MSA SC 6488-3-1
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2025/06/28
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mp4
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Contact the Department of Special Collections for location.
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Description
Video interview conducted by Alexander Callahan on June 28, 2025 with Abel Núñez at the Hyattsville Branch Library, Prince George's County. This oral history was captured as part of The Latino History Project. Abel Nuñez serves as the Executive Director of the Central American Resource Center (CARECEN), an organization devoted to helping recent immigrants transition to life in Washington, D.C., and assisting with the development of D.C.’s Latino population. He has held this position since March 2013. Nuñez immigrated from El Salvador to the United States with his family in 1979 and grew up in Washington, D.C. He went on to obtain his Bachelor of Business Administration from Hofstra University in 1994. Nuñez has a long history of community advocacy. Nuñez first worked at CARECEN in 1998, first as a Citizenship and Civic Participation Project Coordinator, then as Deputy Director. He was also a staff member at the Latino Civil Rights Center. Nuñez moved to Chicago, where he would continue his activism as the Associate Director of Centro Romero. After returning to D.C., Nuñez assisted with creating several programs to help immigrants obtain residency and to advocate for D.C.’s Latino immigrant population. This included founding both the Residency Now campaign and the DC-MD-VA Coalition in Support of Children Fleeing VIolence in 2013. Nuñez and his activism for the Latino community has been acknowledged several times with awards from Georgetown University, the Hispanic Bar Association of DC, and the Salvadoran-American Chamber of Commerce. Duration: 1:02:07
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MSA SC 6488-3-2
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2025/06/28
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mp4
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Contact the Department of Special Collections for location.
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Description
Video interview conducted by Dan Ramirez on June 28, 2025 with Rocio Treminio-Lopez at the Hyattsville Branch Library, Prince George's County. This oral history was captured as part of The Latino History Project.Rocio Treminio-Lopez was born in El Salvador and immigrated to the United States with her family at fourteen. After living in New York, she moved to the Washington, D.C., area with her family in 1995. Treminio-Lopez enrolled at the University of Maryland Global College in 2012 and went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Human Resources in 2017. She originally served as Brentwood’s interim mayor from Fall 2014 to May 2015. In May 2015, she was elected for her first full term as Mayor of Brentwood, becoming the first Latina elected as a mayor in Maryland. Treminio-Lopez also works at Prince George County’s Economic Development Corporation where she helps establish relationships with local Latino businesses and builds relationships between the local chambers of commerce. Duration: 31:17
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MSA SC 6488-3-3
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2025/06/28
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mp4
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Contact the Department of Special Collections for location.
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Description
Video interview conducted by Andrew Forschler on June 28, 2025 with Celina Benitez at the Hyattsville Branch Library, Prince George's County. This oral history was captured as part of The Latino History Project. Celina Benitez was born in El Salvador and immigrated with her mother and siblings at age 10 to California. Following her graduation from high school, she studied at California State University, Long Beach and received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. Benitez also received an Associate’s Degree in liberal arts. After achieving her degrees, Benitez moved to Mount Rainier to be with her family. She served as Mount Rainier’s Ward 1 Councilmember from 2017 to 2021. As a councilmember, Benitez would compose the Youth Scholarship program which was approved by the City Council in 2018. Her next achievement as a dedicated public official was winning Mount Rainier’s mayoral election in 2021, becoming the city’s first Latina mayor. During her time as mayor, Benitez has headed multiple initiatives tackling the city’s problems including the passage of the Rent Stabilization Law in 2022. Duration: 1:50:40
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MSA SC 6488-3-4
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2025/06/28
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mp4
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Contact the Department of Special Collections for location.
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Description
Video interview conducted by Alexander Callahan on June 28, 2025 with Monica Casañas at the Hyattsville Branch Library, Prince George's County. This oral history was captured as part of The Latino History Project. Monica Casañas was born in Colombia and immigrated to Flushing, Queens, New York, as a child. She has lived in the Washington, D.C., area since the early 2000s and has devoted herself to improving adult literacy and tenant organizations. Casañas studied at the University of Maryland and earned her Bachelor’s Degree in Communication and Media Studies in 2012. She would pursue and achieve a Master’s Degree in Strategic Communication at American University soon after. In 2022, Casañas won the seat of Colmar Manor’s Mayor, becoming the town’s first ever Latina mayor. Alongside her mayoral duties, Casañas works as a public affairs specialist at the D.C. Department of Health. Duration: 31:28
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