04/08/2019
Story by Diane Adame
Photos by Alex Kormann
CARRBORO — Pilar Rocha-Goldberg opened the small paper bag one of the homeless men who frequented El Centro Hispano had just given her. Inside were an apple, a granola bar and two bottles of water.
When the man first started going to the center, he would often arrive drunk, in search of legal help after a fight or night spent in jail, said Rocha-Goldberg.
Every time he stops by, Rocha-Goldberg is the only one he asks to speak with. If Rocha-Goldberg is in a meeting when he stops by, he will sit and wait for her.
Over time, the man started volunteering at the El Centro Hispano center and arriving sober. He knew that Rocha-Goldberg did not always have time to eat lunch, so he’d asked the homeless shelter for an extra to bring her.
“This meant a lot, because it means this person has a trust and relationship with me,” said Rocha-Goldberg, El Centro’s president and CEO.
He is just one of many Latino immigrants who come to El Centro Hispano, an independent nonprofit organization that helps immigrants access educational, health and economic development resources. Since 1992, El Centro Hispano’s mission has been to strengthen the community, build bridges and promote equity and inclusion of Latinos in the Triangle.
By teaching immigrants how to use the health system and register their children in school, the organization helps immigrants assimilate in the Triangle area.
“Every day, the needs are changing and that motivates me because it is something that is in continuous movement and it is not something static,” said Rocha-Goldberg. “I think it is always important to give our best to live in a better community, and I think that is what motivated me from the beginning.”
Before El Centro Hispano, Rocha-Goldberg, a native of Colombia, worked for Duke University Medical Center, where she researched exercise and nutrition within the Latino community.
Rocha-Goldberg began volunteering for El Centro Hispano in 2009 to learn more about the Latino community.
“I didn’t know anything about the Latino community here,” said Rocha-Goldberg. “I began to be much more involved and started seeing how I could help.”
Rocha-Goldberg also wants to ensure that El Centro Hispano’s resources can reach all Latinos. One of the organization’s events that does this is the FaithAction ID Drive.
The FaithAction ID, a verifiable form of identification that is recognized by police, health centers, businesses and cultural arts organizations.
A FaithAction ID is not a driver’s license, but individuals can use it when they get stopped by police.While it does not prevent the driver from getting a ticket, it can prevent arrest.
Unlike a state-issued ID, the FaithAction ID provides a verified form of identification for individuals living in the U.S. without legal documentation.
For those applying for state-issued IDs, the process can take months. Though asylum applicants are eligible to apply, there are still barriers to obtaining asylum from the U.S.
Since the economic crisis in Venezuela, many Venezuelan immigrants have been seeking asylum in the U.S.
“The Faith ID program is meant to provide people that otherwise can't get state issued IDs to verify their name and address,” said Hanna Sprintzik, the program’s coordinator. “We want to connect the community with local security forces and police to create bridges and dialogue within the community as well.”
The FaithAction ID Drive started four years ago and attracted about 300 people. Roughly 100 people attended the most recent drive in Carrboro.
“The number one barrier is for those whose claims are weak but their fear is real,” said immigration attorney Yesenia Polanco-Galdamez. “I have about 20 asylum cases for Venezuelans and most have protested the current regime or have been persecuted for their actions.”
Asylum applicants are required to prove their fear of returning to their native country because of past, present or future persecution for their religion, political opinion or s*x.
Most Venezuelans that oppose the current regime fall under the political opinion category.
“The struggle is for those that don’t fall in this category,” said Polanco-Galdamez. “They don’t want to return to a country where they don't have access to food, medical care or safety, but they can’t articulate anything that happened to them specifically.”
Today’s political climate, both in the U.S. and Colombia, raises concerns for Rocha-Goldberg.
“I see that our community in general is fighting with each other instead of achieving unity,” said Rocha-Goldberg. “In Colombia, I see the same thing and I think the problem is that there are too many personal agendas that can take our country somewhere we don’t want.”
El Centro Hispano has recently collaborated with Venezuela Para Ti, a statewide non-profit organization that strives to empower and inform the Venezuelan community.
Venezuela Para Ti also hosts an annual resource fair that El Centro Hispano attends. El Centro Hispano will often supply their mobile health unit to help carry supplies for Venezuela Para Ti.
“I think it is a part of our mission to create that bridge because we see that our community needs something and comes here to learn how to find it,” said Rocha-Goldberg.
