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New website aims to empower Winston-Salem's Hispanic community

First grade students at Speas Global Elementary School march in a parade honoring Hispanic Heritage Month in October 2023. AMY DIAZ/WFDD

First grade students at Speas Global Elementary School march in a parade honoring Hispanic Heritage Month in October 2023. AMY DIAZ/WFDD

A new website called Proyecto Mariposa aims to be an online hub for Winston-Salem’s Hispanic community.

Also known as the Butterfly Project, the site launched on February 1. It consolidates news, calendar events, job offerings and other resources into a one-stop hub for the region’s Latino community. 

A statement on the site notes that its inspiration is the mariposa, or butterfly, as a symbol of transformation and renewal. 

Marina Alemán is the executive director of Proyecto Mariposa. She says there is a substantial digital literacy gap in Winston-Salem, and that research shows a lower level of education for the Hispanic community, many of whom don’t speak English.  

"It’s really challenging for the Hispanic community in Winston-Salem to know what is there for them," says Alemán. "Education, special programs, after-school programs, parks and recreation programs. And we decided that it's much better if we can put everything together in only one place."

According to the website, nearly 17% of Winston-Salem’s population is Hispanic, and 72% of those residents are part of the city’s workforce. 

Proyecto Mariposa was funded by an American Rescue Plan Act grant from the city of Winston-Salem. 

Neal Charnoff joined 88.5 WFDD as Morning Edition host in 2014. Raised in the Catskill region of upstate New York, he graduated from Sarah Lawrence College in 1983. Armed with a liberal arts degree, Neal was fully equipped to be a waiter. So he prolonged his arrested development bouncing around New York and L.A. until discovering that people enjoyed listening to his voice on the radio. After a few years doing overnight shifts at a local rock station, Neal spent most of his career at Vermont Public Radio. He began as host of a nightly jazz program, where he was proud to interview many of his idols, including Dave Brubeck and Sonny Rollins. Neal graduated to the news department, where he was the local host for NPR's All Things Considered for 14 years. In addition to news interviews and features, he originated and produced the Weekly Conversation On The Arts, as well as VPR Backstage, which profiled theater productions around the state. He contributed several stories to NPR, including coverage of a devastating ice storm. Neal now sees the value of that liberal arts degree, and approaches life with the knowledge that all subjects and all art forms are connected to each other. Neal and his wife Judy are enjoying exploring North Carolina and points south. They would both be happy to never experience a Vermont winter again.

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