In a bid to foster better relations between African Americans and the Latino community, two local organizations will host a summit Saturday at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Community Relations Committee and the Latin American Coalition say the meeting is open to anyone interested in helping the two groups forge stronger ties.
Angeles Ortega-Moore, director of the Latin American Coalition, said there are “pivotal points where the two communities can come together and help one another.”
Tensions between blacks and Latinos have sometimes been strained, especially in low-income communities, as each competes for jobs and housings. Yet in the last election, Ortega-Moore noted, at least 67 percent of Latinos voted for President Barack Obama.
She said the summit was first conceived years ago but was delayed for various reasons. One of its goals, she said, is to see the communities address the fear and mistrust that sometimes divide them.
“We want the grass-roots community to come out,” she said. “They are the ones living this every day.
The summit is scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 2:30 p.m. More than 100 people are expected to attend.
