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Mecklenburg Democrats launch new Latino mobilization effort

A little more than three weeks out from the general election, the Hispanic Caucus of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party is starting a new initiative called Mecklenburg Unidos.

The new initiative will host a launch party Friday at Punta Cana Dominican Restaurant on South Boulevard to recruit volunteers and get Latinos in Mecklenburg County out to vote.

Mecklenburg Unidos forms at a time when North Carolina’s Latino electorate is bigger than ever. This year, about 24% of Latinos in North Carolina will vote in their first presidential election. And here in Mecklenburg County, nearly 50,000 Latinos are registered to vote.

Anthony Valderrama is the chair of the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party Hispanic Caucus.

"We want to ensure that our community knows that there is an organization that is advocating for our community and that we have been revitalized since COVID," he said.

The event will feature local Latino elected officials like County Commissioner Susan Rodriguez-McDowell and CMS School Board Member Liz Monterrey Duvall.

A fluent Spanish speaker, Julian Berger will focus on Latino communities in and around Charlotte, which make up the largest group of immigrants. He will also report on the thriving immigrant communities from other parts of the world — Indian Americans are the second-largest group of foreign-born Charlotteans, for example — that continue to grow in our region.