Join the DC History Center for Movements + Moments, a conversation series centering Latinx experiences, influences, and roles in DC history.

In 1979, Spanish-speaking students in Washington, DC were struggling to find support in public schools, dropping out at alarming rates. Systemic inequalities, low expectations, and cultural and language divides affected students’ coursework and sense of belonging. Maria Tukeva recognized these problems had solutions. She, with a task force of educators, created the Multicultural Career Intern Program (MCIP), which eventually became the Bell Multicultural High School at the Columbia Heights Educational Campus (CHEC), today at 16th and Irving Streets NW.

On Wednesday, May 7, join the DC History Center at CHEC to learn how educator activism created a unique learning experience that prioritized low-income, low-English students. Learn from alumnus Manuel Mendez in conversation with founder and current principal Maria Tukeva and former school guidance counselor Rafael Cepeda about the role of this school in educating Latinx Washingtonians. We’ll start the evening with snacks before hearing from current students in the bilingual education academy about their own research into the school’s history.

 

MOVEMENTS + MOMENTS
The DC History Center, with its Latino/a/x Advisory Group, brings you Movements + Moments, a conversation series centering Latinx experiences, influences, and roles in DC history. This series asks the questions: How do we weave Latinx histories into DC’s historical narratives? Whose stories are missing?

 

For more information and to register:

 

May 7, 2025
5:30 pm–7:30 pm

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