By Ben Rappaport
It was a beautifully chaotic day for Alma Cruz. Acoustic guitars and trumpets played mariachi tunes as the 29-year-old ran around downtown Lumberton in her bright yellow, floral Tehuana dress, honoring her roots in Oaxaca, Mexico, during the Hispanic Cultural Festival.
Cruz organized the inaugural event, which took place Sept. 14 and featured Latin food trucks, traditional dances, musical performances and more.
In previous years, a Mexican Independence Day celebration was held in the Robeson County town. This year, however, Cruz and other organizers decided to open the festival to include the broader Hispanic community. Representatives from more than a dozen Hispanic nations attended.
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“I think it’s important for children of immigrants from Latin countries to remember their culture,” Cruz said. “Many of these children will not get to travel back to their parents’ home country, but we need to keep that cultural identity alive.”
The Hispanic population is growing in much of rural southeastern North Carolina, a region that has seen major population losses overall during the past couple of decades. In Bladen, Columbus and Robeson counties, the Hispanic population is the only demographic group to see growth since 2000.
In Robeson County, the Hispanic population has nearly doubled since 2000, and the 11,500 Hispanic residents now account for nearly 10% of the county’s total population.
The rise in Hispanic residents mirrors statewide trends. The demographic has grown by 191% since 2000, and Hispanic residents now make up 10.5% of North Carolina’s population.
The initial wave of Hispanic growth across the state was driven by Mexican farmworkers who obtained H-2A visas after the program began in 1986, according to the UNC School of Government. Migration has continued from other Hispanic nations for a variety of economic, political, and environmental reasons, according to the Immigration Policy Center.
“Most people who migrate, regardless of race or ethnicity, tend to do so for purposes of work,” said Nathan Dollar, director of Carolina Demography at UNC Chapel Hill. “As such, they tend to be in the prime working ages which are also the prime childbearing ages.”
The Border Belt Independent spoke to more than a dozen Hispanic residents at the cultural festival in Lumberton. They said they moved to the area to be closer to family, find work or escape problems in their home country.
Yenny Gamba, 31, moved to St. Pauls from Colombia in 2019 to work as a Spanish teacher in Cumberland County Schools through a J-1 visa. The visa lasts three years but is frequently extended by two years for teachers who meet performance goals.
She said the move from the bustling city of Bogotá to rural Robeson County has been a challenge, but she’s done her best to find community. She recently joined a bullerengue and cumbia dance group in Fayetteville called Merequetengue.
“It’s so important to be open minded and learn about other cultures,” Gamba said. “And I’m so glad we have the opportunity to share our culture with others here, and connect with one another.”
The rise in the Hispanic population can provide a youthful boost to a community. The median age in Robeson County is 36.1, according to Census data, but the median age among Hispanic women in the county is 17.4.
There were more deaths than births in Robeson County in 2021 among most racial and ethnic groups, but not among Hispanic residents. The Hispanic population had the highest natural increase with 266 more births than deaths. The non-Hispanic white population had 323 more deaths than births that year.
The growth of the Hispanic population is a change for Robeson County, which has long considered itself “tri-racial.” About 39% of residents are Native American, 25% are white and 23% are Black. It was named one of the most diverse counties in the country by U.S. News and World Report.
Hispanic residents need resources. Booths at the festival featured bilingual lawyers offering legal services, churches offering Bible studies in Spanish, and researchers trying to learn about the specific challenges of Hispanic immigrants.
Cruz said this was important because Hispanic residents don’t have an organization specifically targeted toward their needs. Language and cultural barriers can be a challenge, she said.
Lennon Caro, a community researcher with Camino Institute, said the biggest needs of the Hispanic community are for health care services like dental access and mental health treatment. Camino is conducting a survey of the Hispanic population across the state to better inform policy decisions.
“We want other organizations to have the data they need to inform their programming,” Caro said. “Over the past 20 years the [Hispanic] population has exploded across the state. It’s a newer population and there just is not much in terms of resources or data on their needs.”
Madison Graham is a paralegal with Martinez Law. Her brother, Paulo Martinez, started the firm in 2020 because he recognized there were no Hispanic or bilingual attorneys in Robeson County. The firm now has offices all over the state targeted at helping Hispanic clients.
“If you don’t speak English, and you come here from a country with different laws, it can be really hard to understand the ins and outs of legal issues that may arise,” Graham said. “A lot of people are just lost, but if there’s an attorney who can speak Spanish and explain to them, it makes a big difference.”
The mix of resources, culture and fun helped make the Hispanic Cultural Festival a success. As the Hispanic community continues to grow, Cruz says she hopes their needs will stay at the forefront of local and statewide conversations.
“We want to be able to keep bringing our food, our songs, our dances and our heritage to this community,” Cruz said. “I hope Robeson County and this region continue to welcome that with open arms.”
