In the last two decades, international migration to North Carolina has increased dramatically and more than half of the state’s foreign-born population is Latino.
One of the biggest misconceptions is that people in the US think we are here to take their jobs. [...] We come here to work very hard. We do the hardest work that they aren't willing to do-Araceli
According to the Migration Policy Institute, as of 2013, North Carolina was home to more than 390,000 immigrants of Latino origin. This influx of new immigrants shapes the economy and culture in profound ways. Host Frank Stasio talks to Stephen Appold, professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School, about his research showing the overall economic impact of immigrants.
Stasio continues the conversation with three Latina women from Durham who earn their livings as housecleaners. The stories of Elizabeth, Araceli and Marilu are documented by students from Duke University as part of a photography project, The Housecleaner Project.
[In the 1990s] people that were farmers in Mexico became disenfranchised through NAFTA. So these people are left selling all of their land and selling everything they have to come to the United States-Yuri Ramirez
Stasio also discusses the history of Latino migration in North Carolina and examines some of the linguistic, sociological and psychological challenges faced by Latino immigrants with LilianaParedes, linguist and director of the Spanish Language Program at Duke University; Yuri Ramirez, a doctoral candidate in history at Duke University; and Luke Smith, psychiatrist and executive director of El Futuro, a behavioral health treatment organization for Spanish-speaking individuals.
I think in order to become a healthier community that embraces these other communities we need to be open to listen beyond the words-Liliana Paredes
