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Advisory Council provides recommendations for supporting Latino/Hispanic population to Governor's office

Kelly Kenoyer
/
WHQR
North Carolina Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic and Latino Affairs met on Thursday, August 15, at UNCW.

The North Carolina Governor's Advisory Council on Hispanic and Latino Affairs released its recommendations today after a year of meetings.

Recommendations fell into several categories: wellbeing, education, economic opportunity, legislative policy and safety, and language access.

The language access category got a lot of applause from the audience at UNC-Wilmington. The council will help establish a state board and an office under the Governor.

Committee member Erik Valera said the goal is to make the state government accessible to Spanish speakers in every department and at every level.

“It's not just about language. It's about people, it's about health, it's about emergency preparedness and disaster. It has to value human lives, and it has to strengthen government," she said.

The advisory council recommended that government agencies and grant recipients alike provide free, timely, and competent translation and interpretation services.

On education, the council showed support for public schools and opposition to the state voucher program. They also suggested creating pathways for Hispanic students to access post-secondary education, and to become educators themselves.

The wellbeing committee primarily focused on the state Department of Health and Human Services, asking that NCDHHS "strategically allocate resources and funding to enhance service access to vulnerable Latine communities, increase Medicaid coverage, expand language access, prioritize culturally appropriate mental health services, and maintain and expand inclusion efforts for the Latine community here in North Carolina."

The council also recommended developing better disaster management strategies and commissioning a state study on road safety for Latino and Hispanic residents.

Kelly Kenoyer is an Oregonian transplant on the East Coast. She attended University of Oregon’s School of Journalism as an undergraduate, and later received a Master’s in Journalism from University of Missouri- Columbia. Contact her by email at KKenoyer@whqr.org.