History professor to lead panel discussion ‘La Vida Latina: 21st Century Life in Charlotte’

UNC Charlotte and its Center for the Study of the New South, as part of a partnership with the Levine Museum of the New South, will host the Oct. 6 panel discussion “La Vida Latina: 21st Century Life in Charlotte.” The event will explore Charlotte’s Latina population and the opportunities and challenges Latinas encounter living in the Queen City and the Mid-South.

Benny Andrés, UNC Charlotte associate professor of history, will serve as the lead presenter and moderator for this panel. A California native and member of the community since 2007, Andrés will offer his expertise about who comprises the Latina population in Charlotte. The researcher specializes in the study of Latina history, migration and immigration. In addition to providing an overview of Charlotte’s Latina population, Andrés will share his personal perspective about making Charlotte home after moving here from a different Latina market.

Millie Aguilar, CEO and owner of Red Rooster Contractors LLC and Royal Roofing LLC, and Luis Vassallo, assistant vice president and branch manager with Wells Fargo Bank, also will be part of the panel. Both are members of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce. They will address how their businesses contribute to Latina life in Charlotte, particularly in terms of community and social and cultural activities.

This event is the first in a series of community conversations this year that engages the Levine Museum’s “¡NUEVOlution! Latinos and the New South” exhibit.

This free, public panel discuss will begin at 6 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 6, at the Levine Museum of the New South, 200 E. 7th St. Prospective attendees should register to attend.