La Vida Latina: 21st Century Life in Charlotte

As a Charlotte resident, have you ever wondered how the landscape of our population is changing as our city grows? UNC Charlotte and its Center for the Study of the New South, as part of our partnership with the Levine Museum of the New South, are hosting a panel discussion about Charlotte’s Latino population, engaging the audience in a conversation about the opportunities and challenges Latinos encounter living in Charlotte and the Mid-South.

The first in a series of community conversations this year that engages the museum’s ¡NUEVOlution! Latinos and the New South exhibit, the series kicks off with a discussion of the complexity of the Latino population in Charlotte and the Mid-South, contrasting the city’s “hyper-growth” for the past 15 years with our long history of Latinos with many different nationalities, cultures, and socio-economic backgrounds coming to our area.

Dr. Benny Andrés, associate professor of history at UNC Charlotte, will serve as lead presenter and moderator on this dynamic panel. A California native and member of our community since 2007, Andrés will offer his expertise about who comprises the Latino population in Charlotte. Andrés specializes in the study of Latino history, migration, and immigration. In addition to providing an overview of Charlotte’s Latino population, he will share his personal perspective about making Charlotte home after moving here from a different Latino market.

Andrés will be joined by two active members of the Latino business community: Millie Aguilar, CEO and Owner of Red Rooster Contractors, LLC, and Royal Roofing, LLC, and Luis Vassallo, Assistant Vice-President and Branch Manager of Wells Fargo Bank. Both are members of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce. Aguliar and Vassallo will address how their businesses contribute to Latino life in Charlotte, particularly in terms of community and social and cultural activities.

This discussion will help attendees understand the day-to-day realities Latinos experience, from housing options, neighborhood selection, access to public transportation, jobs, and more.

The program will begin at 6:00 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St., Charlotte 28202. It is open to the public without charge, but registration is requested at www.advancement.uncc.edu/newsouth.