Books, Articles, & Dissertations: Cadaval, Olivia. Creating a Latino Identity in the Nation's Capital: The Latino Festival. New York: Garland Publishing, Inc., 1998.  Chacko, Elizabeth. “La Fiesta DC: The Ethnic Festival as an Act of Belonging…

In 1968, Reverend Antonio Welty reopened the former National Presbyterian Church (where President Woodrow Wilson preferred to worship while in the White House) to Hispanic community members. Two years after this initial contact, the…

Many of the immigrants who transformed Mount Pleasant in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s relocated from primarily Catholic countries. Catholic churches provided places of refuge for newly arrived families and individuals seeking religious guidance and…

Established in 1976, GALA (Grupo de Artistas LatinoAmericanos) initially emerged as an eclectic group of artists, dancers, writers, and performers operating out of a townhouse in Adams Morgan. The ultimate goal of the original group was twofold: "to…

In 1968, a growing need for accessible youth services in the neighborhood resulted in the founding of the Latin American Youth Center (LAYC). Only ten years after its establishment, the Center had received enough funding to become an official…

In the late 1960s, growing numbers of Spanish and Portuguese-speaking immigrants of Catholic faith began to arrive in Washington upon fleeing civil unrest, war, and poverty in their home countries. Many settled in the contiguous neighborhoods of…

In 1982, a joint venture between Plenty International (a commune on 16th St NW) and CARECEN (Central American Refugee Center) launched a joint venture to provide bilingual medical care to the undocumented immigrants who were pouring into DC (for…

In 1975, a small group of artists established the Spanish-American Community Arts (SACA) Project as part of the umbrella organization Fondo Del Sol. By 1976, the SACA Project renamed their group El Centro De Arte Inc. (commonly referred to as El…

Designed as a luxurious apartment home with a café, spacious parlors, dining rooms, and retail space on the ground floor, the Kenesaw initially housed members of Congress and wealthy Washingtonians in the early 20th century. By the 1960s, a…