Unity, even as the community grows bigger and more diverse, was one central theme at this year’s Latin American Festival, bringing more than 14,000 attendees to Ballantyne’s Backyard this past weekend.
“This is the way to be in community amongst Latinos together,” Luis Cruz said. “We are in community with diverse countries that are our brothers and sisters.”
Even though they’re often seen as a monolith, there’s a huge amount of diversity in Charlotte’s Latino community. Cruz came with his wife, Gloria, to enjoy food, music, dance and art from about 20 countries in Latin America — especially from their homeland of the Dominican Republic. They moved from there about five years ago…