WTOP celebrates National Hispanic Heritage Month this Sept. 15 through Oct. 15, with stories spotlighting the contributions, culture and accomplishments of Hispanic communities across the D.C. region.

While the Hispanic population has grown significantly in recent years — it’s believed more than a million residents in the D.C. region are Hispanic — the number of elected leaders representing the area at the state and local levels is significantly smaller.

And there are no Hispanic leaders representing any part of the D.C. region on Capitol Hill. But the small number of elected officials who are Hispanic say that will be changing in the years ahead.

“It has grown, but not fast enough,” Montgomery County Council member Natali Fani-González said.

Statewide in Maryland, she and Gabe Alb

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