Click here for a printable PDF map of Carrboro Day festivities.
Graphic by Graham Russell

By Graham Russell
Deputy Design Editor

Carrboro is a town rich in tradition, and the first Sunday in May is no exception. For the 12th year in a row, residents will gather at the Commons on West Main Street for Carrboro Day, a day of music, food and entertainment.

This year’s festivities fall on Sunday, May 6 and will kick off at 12:30 p.m. with a performance by The Village Band, a 50-member ensemble of musicians from throughout the Triangle.

Music continues throughout the day until the end of the event at 7:00 p.m. Hip-hop artist Peter Joe-L Daye, known as L in Japanese, will make an appearance, followed by former members of Brown Mountain Lights under the name Great Big Gone.

Also performing are singers Bo Lozoff and Shannon O’Connor; oldies artists Lo-K-Shun Band; swing band Too Much Fun; and Saludos Compay, a group that specializes in Latin music. Storm Front brings the day to a close with blues music about and inspired by Carrboro. Read more

A Guide to Family Fun in Carrboro

By Elsa Hasenzahl
Staff Writer

In Carrboro there are many fun and exciting things for families to do together –many of which are free! Here are a few good ideas for ways your family can spend quality time together.

● The Century Center in Carrboro offers many family related activities, such as Toddler Preschool Playtime on Tuesdays from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Other popular rotating events include Kid’s Bingo and the Lollipop series with story telling, music, puppets and clowns. Some programs do cost a small participation fee. A monthly calendar of events at the Century Center can be found at http://www.ci.carrboro.nc.us/RP/PDFs/CCMonthlyCalendar.pdf.
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By Justin Smith
Staff Writer

Robert “Bubba” Dickson (left) and Kirk Ross saw a need for a newspaper dedicated to Carrboro.
Commons Photo by Justin Smith

Carrboro will have its own traditional weekly newspaper starting next month.

The first edition of The Carrboro Citizen will roll off the press March 21, and subsequent issues of the free traditional-sized newspaper will be distributed each Wednesday.

Third-generation newspaper publisher Robert “Bubba” Dickson will publish the paper, and long-time local journalist Kirk Ross will serve as the editor.

Both men believed that Carrboro needed its own community newspaper and decided the time was right to launch the publication.
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 Carrboro to get its own newspaper: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

By Carrie Crespo

Mural painted on the side of the former El Centro Latino building saying, “We are a Nation of many colors. Somos una Nacion de muchos colores.” Photo by Carrie Crespo

Many Latinos come to this country not knowing anyone. They don’t know the language or have anywhere to go. All they want is a better life from the one they left behind. But people in the United States aren’t always quite so inviting.

El Centro Latino, a nonprofit organization serving all of Orange County, offers programs, classes and support to their Latino residents need to help them be more successful in the community.

El Centro Latino incorporated in 1999 when local Latino leaders, the Orange County Hispanic Task Force and the Orange County Partnership for Young Children recognized the growing Latino population. It was originally located on Lloyd Street before moving to the Inter-faith Council building on East Main Street.

The Latino population has continued to increase since its incorporation. By 2004, almost 5 percent of Orange County was of Latino origin. In Carrboro, it was more than 12 percent. Since then, Carrboro has grown to more than 14 percent.

“We like to think it provides a lot of services and educational and cultural programs in an environment that is comfortable to the population we serve,” said Ben Balderas, executive director of El Centro Latino. “They can come into an inviting atmosphere and one of confidentiality.”

Like others working there, Balderas feels El Centro has helped him be more active in the community by giving him an opportunity to form relationships with many individuals from various political and socioeconomic backgrounds.

El Centro Latino provides many programs and classes for Latinos to come in and learn. The center works with the council, the Carolina Women’s Center, NAACP and many other organizations. But more important, it is there to help and answer any questions. More frequent questions concern immigration, taxes, childcare and work.

“Everyone that wants to can come and talk with the staff face to face to give orientation for issues,” program director Johanna Cabeza-arias, who has worked for El Centro Latino for two months, said. “We translate, help fill out applications, make phone calls in English, deal with problems with bills or the government and can interpret.”

Balderas said that a man came to the front desk a few years ago and said he had Alzheimer’s disease. He wanted to tell his family, but he couldn’t remember how to reach them or where they lived. Diego Torres, who is in charge of intake and referral, worked with the consulates to track down his family and send the man back to his country. This is only one of the many issues the center handles daily.

Cabeza-arias wants to do her best to unite the community and help people to be more active in the community.

She began working in this field for six years when she started in Colombia. When she came to the United States, she wanted a job that dealt with the community and social work. Cabeza-areas said this was the best place for her to work with other Latinos and get them involved.

“If you just stay in your house, just work and go to your house, and you are not a good member of your community and do nothing to help support your community, we are going to have a bad society because everybody will be separate,” Cabeza-arias said.

One way to get more involved is to become a member of El Centro Latino, she said. Members work with El Centro employees to create new programs and get more involved. They also receive more benefits such as specific programs just for them or discounts on their taxes. Members are asked to give only as much as they think they can afford.

El Centro Latino has services that don’t cost anything to join.

English as a Second Language classes are provided for adults, as well as computer classes and GED courses. The center also helps people find jobs that best fit them and help fill out job applications. Companies can also call El Centro Latino when they need employees.

Twice a month, an attorney comes to talk with people who have appointments to get free legal advice dealing with immigration, family law and civil law. Any services are done at a discount. The attorney also held a conference in October about immigration issues, deportation and immigration reform.

A women’s group was formed to help women deal with the culture shock and depression of having to work and still raise children. Women feel guilty when they have to leave their kids, Cabeza-arias said. El Centro Latino’s program teaches them that by being responsible mothers, they will have children who are more responsible. They also talk about education, domestic violence and other issues.

A testimonial on the back of El Centro Latino’s pamphlet is of a woman who used to sit in her house and just watch television. Now that she has joined the women’s group, she said she isn’t as stressed and enjoys the friendship of other women, the communication and the company.

For children, El Centro Latino has after-school programs and daycare while their parents are in classes. El Centro Latino works with Toys for Tots and helps provide Christmas presents to those in need. The center distributes the toys and celebrates with a party during the holidays.

The point of El Centro Latino is not for the people to abandon their culture but to work better within their new community so that they are better accepted. Spanish classes are also available for those who wish to learn.

“Latinos don’t need to leave their culture if they know how this country works,” Cabeza-arias said. “If they respect the law and are active, they won’t need to leave their culture but can enrich the community.”

Mucha gente viene cada año de varios países en América Central. Bien listos y muy trabajadores, la mayoría viene a buscar trabajo. Con tantas personas buscando el trabajo y una vida mejor, ¿qué puede hacer Usted para conseguir las mejore oportunidades para Usted y su familia? Para mejorar su posición y la de su familia, lo mejor que puede hacer es buscar oportunidades para ganar nuevas habilidades e involucrarse más en la comunidad. Aunque puede resultar difícil encontrar tiempo para hacer algo que no sea trabajo, ¡vale la pena! Lo que sigue es una lista breve de algunos recursos y organizaciones que puede utilizar para mejorar su posición o su participación en la comunidad.

(1) Aprender el inglés – todos saben que saber hablar es muy útil para ser parte de la comunidad y conseguir un buen trabajo. Hay muchas organizaciones que ofrecen cursos de inglés GRATIS, las que siguen son bien reconocidas:

a. MANO (Mujeres Avanzando hacia Nuevas Oportunidades). Instrucción por las mujeres para las mujeres. Se reúnen en Carrboro Elementary School, los lunes y los miércoles 7:00pm-8:30pm. Más información: Derek Taylor, dpaylor@email.unc.edu.

b. BOLD (Building Oportunities through Language Development). Instrucción por los hombres para los hombres. Se reúnen en Carrboro Elementary School, los lunes y los miércoles 7:00pm-8:30pm. Más información: Sarah Long, sarahnl@email.unc.edu.

(2) Encontrar oportunidades para sus hijos – aparte de asistir a la escuela, es importante que los niños tengan otras oportunidades para explorar las actividades que les puedan interesar. Como cada niño tiene intereses distintos, es importante encontrar varias oportunidades para sus hijos y dejar que ellos escojan lo que quieran hacer. Algunas sugerencias:

a. Starworz Community Children’s Theatre. Una organización de los estudiantes de UNC que produce obras en las que actúan los niños. Las obras se producen en inglés, entonces se prefiere que los niños hablan inglés. Más información: http://studentorgs.unc.edu/starworkz.

b. Deportes. La ciudad de Carrboro ofrece un montón de deportes disponibles para los que viven cerca de Carrboro. Hay cursos de fútbol, básquetbol, voleibol, tenis, y mucho más. También hay cursos para los adultos. La mayoría requiere una cuota mínima. Más información: http://www.ci.carrboro.nc.us/rp/athleticprogramsF06.htm#1.

c. CHISPa Chicos. Conecta un niño hispano con un ‘mentor’ de la universidad que pasa tiempo cada semana con él o ella, para ayudarle can la tarea o salir a una actividad social. Si quiere que su niño participe en este programa, debe hablar con su maestra porque todos los niños que participan vienen recomendados por las maestras. Más información: Judy Rodríguez, juventus@email.unc.edu.

(3) Aprender más sobre la tecnología – usar la computadora es una habilidad importante. Las bibliotecas en Carrboro, Chapel Hill, y Durham ofrecen varios cursos sobre el Internet, correo electrónico y las computadoras. Más información (la página se pone al corriente cada mes): http://www.lib.unc.edu/instruct/community_workshops/calendar.html.

No olvide que vale la pena involucrarse en la comunidad. Cada comunidad tiene oportunidades disponibles para todos, sólo que hay que buscarlas. La lista arriba sólo representa algunas oportunidades, pero hay muchas más. Si lo que busca no lo encuentra aquí, búsquelo en “Google” o mande un e-mail al correo que sigue para recibir ayuda.

Hasta luego,

Emily Vernon

mlevern@email.unc.edu