Enlarge Ruben Campillo aids legal aliens in taking the steps necessary to obtain U.S. citizenship.

Posted: December 10th, 2009 Greg Lacour

Crossroads Charlotte occasionally spotlights individuals who are improving the city's social capital.

Ruben Campillo, 34, is a Mexican immigrant and former construction worker who three years ago decided he needed a more meaningful career. Campillo is the advocacy coordinator for the Latin American Coalition, an organization that provides services and assistance to the city's ever-growing Latino community. He guides recent immigrants through the maze of public services, responsibilities and customs that they may barely understand at first. But he also helps organize neighborhood and civic organizations that encourage immigrants to participate in their communities and express their needs to public officials.

Why he does what he does? "I feel that over the last 15 years since I’ve been in Charlotte, I’ve seen the Latino community grow and thrive in this state. I want to see that this community is engaged in the decisions that affect us all."

What's next? Expanding the coalition’s work in organizing Latino high school students, who increasingly are not immigrants but the sons and daughters of immigrants. The Alliance of Latin American Students' goal is to develop teams of young Latino leaders “to start moving into more public roles,” Campillo said. Soon, his son, 12-year-old Anthony, will be one of them.

Know someone who is a connector for a community?

Nominate that person to be profiled by a Crossroads Charlotte Correspondent. Email his or her name, phone number and email address and a brief description of what they do to Crossroads Charlotte. If your nominee is selected, you will be contacted by a correspondent.

Posted: December 9th, 2009 Meaghan Clark

On Wednesdays, Crossroads Charlotte Correspondent Meaghan Clark will give you a round-up of community-building news and events (click items for full stories):

1. Clothe Charlotte, a grassroots group, wants you to donate a sleeping bag for the homeless.

2. Master meat-cutters meet to vie for top prize, bragging rights and a few choice cuts.

3. Homeowners descend onto Charlotte to save their homes and their dreams at the Neighborhood Assistance Corporation of America Save the Dream Tour.

4. A flock finds their way home. The Little Rock AME Zion Church is back in the hands of its original congregation.

5. Wells Fargo donates $6 million to 15 local charities.

Got a suggestion or a resource for us to check out? Please leave it in the comments or send an email.

Posted: December 7th, 2009 Tonya Jameson

About a dozen people sat in small groups determining when hate becomes a crime and how to prevent bigotry from escalating into criminal acts.

The attendees participated in Stop the Hate’s Train the Trainer workshop Dec. 3-5 at UNC Charlotte. Shane Windmeyer, founder of Stop the Hate, organized the second annual event for students, residence hall directors and campus leaders from Winthrop University in Rock Hill, Guilford College in Greensboro, UNCC and elsewhere.

Windmeyer hoped participants would leave the workshop with a strategy to share their knowledge with others to fight bias and hate crimes at their schools.

The workshop comes when the country is seeing a rise in certain hate crimes. In late November, FBI data showed crimes based on sexual orientation increased by nearly 11 percent. Hate crimes based on religion increased nearly nine percent.

Keep Reading

Posted: December 2nd, 2009 Meaghan Clark

On Wednesdays, Crossroads Charlotte Correspondent Meaghan Clark will give you a round-up of community-building news and events (click items for full stories):

1. What do homeless people in Charlotte look like? View images of the lives of the working poor at the Levine Museum of the New South.

2. Listen to what Habitat for Humanity CEO Jonathan Reckford has to say about working to build homes for the homeless.

3. Local teens to travel the Underground Railroad route.

4. Journalist Steve Roberts discusses immigration from the newcomer’s point of view.

5. Join in a farewell celebration for Matthews Mayor Lee Myers who is retiring from public service after 22 years.

6. One of the fastest growing church’s in the nation finds a permanent home in Charlotte.




Got a suggestion or a resource for us to check out? Please leave it in the comments or send an email.