North Charlotte Today

When Luis Matta first arrived in Charlotte, it was a completely different city. The year was 1999, and the 32-year-old communications professional from Medellin, Colombia was leaving behind a large family and a promising career in radio. At the time, the situation in Colombia was becoming increasingly dangerous, and Luis felt the best place for him was somewhere else. His passion for communications eventually landed him a career with the City of Charlotte, where he continues to work as a Community Relations Specialist. 

We recently sat down with Luis to learn more about his journey from Colombia to Charlotte. The following responses come directly from Luis, and while they showcase important moments throughout his life, they only represent a fraction of his experience. 

Arriving & Adjusting to Life in Charlotte

When you left Colombia did you come right to Charlotte or go somewhere else first? 

We actually were accepted at a university in New Zealand. So, we were thinking about going to New Zealand or going somewhere in Europe, but my ex-wife had an aunt who lived [in Charlotte]. She said, you know, ‘why are you going to New Zealand? Nobody’s going to visit you there. Everybody’s going to forget about you.’ So, we did the easiest thing, if you will, and decided to apply for our F-1 student visas. We got the visas and then we moved here, you know, with the idea of going to UNC Charlotte. I actually wanted to learn something about the internet, because as a communicator, I thought, ‘Well, this is going to be the ultimate communications tool.’ But there was not a program for internet, per se. Then, when I went to CPCC, there was a rack with a Spanish-language newspaper, and they were looking for a bilingual reporter. They were very generous, and they provided me with an opportunity to work with them. I eventually changed my status from an F-1 student visa to H-1B, which is the work visa, thanks to their sponsorship. And then, you know, I eventually got my green card and became a citizen. So, that’s how a two-year project became, you know, we have children here. The roots started to go deeper and deeper. 

What was your first impression of Charlotte when you got here? How different was it from Colombia? 

One of the first things that we faced, one of the challenges, was transportation. Because the city where I grew up, in Medellin, we had Metro. We had public transportation. I mean, I didn’t buy a car until I was 30 years old, because I didn’t need it. I didn’t need a car. Everything was public transportation. But here, we needed a car. So, it was like, ‘Oh, what are we going to do?’ We tried to use public transportation, but then we realized there were no routes, for instance, on Sundays, so we had to stay home. Eventually, we bought a car. Now, that has changed, but that was one of the main differences. The other thing was that, when you learn language like English, you learn proper English. And then here, people were just using colloquialisms, you know. So, the first time I went by myself to a grocery store, I went to Harris Teeter. It was probably a couple of months after I had been here, and they asked me two questions and I didn’t understand. The first one was, ‘Do you have a VIC card? And I didn’t understand what that was. I was completely, you know, I couldn’t speak. The second question was ‘plastic or paper?’ So, I just smiled, I looked at the register, saw how much I had to pay, paid that, and I left.

Did you take any extra English classes here or did you just immerse yourself in it and pick it up as you went? 

I had the opportunity to keep working. I mean, I kept studying, going to school, because the process of the transition from F-1 to H-1B took some time. So, I went to school, and I met a lot of people from different countries. People from Africa, people from the Middle East, people from Bulgaria, you know, it was very interesting. But yes, I had to really practice a lot. I found NPR, which helped me a lot. I think they’re respectful with their language, with the grammar, with the pronunciation. So, I started to listen to the news, to watch television, and you know, films and all that. So, being immersed in the language helped a lot, basically. 

Once you started to feel settled in the U.S., what did you start to really miss about Colombia? 

You know, over time you start romanticizing the past. Like, the things that we had in Colombia, the music, etc. Then you realize, when talking with friends there, that you are missing some things that are happening there, right? I mean, you’re getting some good things here, but then you’re missing things that are happening there with family and friends. They’re getting married. They’re having children. And you’re kind of removed from all those familial dynamics, which we didn’t have here. We had contact with some family, you know, my ex-wife's aunt was here. But in Colombia, my father has, or had, 11 siblings, and my mother has seven sisters. So, if you add cousins... And, you know, every family meeting was everybody together. Especially in December for Christmastime, which is also summer back in Colombia. Everybody’s outside. There is music. Everybody gets together. So, I started to miss that. But then, after 10 years or something, I started to feel... I felt bad, because I wasn’t missing that as much. When my children were born, they were listening to traditional American Christmas music. I still try to make sure that they listen to the music that we used to listen to. I make sure that they learn some of the songs and all that, along with the traditions and celebrations. But now, the thing is that you can find all of that here in Charlotte. There are Colombian restaurants and Colombian bakeries. There are a lot of Colombians. So now, I’m having some of those celebrations with Colombian friends here. Because, you know, you have to adapt to the new circumstances. 

Planting Roots in the Queen City 

Earlier, you mentioned putting your roots down here by having kids. What about Charlotte made you want to stay here and not go to some other city? 

What I tell my friend who like to come to the U.S., and they want to go to the same places—New York, LA, Chicago, the big cities and the whole tourist thing. But I tell them that Charlotte is an American city. I mean, if you really want to see people from the United States, Charlotte is one of those cities. People don’t come here as tourists, even though there are a lot of things to see. And I think that’s what attracts me more to Charlotte. People are nice. It was not always as expensive; now, it’s changing. It’s a quiet city. There is not a lot of crime. It’s been changing as the city grows bigger, you know, that brings some changes. But it’s not as bad as it is in many places in Colombia or other places in the world. You know, there are places in New York where you shouldn’t be by yourself. Also, I like the way that the four seasons are very defined. You know, we don’t have seasons in Colombia, because we’re a tropical country. So, I like a little bit of snow. I love the fall; I think it’s my favorite season. And I like that it’s a very nice American city. I think all those elements are attractive to me. And I think my children also appreciate that. They like it here and have good friends. It’s very diverse, also. Not only Americans, which is also attractive to me and is different from Colombia where we didn’t have a lot of people coming from other countries with different cultures, different perspectives, different points of view. And I think that enriches our experience as well.

Charlotte is a Certified Welcoming city, which is a formal designation through Welcoming America. This means that the city has created policies and programs that reflect its values and commitment to immigrant inclusion. In your experience living in Charlotte, what are some things you’ve noticed that make this city feel welcoming? 

Well, I think it depends on who you talk to and also on the perceptions that people have from their own experiences, you know? I have met a lot of people who were against immigration, for instance, because they didn’t know. It wasn’t something that the city was used to having—people from all over the world living here. So, people were initially kind of rejecting that and not being very welcoming, because they didn’t understand. But then when they meet someone from another country and they develop a relationship and they understand what the circumstances are and that people come here from another country running away from their situation there... People are looking for opportunities. They have their own businesses, their companies. There are so many different reasons. And I think, when I arrived here, there was more curiosity. ‘Someone with an accent? Where are you from? Why are you here?’ There was no initial rejection or anything. There was more curiosity. And then the political environment changed in the whole U.S., so more people started moving here and started to really stay here, have children, go to school here. So, the demographics of CMS changed, the needs from companies started to change. The city started hiring people who, you know, speak another language. Now, the fact that the City of Charlotte is considered a Welcoming City shows that there is a change and that people are thinking about that as an opportunity. I think there are still people who think that immigrants shouldn’t be here. There are a lot of misunderstandings. Because of my job in community relations, we have community dialogues about that, and people don’t understand what immigration means. It’s a lack of understanding and knowledge of the system. Because, you know, immigrants need to understand that but locals, they don’t. They’re not thinking about moving to another country, and they have always lived here. But I think right now, people are understanding that this is part of a national thing—a world thing, because people move from one place to the next. It’s just been like that forever. 

The Importance of Community for Immigrant Residents

Can you tell us a little bit more about your role as a Community Relations Specialist for the City of Charlotte? 

I started doing education and outreach specifically to the Latino community with a grant from HUD (Housing and Urban Development), because there was a need to educate Latinos in this area about rights. In many countries, there is not an equivalent to the Federal Fair Housing Act. For instance, in Colombia, you can find an ad in a newspaper saying, ‘We rent units to couples without children.’ That is not considered discriminatory there, but here it is. So, people don’t know that. The idea was to educate through partnerships with different nonprofits helping internationals, specifically the Latino community or Spanish speakers. I started doing that. So, that was my job in community relations, to deal with the media, you know, write articles for the newspapers. If we had some money, I’d make sure that we had some advertising or public service announcements. I had the opportunity to do radio also. So, that was my communications spirit pushing me toward working with the media. Education and outreach was what I was doing. But then, one of the investigators resigned, and I was offered the opportunity to do investigations. So, I’ve been doing investigations, community education and outreach, and I’m also the staff liaison for one of the Community Relations Committee’s subcommittees.

What is the Community Relations Committee? 

A group of 45 volunteers, and they want... They are supposedly the eyes and ears of the City Council in the community. So, they have to work in subcommittees, or however they think is the best way to do it, in order to bring tangible issues that they see in their community to the City Council. One of the subcommittees, the Intercultural Relations subcommittee, suggested that a word in the ordinance should change, because in order to be a member of that group of volunteers, you have to be registered to vote. But that keeps away students, people with H-1B, the spouses of people with H-1B. Then it was rephrased; it was changed. And now, someone who lives in Mecklenburg County can be a member of the Community Relations Committee. So, we’re pushing for more diversity, and diversity is not only ethnicity or where you’re coming from but age, socioeconomic background, everything. Your voice should be heard, and then all your issues will be discussed as well and then brought to the City Council to do something about it. So, it’s all part of what I do in Community Relations. Community Relations help the community. Our mission is to promote harmony, is to promote understanding.

Original source can be found here.