The Consulate General of Mexico in Raleigh inaugurated, on Friday, August 14, a new service window for indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples in Winston-Salem.
The inauguration took place during the 5th Forum of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican Communities Abroad. The goal is to bring consular services and other resources closer to these communities facing challenges. language barriers and cultural.
Donají AlbaThe consul general of Mexico in Raleigh said that the opening represents a step towards providing closer attention to these communities.
“We want to ensure there is no difficulty in accessing the tools we have,” Alba told Enlace Latino NC .
Hispanic League opens its doors to the community
The Organization Hispanic League It will be the headquarters responsible for collaborating with the consulate in the operation of the window in Winston-Salem.
Regular hours of operation will be Monday through Friday, from 9 am to 5 pm. They will also have resources available virtually through the consulate's social media channels.
“Our doors are open to anyone helps "Whatever they need, we can help them with the consulate for information or to have a cup of coffee," said Diane Masas, executive director of the organization.
What services will be available at the window?
One of the main objectives of the new office is to facilitate access to consular services for people who speak a indigenous language.
The service window will include:
- Audiovisual materials and other resources in indigenous languages to explain the basic services offered by the consulate.
- Interpreters and support in indigenous languages for conducting interviews or procedures in service centers.
- Cultural and educational activities aimed at preserving and disseminating the history, traditions and languages of the native and Afro-Mexican peoples.
- Access to health serviceseducation and financial inclusion
Representatives from the Mexican Consulate's Orlando office, where this model began five years ago, explained that the network seeks to connect communities with consular servicesmedical, financial and educational.
Juan Baxcajay, head of the indigenous peoples window at the Mexican Consulate in Orlando, noted that the Winston-Salem window is the eleventh of its kind.
“They will have the opportunity to express themselves in their own language, to have consular services in their own language, and to have interpreters and teaching materials in their language,” Baxcajay told Enlace Latino NC .
The intention, he said, is for these communities to have access to services “as they deserve” without neglecting their cultural roots.
Mexican consulates in the United States offer health-related resources through their Health Windows. Read: Health Windows connect immigrants with information, referrals, and free or low-cost medical services.
Indigenous communities seek to preserve their languages and traditions
For members of Mexican indigenous communities, the new service window also represents a space to preserve the cultural identity.
Magali Santos, originally from San Pablito, Puebla, identifies as an Otomi indigenous person and participated in the forum as a craftswoman of beads and amate paper.
Santos said that the initiative makes visible the work, traditions, clothing and languages of the Mexican indigenous peoples U.S..
In addition, he highlighted the challenge of maintaining indigenous languages such as Purépecha, Chatino, and Otomi, among others, in new generations.
“When we arrive in this country, we lose Otomi and children start speaking more English and Spanish, so this is a space where we can do it together and continue raising our children with our mother tongue,” Santos told Enlace Latino NC .
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A window into a growing Afro-Mexican community
The opening also has particular significance for African Americans in North Carolina.
Alba noted that Winston-Salem was chosen as the venue in part because of the presence of an Afro-Mexican community in the area. She mentioned, among other examples, people originally from Cuajinicuilapa, Guerrero.
Yusibel Candela Hernández, originally from the Costa Chica region of Guerrero, invited Mexicans from the region to approach the window to carry out procedures and obtaining documents.
“We are growing as an Afro-Mexican community in the United States,” added her sister Patricia Candela Hernández in conversation with Enlace Latino NC .
For her part, Consul Alba noted that Mexico has recently recognized the presence of Indigenous and Afro-Mexican peoples in its Constitution. She maintained that this reality should also be reflected in the services provided to Mexicans living in the United States.
“We have an obligation, as part of the government, to look and address this,” Alba said.
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