Part 2: Councilmember Nancy Navarro on Latino Leadership

Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Navarro organized a  on Jan. 28 for parents of MCPS students.

Last week, Patch published , in which she explains how she initially became interested in building Latino leadership in Montgomery County, and how her office chose the parents who attended the invitation-only conference.

Today we continue the conversation.

Patch: What do you see as the intersection between the Latino and immigrant communities?

The growth of the Latino  community has really been happening for the last 30 years in the county. They are the fastest growing minority group, and most interestingly, the under-18 group is the fastest growing group among all Latinos. It seems to me that it’s critical that they become an active part of the civic process, that they understand how we continue to make this county strong and a great place to live -- and they need to participate in that process. They should not just be bystanders.

I think that there’s a contrast between the civic process in countries in Latin American and here. In many ways, there’s just a different expectation here, not to be confused with thinking that somehow these folks don’t know how to advocate. Once you show them the structure and how to work in it, people have a lot to say -- and they’re not shy about saying it. 

Patch: What was the main focus of the resources made available to the parents at this leadership conference?

We decided to focus on education primarily because this is the common thread, and it is the number one issue for immigrants overall, but particularly for Latinos. We had a workshop on how to navigate the school system, with tools that they could share with other parents. And then we had another workshop on options for higher education in the region, and that workshop was very popular. People had a lot of questions about that one. We also had a presentation about demographic changes in the county and the state, by the director of the Pew Hispanic Center.

We wanted to also send a message that this is a continuum, that education starts in the early years. And then we culminated the day with this notion of, why organize? Why civic structure? Folks took a written pledge, and 62 people turned in the pledge, which said that they would commit to be part of the core group that launches this association.

Patch: Can you elaborate on the efforts to build this Latino civic association?

The conference was really meant to be a convening, an opportunity for folks to network and come together. We want to send a message that the Latino community is an important part of our overall community, but really the goal for us was to make sure that people took a written pledge to say this is just the beginning -- now the real work starts.

So right now we’re in the process of finalizing the details of having an organization called Community Science meet with these 62 folks and go through the process of figuring out the nuts and bolts of launching this association. I have committed to work very closely with the association for a year, because I want to make sure they have the support, and then my goal is to say to them, now you’re on your own. This is a community-led association, and they need to define their issues. We will always be there to provide access to information, but this is for them to decide direction and the future of it. But the idea is for us to be there from the very beginning to make sure it’s successful.

Patch: Who is leading this association from within?

We have a core of eight people that met when we were planning the conference. They’ve been an ad hoc leadership team. My sense is that once we convene the 60 plus people who took the written pledge, there would be a leadership committee formed. These are all leaders already in their own right, so it’s really up to them how they want to structure it. My philosophy is that with these types of efforts, you have to be very methodical and take the time to do it right. Because when you rush through it, these efforts begin to fizzle and people get overwhelmed.

My hope is that by next year, this will be a fully functional, very active civic organization.

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Editor's Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.