Lunch & Learn Recap: Comunidad Vibrante

Last week’s Lunch & Learn was a wonderful opportunity to get familiar with the Latinx community in Charlotte, an important contributor to the growth of our local economy. The purpose of the Lunch & Learn was to get WIF members better acquainted with the Latinx community and discuss ways in which we can foster positive economic and relational opportunities with this city’s dynamic and rapidly growing group.

The panel of speakers included Gris Bailey, President and CEO of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce, Federico Rios, Assistant Director of the Office of Equity, Mobility and Immigrant Integration, and Daniel Valdez, Senior Director, External Affairs, Welcoming America. The meeting was moderated by WIF members Lakisha Rios and Susan Medina.

The panel introduced the name Latinx as the best umbrella term to encompass everyone within the community in an equal and inclusive way, whatever their gender, sexual orientation, level of education, profession, generations since emigration to the U.S., or ethnicity. Twenty-one countries are considered part of Latin America today, each with its unique cultures and traditions. The Latinx community is hugely diverse.

The panel shared there are 1.1 million Latinx people in North Carolina, and 170,000 are in Mecklenburg County. Six out of 10 are U.S. born. Twenty-five percent of Charlotte Mecklenburg School students currently identify as Latinx. The majority of the Latinx demographic is 25 years old. The panel reminded us it is in Charlotte’s interests to foster career and educational opportunities to cultivate these young adults’ talent to keep this economic powerhouse working and living in our city as opposed to moving to other cities within the U.S.

Stereotyping or making assumptions when meeting a fluent Spanish speaker can become problematic. Questions like “Where are you from?” or complimenting their English language skills may be offensive to members of the Latinx community who were born, raised, and/or educated in the U.S. We all want to be understood as individuals with diverse and rich cultural backgrounds.

Finally, the panel invited us to get actively involved with the Latinx community. Yes, there are restaurants and festivals we can attend, but the panel shared ways we can further educate ourselves and make more direct connections with the Latinx community.