RALEIGH: Governor Roy Cooper has proclaimed September 15 – October 15, 2021 as Hispanic Heritage Month to recognize the culture, history and achievements of the Hispanic and Latinx community in North Carolina. This year’s theme is Esperanza: A Celebration of Hispanic Heritage and Hope to celebrate the community’s resilience, strength and hope.
“North Carolina’s diversity is one of our greatest strengths,” said Governor Cooper. “The Latinx and Hispanic community have made invaluable contributions to our state across education, agriculture, business and much more.”
The Hispanic/Latinx population represents an important and growing demographic in North Carolina making up 9.6 percent of the state’s population. In 2017, the Governor established the Governor’s Advisory Council on Hispanic/Latinx Affairs to advise and collaborate on issues important to Hispanic/Latinx North Carolinians.
The pandemic has shined a light on long-existing disparities in communities of color. The Governor established the Andrea Harris Social, Economic, Environmental, and Health Equity Task Force to address economic, health and environmental disparities.
Additionally, Governor Cooper’s administration has worked hard to ensure that Spanish-speaking communities have access to credible information and resources throughout the pandemic as well as equitable access to vaccines. The Governor’s COVID-19 briefings are translated in Spanish and NCDHHS launched a Spanish language vaccine website, Vacunate.nc.gov, to ensure more communities have access to accurate information to answer questions about vaccines and are able to find a vaccine location near them. In addition, the Healthier Together public-private partnership is developing strategies to drive demand and increase access to vaccines to historically marginalized populations, including North Carolina’s Latinx/Hispanic populations.
Read the proclamation.
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