Charlotte celebration honors Puerto Rican culture and history

Published November 18, 2024 at 10:38 AM EST

Puerto Rican Heritage Month occurs every November, and Latinos in Charlotte gathered Sunday to honor Puerto Rican history and culture.

As people ate typical Puerto Rican food like arroz con gandules and pernil, they enjoyed live music and dance performances honoring Puerto Rico.

Attendees at Hickory Grove United Methodist Church in East Charlotte also learned about Puerto Rico's history and the contributions of those with Puerto Rican heritage in Charlotte.

Fiestas Patrias, a nonprofit that preserves Latino culture in Charlotte, and E&A Productions, organizers of the annual Puerto Rican Festival of the Carolinas, organized the celebration.

“It was very important to us for here in Charlotte have a nice event so people can come and eat and listen to some good music and poetry and enjoy our ‘Puertoricanness,’” E&A Productions' Alba Colon-Nieves said.

Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles also proclaimed this week as Puerto Rican Heritage Week.