El Centro Hispano moves into new location on Weaver Street

To celebrate its arrival in the heart of Carrboro at 201 W. Weaver St., El Centro Hispano opened its new doors Thursday night to the applause of community activists, friends and members.

The organization provides services to Hispanic people in the community through education programs, community organizing and outreach.

El Centro began in the basement of a small Durham church in 1992, and has since grown to become the largest grassroots Latino organization in the state.

The organization expanded its offices to Carrboro in 2010, where it was tucked away off of N.C. Highway 54 before its move.

But Pilar Rocha-Goldberg, the organization’s president and CEO, said the new home will draw in more people to the organization’s services because it is now in a busier area.

“This is a much more accessible spot for us to connect with the community,” she said.

“We are right near the bus lines so people who need our help can get to us a lot more quickly.”

She said the new space will allow for greater connectivity between local Hispanic people and nearby businesses.

“With our new spot here, we have the opportunity to develop a system to connect members of our community with jobs,” she said.

The opening, which included a ribbon cutting and a raffle for Colombian garments, was the first step in a better direction for the organization, said board chairman Erik Valera.

“This space is much more functional for us,” he said. “We have more classrooms set up here so we can provide education for our community.”

And Valera said these services come with an open door policy.

“We welcome any folks who need any sort of resources for help,” he said. “We want to be a bridge for the community, and we’re here for everyone.”

Tana Hoffman, El Centro’s education program director, said education does not stop after adolescence, and the center welcomes whole families to use its services.

“We offer ESL courses for the adults and put the children into classes where they can learn how to work on discipline and self-esteem,” she said. “Our main goal is to prepare the kids for schooling in the area.”

She said having families come to the organization together has helped them function better as a unit.

“We really strive to make this a family literacy program so they can learn to communicate with each other and with the community at large,” said Hoffman.

At the end of the evening, Rocha-Goldberg stood at the threshold of her brand new building, stopping to hug and chat with guests.

The smile on her face could not have been any wider.

“This is my true passion. I want to integrate our community into the wider community,” she said. “I want to help. It’s why I do what I do.”

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