Olma Echeverri (1952-2021)

Portrait by Emily Núñez

Olma Echeverri was born in Calarcá, Colombia and immigrated to Charlotte on July 4, 1970. Though she travelled primarily for education, she stayed in Charlotte for the rest of her life and became a leading member of the community. Throughout her life, she led multiple organizations dedicated to registering voters, promoting civic engagement, and fighting for equality.

Echeverri co-founded the Hispanic Voter Coalition and Hispanic Democrats of Mecklenburg County, was a charter member of the Latin American Chamber of Commerce in Charlotte, and was a key player in the creation of the Hispanic-American Democrats of North Carolina. In addition, she served on Governor Roy Cooper's Advisory Council of Hispanic/Latino Affairs and received the Governor's Awards for the Order of the Longleaf Pine - the highest award for state service - for her work across the state. By 2008 her work was so well recognized that she became the first Latina in North Carolina elected to the Democratic National Committee.

In addition to her political work, Olma was trained in Colombia as a teacher and wrote poetry and opinion pieces for local Spanish-language newspapers in Charlotte. As an educator, she served on the Multicultural Advisory Board at Providence Day School and received a lifetime honorary membership with the Teen Democrats of North Carolina. After a life of organizing alongside all members of her community, Echeverri died from uterine cancer in 2021.

See more of Emily's work on Instagram: @emilynunezart