By Zach Freshwater Carrboro Commons Staff Writer Jose Torres says he needs volunteers. The University of Texas at Austin graduate works for the Carrboro branch of El Centro Hispano, an organization that began serving the Latino populations of Orange and Durham counties in 1992. In Carrboro, El Centro Hispano offers resources ranging from financial planning courses and legal advice… Read more →
By Shweta Mishra Carrboro Commons Staff Writer Carrboro’s pre-eminent butcher Clifton Collins is so familiar with animal anatomy that he can identify even the most obscure cuts of meat via photo. “I never thought I would do this,” Collins says, recalling his childhood on a tobacco, corn and soybean farm in rural Chatham County. But in 1967, as Collins was finishing high school,… Read more →
By Melissa Abbey Carrboro Commons Staff Writer Every Friday from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., instead of heading to a popular local hangout, a group of Latino high school students crowds into the tiny WCOM FM radio studio next to Cat’s Cradle. Inside, they arrange themselves around the broadcasting equipment – a computer, soundboard and five or six microphones –… Read more →
By Jeremy Gerlach Carrboro Commons Staff Writer According to the 2010 Census, there are no Hispanic-owned restaurants in Carrboro. There are chain Latin-themed establishments, yes, but none are owned by the Latino community that comprises more than 13 percent of Carrboro’s population. Yet on any given morning, you can walk past tienda after tienda – and by night, taco truck… Read more →
By Alex Linder Carrboro Commons Staff Writer Carrboro was host to the sounds of shaking beads, strumming guitars and Spanish sing-along. These are the sounds of the fiesta, and they are becoming more and more common. “I definitely think that traditional Mexican music has a role to play in the future,” said Juan Díes, 48, producer and member of the… Read more →
By Trevor Kapp Carrboro Commons Staff Writer Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this story, Special Education Teacher Holly Duncan and Reading Teacher Maria Arbiol (pictured below) were not correctly identified in the captions. The Commons apologizes and regrets the error. Lupita Cortes speaks fluent Spanish with a nearly perfect accent, which is particularly audible when she pronounces words… Read more →
By Dean Drescher Carrboro Commons Co-Editor Ahna Hendrix knows where she wants to use her voice. Hendrix, 28, is starting La Voz (the Spanish word for “voice”) — a volunteer-based Spanish-language translation service that will assist both the Carrboro and Chapel Hill police departments. She became fluent in Spanish after spending time traveling through Central America. Much of that time… Read more →
By Tori Hamby Carrboro Commons Staff Writer Although many Carrboro residents may never travel to Mexico, independent photographer Jerry Markatos provides them with a window into everyday Mexican life through his art. Markatos’ photographs are part of an art exhibit titled “Artists as Witnesses: Two Views of the Latino Experience.” The exhibit, located in the Carrboro Branch Library and McDougle… Read more →
By Latisha Catchatoorian Carrboro Commons Staff Writer On a sunny, yet chilly day, Latino men are huddled outside of Abbey Court Condominiums or the BP gas station across the street on Jones Ferry Road. Some of these day laborers are residents of Abbey Court, which also serves as the location of The Chapel Hill and Carrboro Human Rights Center, led… Read more →
By Victoria Hamby Carrboro Commons Staff Writer When Alejandra Martinez-Lecabe moved from Argentina to the United States at the age of 19, she knew she had entered a land of great opportunity. Today, employed as a therapist for El Futuro, an organization that provides inexpensive mental health care to Latinos in Carrboro and Durham, Martinez-Lecabe uses the skills afforded her… Read more →
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