On Saturday, May 30th, several thousand community members and local business, political and community leaders came out to Ellsworth Drive to celebrate neighbors helping neighbors at IMPACT Silver Spring’s free community dance party. Celebrants covered the entire Downtown Silver Spring plaza, with crowds trailing up the main staircase for some shade and a better view of the stage. The Spirit of Silver Spring celebrated inspirational groups and individuals who are working to build a thriving multicultural Silver Spring community and engage each other in networks of support.
“The Spirit of Silver Spring event gave me, an immigrant, a chance to experience again what a close knit community is all about,” said Kusum Purohit of Gandhi Brigade.
The evening’s emcee, Kasra Sotudeh, kicked off the festivities with a group of young Korean percussionists performing traditional drumming. Salsa and merengue lessons by DJ Bruno and instructor Pyson Mauricio followed and soon the plaza was filled with courageous rookies and tenured pros, hips swishing on 1, 2, 3, and 4. As the dance lessons drew to a close, Batala, a Brazilian, all-women percussion group began a thundering procession of drums down Ellsworth Drive, drawing crowds of people out of stores and restaurants to the main stage where banners were waving for the 2009 IMPACT Award Recipients.
IMPACT Silver Spring’s Executive Director, Frankie Blackburn, County Executive Ike Leggett, and County Councilmember Valerie Irvin spoke up to thank and honor the community for its resilience and for demonstrating a spirit of progressive mutual support in spite of the economic downturn.
They also honored winners of the IMPACT Awards, including Mixed Unity, a group of teens who have assembled for positive action and to speak out against violence in the community; 2009 graduates of Neighborhood IMPACT, a nine month leadership development program for rental community residents; Montgomery County’s Health and Human Services Department lead by Director Uma Ahluwahlia, for their innovative approach to reaching out to diverse neighborhoods in need of emergency services; and IMPACT Silver Spring’s Parent Educators, a partnership of immigrant parents and Montgomery County Public School teachers and para-educators who joined together to help run an after-school literacy and math program.
Neighborhood IMPACT Graduate Kerrin Torres shared “there was something for everyone… connections were made and deserving community advocates were recognized and celebrated. I had a great time celebrating and learning with my neighbors."
The event concluded with a fantastic performance from 80’s rock cover band, SixPlay, and people of all ages were delighted to hear jazzy renditions of their favorite classics until dusk. It was perfect weather as children enjoyed the twelve-foot streams of water shooting up from the brightly decorated fountain and the crowd continued dancing, greeted familiar faces, and visited interactive tables stationed along the sidewalks to learn new ways to reach out to their neighbors in need.
Volunteer Samantha Frank said “the Spirit of Silver Spring was a great success. As a volunteer helping out at one of the information booths, I found that people were genuinely interested in what we were doing. I helped people learn about emergency services in the county and felt that families walked away feeling empowered. There was a strong sense of shared community and enthusiasm for Silver Spring.”
“The word to describe it is ‘Kopanong,” shared Ntshiuwa Sato-Bess, Projects Coordinator and AmeriCorps-VISTA at the Montgomery County Volunteer Center. “This is a Southern Sesotho word meaning ‘intersection,’ ‘gathering place,’ or ‘crossroads.’ Everyone was there! I spoke four different languages to different groups at different locations in the crowd.
The unity of all strengths in neighbors and nations embedded in Montgomery County was chronicled through the Neighbors Campaign and the emerging leaders… finally introduced and awarded for their tireless dedication to the betterment of the community. Unbeknownst to IMPACT Silver Spring, the organization’s years of steadfast toil to create an atmosphere of unity in distinction amid diverse communities in and around the Silver Spring area was displayed for all the residents of Montgomery County to experience and enjoy.”
