and U.S. Latina/o Studies Program Director, Dr. Perla Guerrero. Writer and spoken word artist Camilo y Los Locos and singer-songwriter Aleyzza also performed. Katerin De La O’Lara, Latino Outreach Specialist in the Office of Council Member Eric Olson, served as Mistress of Ceremonies.

Dr. Guerrero made some interesting and enlightening comments concerning Latinas in and outside of the US, including how they can often have difficulty getting along with each other. She noted that she herself is an immigrant and expressed how important it is to learn of one’s own culture as well as others.

“As an immigrant, I think it’s deeply important to understand the history of our adopted homeland, the good the bad, and the ugly,” she said. “Because otherwise, it’s too easy to understand ourselves and our communities in only a positive light instead of through the complicated relationships we have with each other as Latinas, but also with African Americans, Asian Americans, and Indigenous people in the Americas.”

For more information about the event, visit https://pgccouncil.us/specialevents or email specialevents@pgccouncil.us. For on-demand viewing following the event, visit https://pgccouncil.us/303/County-Council-Video.