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Since its founding in 1776, Montgomery County has been tied to global events drawing people from across the world to live in what has become a notably welcoming and international community.
Since its founding in 1776, Montgomery County has been tied to global events drawing people from across the world to live in what has become a notably welcoming and international community.
Interior of Oriental Market in 1986, owned by the Lee family from Korea (Montgomery History, Sentinel photo morgue)
Maryland’s historical legacies of opportunity and openness to diverse immigrants continue to characterize Montgomery County, as a third of its residents are foreign born and over forty percent speak a language besides English. Concurrently, Native peoples and the descendants of colonial settler families continue to be part of the fabric of the county.
Maryland’s historical legacies of opportunity and openness to diverse immigrants continue to characterize Montgomery County, as a third of its residents are foreign born and over forty percent speak a language besides English. Concurrently, Native peoples and the descendants of colonial settler families continue to be part of the fabric of the county.
This exhibit explores how human interactions through time have made Montgomery County the unique place it is today.
This exhibit explores how human interactions through time have made Montgomery County the unique place it is today.
The decision to migrate is often difficult and complex. People take into consideration family, security, affordability, health, age, gender, religion, and politics. While some people migrate voluntarily, others migrate because of forces beyond their control: fleeing societal violence, abusers, or natural disasters. Still others migrate because they are forced, as is the case with victims of enslavement or trafficking. The history of immigration in Montgomery County reflects all of these reasons, and those reasons also interact with U.S. immigration policies. The U.S. began regulating immigration in 1790 with an act that allowed "free white persons" to become citizens after two years. This law and those that followed mostly favored northern Europeans until a 1965 law broadened immigration to include the rest of the world.
The decision to migrate is often difficult and complex. People take into consideration family, security, affordability, health, age, gender, religion, and politics. While some people migrate voluntarily, others migrate because of forces beyond their control: fleeing societal violence, abusers, or natural disasters. Still others migrate because they are forced, as is the case with victims of enslavement or trafficking. The history of immigration in Montgomery County reflects all of these reasons, and those reasons also interact with U.S. immigration policies. The U.S. began regulating immigration in 1790 with an act that allowed "free white persons" to become citizens after two years. This law and those that followed mostly favored northern Europeans until a 1965 law broadened immigration to include the rest of the world.
Martha Dominguez, Gloria Serafini, Carla Montemayor, Anahi Pilarz, and Diana Serafini, dressed in Paraguayan folk dance dresses at a party in Silver Spring, 1979 (Photo courtesy of Martha Dominguez)
Over time, Montgomery County has consistently provided safety for all categories of immigrants. In 2023, the county's immigrants came from, in order starting with the largest representation from each country: El Salvador, China, India, Ethiopia, Philippines, Korea, Peru, Guatemala, Iran, Honduras, Vietnam, Colombia, Ghana, Cameroon, Brazil, Jamaica, Pakistan, Bolivia, Taiwan, and many more.
Over time, Montgomery County has consistently provided safety for all categories of immigrants. In 2023, the county's immigrants came from, in order starting with the largest representation from each country: El Salvador, China, India, Ethiopia, Philippines, Korea, Peru, Guatemala, Iran, Honduras, Vietnam, Colombia, Ghana, Cameroon, Brazil, Jamaica, Pakistan, Bolivia, Taiwan, and many more.
Traditional dress of El Salvador (including the depiction of a torogoz, El Salvador’s national bird): World of Montgomery, 2017 (Photo by Maria Sprehn)
Dale and Alais Lukas of Lithuania, 1991 (Gazette photo by Dan Gross)
Mohammad, Yazan, Yazeed and Yousef Hussein at International Day in Silver Spring, 1992 (Photo courtesy of Samira Hussein)
This exhibit highlights the commonalities and individualities of immigrant stories, exploring just five of the many overlapping themes that have brought one of the most diverse groups of people in the nation to live together in Montgomery County.
This exhibit highlights the commonalities and individualities of immigrant stories, exploring just five of the many overlapping themes that have brought one of the most diverse groups of people in the nation to live together in Montgomery County.
The themes explored here are war and conflict, love, employment and career, creating and reuniting with family, and seeking education.
The themes explored here are war and conflict, love, employment and career, creating and reuniting with family, and seeking education.
This is a dynamic exhibit. New material will continue to be added over time to create a historical memory with stories and perspectives from around the world.
This is a dynamic exhibit. New material will continue to be added over time to create a historical memory with stories and perspectives from around the world.
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