Mullen & James Humanities Hall
9/25/25, 2:30 PM
Panel
Confronting the Gap: Examining Hardships and Assistance for the Latino Community in Times of Crisis in Buncombe County
Facilitated By
Kevin Colin-Solano and Dr. Carla Hung
Sociology & Anthropology
When Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina in September 2024, the scale of destruction was staggering — over $59 billion in damage and countless lives disrupted. Yet, not all communities were able to access recovery resources equitably. This panel centers on the experiences of nonprofit leaders serving the Latino community in Buncombe County, where survivors encountered systemic barriers to assistance. Panelists will discuss how legal status, lack of documentation, language inaccessibility, and the near absence of culturally competent FEMA resources created a widening gap in post-disaster aid. Through testimonies and organizational insights, the panel will examine how groups like Unete, IAM, CORE, and Pisgah Legal responded to the needs of underserved Latino residents. This session highlights not only the failures of formal recovery infrastructure but also the grassroots resilience and advocacy emerging from within the community.
Panelists:
Blanca Heredia (Unete)
Belem Solano (International Association of Ministries – IAM)
Antonio Garcia (CORE)
Leonel Gonzalez (Pisgah Legal Services)
Kevin Colin-Solano is a recent graduate of UNCA's Sociology department and a community advocate who works with True Ridge in Hendersonville to support the Latinx/Hispanic community. During his time on and off campus, he has developed a Tzotzil-language resource guide and organized Know Your Rights Trainings, exemplifying how scholarship can translate into advocacy and real-world impact.
Dr. Carla Hung is Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of North Carolina Asheville. Her research focuses on migration, political activism, indigenous economies, sanctuary, communal care, and the abolitionist root system of human trafficking. She is currently working on a book project that examines how humanitarian and legal regimes misrecognize acts of care among Eritrean refugees as criminal activity under the charge of human trafficking.