CHARLOTTE, N.C. — When the importance of the Hispanic vote is dissected, states such as Nevada, New Mexico and Florida always make the list. North Carolina, a battleground state both sides crave to win, hardly gets a mention. But in a region still thought of as black and white, the Hispanic voice and voting population are growing.
That was clear at a recent gathering in Charlotte of more than 400 Hispanic women — representing all ages and professions, women who have been in America for generations and those newly arrived. What everyone who attended the fourth year of LatinaCon had in common was a desire to be an active part of the community, or as one workshop declared in its title: “What Latinas Need to Do to Be Successful in the United States.”