Centro Unido-Latino Americano
Uplifting Others
By Gloria Romano-Barrera
With a mission to create safe spaces, establish cross-cultural
partnerships and promote social justice, health equity, and
inclusive education opportunities for Latinos and beyond,
the Centro Unido-Latino Americano (CULA) is a nonprofit
organization in West North Carolina committed to empowering the
Latinx community in McDowell County and surroundings.
Serving 1,400 people a month with 15 programs focused on
education, advocacy, workforce, health, art/culture, and leadership,
CULA is the only Latinx organization in the area.
“CULA has been a nonprofit for 11 years, but just last year, we
went from serving 300 individuals to now serving 1,400 a
month,” shares Margarita Ramirez, Executive Director, Centro Unido
Latino-Americano.
“I am excited because just within a year, we have accomplished a lot and
created programs that break the systematic barriers that the Latinx community has,”
she shares. “CULA has become the Latinx organization of the WNC. We serve
people from different counties; it shows the need for organizations like CULA. We are
exploring satellite offices in two different counties for 2022. In the last year, we have
grown not only in staff but in capacity thanks to many partners.”
The daughter of a single immigrant mother of five, Ramirez experienced
first-hand the inequalities in many services her mother went through.
“I was her interpreter on many occasions,” she shares. “The systematic
barriers that we went through and the injustice has motivated me to create a change
in my community.”
She believes that to create an everlasting impact, we need to work together by
partnering and supporting each other. The organization advocates not only for women
in need, but anyone suffering discrimination and injustice. CULA empowers their voice
with their different programs.
“We also want our Latinx women to feel empowered in the community,” Ramirez
shares. “We are working on a mural that will have empowered Latinx women, and
with this, we are making the community aware of our traditions and the culture of
Latinx women.”
CULA Group visits Chimney Rock
Margarita Ramirez, Executive Director, Centro Unido
Latino-Americano and team during Culturas Unidas Day.
During the pandemic, Ramirez created the Community Health Worker
Program. This program helps with vaccinations, financial assistance,
COVID-19 testing sites, COVID-19 education in Spanish, and more. Through CULA
she has created a safe space for the Latinx community to receive the services
they need in Spanish; from receiving boxes of food to helping them find a job, and
much more.
“I believe that my biggest philosophy is that if you can dream about it, you
can create it,” she shares. “If you have an idea that is going to benefit and impact
someone, you should go for it. Take the risk in creating a change, and even if you fail,
you are still a winner because you gained knowledge. My dream is to create change
that will impact my community. I want to be that bridge that brings my
community to equality.”
LS
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