How Cumberland County racial and ethnic groups are celebrating and preserving culture

As Sept. 15 marks the start of Hispanic Heritage Month, Fayetteville is gearing up for other cultural events in September, starting with the Greek Festival next week and International Folk Fest at the end of the month.

Neighboring the Army’s most populated military installation in the world, Fort Bragg brings numerous cultures to the local area.

According to the 2020 Census, the county's race and ethnicity demographics rose in most categories compared to 2010.

The new Census reports that 42.4% of the county's residents are white and 38.1% are Black. Close to 2% are Native American or Alaskan Native, 2.7% are Asian and .4% are Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. Close to 10% of residents identified as two or more races.

In 2010, the Hispanic population in Cumberland County was 9.4%, which increased to 11.8% in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

In its 2022 analysis released this month, Wallethub ranked Fayetteville 50th out of 145 mid-sized cities in the U.S. for being ethnically diverse.

Here’s a look at the cultural groups in Fayetteville geared toward its diverse population.

African, Caribbean and Black groups

• Umoja Group is a Fayetteville-based nonprofit that “initiates and supports activities that promote the positive history, arts, and culture of Africans, African Americans and Caribbeans, then shares this rich heritage with others to enhance respect, cooperation and unity.” The group hosts the annual Umoja Festival on the fourth Saturday in August.

Read this: Fayetteville's Umoja Group promotes Black unity in the city

• Caribbean American Connection of Fayetteville “promotes and maintains Caribbean culture in Fayetteville and surrounding areas.” The group has hosted the annual Caribbean American Heritage Month Festival in June.

Related: Hundreds attend Caribbean festival

• The Ghana Association of Fayetteville is for people of Ghanaian descent “to form a social, cultural, educational and nonprofit organization" that promotes and shares traditions.

• Circa 1865 promotes “unity within the African American diaspora,” a love for culture and respect for heritage through African American-centered entertainment and education. The organization hosts citywide celebrations for African American holidays, including Juneteenth and Kwanza.

Previously: Fayetteville's Circa 1865 promotes Black unity

• The Cultural and Heritage Alliance is a nonprofit “dedicated to promoting peace through dance performances, cultural exhibitions, music and storytelling to preserve and inform others of the culture, customs and traditions of all indigenous people.” The organization hosts the annual African World Peace Festival. This year's event was Sept. 9-11.

Gallery: African World Peace Festival

• The primary purpose of the River Jordan Council on African American Heritage is “to collect, preserve and interpret the history and heritage of African Americans.”

Hispanic and Latin groups

• Latinos United for Progress advocates for the “well-being of the Latino community through programs and projects that promote education, leadership, development and cooperation.”

• Boricuas en North Carolina and Boricuas in Fayetteville provide a space for Puerto Rican people in North Carolina to connect with their culture and traditions and hosts the Chinchorreo Festival in Hope Mills which was held earlier this month.

Puerto Rico: Experience the food and culture of Puerto Rico

• The Mexican American Association of Fayetteville represents Mexico in festivals, parades and schools and hosts an annual Day of the Dead Festival.

More: LatinX community share what life is like in the Fayetteville area

• Latino Community Connects is a nonprofit with a goal to “serve as a bridge between organizations, professionals, and agencies with the specific needs of the Latino community.”

Asian groups

• The Fayetteville Korean American Association enhances “the quality of life in the Korean community in Fayetteville through organizational services, community programs and partnerships with other organizations.”

• The purpose of the Philippine-American Club of Fayetteville is “to conduct any charitable, educational, or civic enterprise allowed by law.”

• The Fayetteville Okinawa Kenjinkai group is for those born in Okinawa, Japan, and its member are first-generation Japanese. The group promotes Okinawan culture and performs Ryukyu dance and Sanshin.

Asian Pacific Heritage Month: Asian Pacific Heritage Month observed at Fort Bragg

Pacific Islander groups

• The Fayetteville/Fort Bragg Pacific Islander group is for “Polynesian brothers and sisters” who just arrived to the area or have been at Fort Bragg for a while and to connect with others on and off post.

• The Marianas Chamorro Association celebrates the Mariana Island culture with the Chamorros in Fayetteville.

• Aloha Ka'naka O Hula Halau is a Hawaiian and Polynesian dance group that performs at events throughout the region including the International Folk Festival.

More: Hawaiians in Fayetteville find difficulty building community in the city

Middle Eastern groups

• The Arab Americans Society of North Carolina is a nonprofit organization founded by academic, medical and business professionals in Fayetteville. The group is “committed to promote the Arabic language and culture, support and defend human and civil rights, and liberties of Arab American families and other minorities, and serve a public voice of the Arab American community. “

Thanksgiving: Afghan refugees and military families celebrate Thanksgiving together

Native American groups

• While the Lumbee tribe is in neighboring Robeson County, the Cumberland County Association for Indian People “enhances self-determination and self-sufficiency as it relates to the socio-economic development, legal and political well-being of Native Americans in Cumberland County.”

European groups

• The Ancient Order of Hibernians - Fayetteville, NC is “an Irish-American philanthropic organization primarily focused on supporting local communities and their needs, while also celebrating and sharing Ireland's unique history, music, and language for all people to enjoy.”

• The Fayetteville Sons of Italy is a part of the Order Sons of Italy, “the largest and longest-established national organization for men and women of Italian descent” in the U.S. The group “conducts a series of local programs designed to celebrate and preserve” Italian culture and heritage.

• The Cape Fear Valley Scottish Clans preserves and promotes “the history, culture and traditions of the early Scottish settlers to the upper Cape Fear Valley region,” while the Carolina Caledonian Fest also celebrates Scottish heritage.

More: Scottish heritage celebrated at festival

Religious and spiritual groups

• The Fayetteville Greek Festival is hosted annually at Saints Constantine & Helen Greek Orthodox Church, 614 Oakridge Ave. in Fayetteville. This year’s festival is scheduled Sept. 17-18.

Greek Fest: Hundreds celebrate

• Beth Israel is at 2204 Morganton Road in Fayetteville and welcomes learners and practicing Jews with a mission “to provide a strong culture of Jewish life rooted in Fayetteville, as it seeks “to maintain strong and inclusive interfaith ties.”

More: 'This place is an extended family'

• The Islamic Center of Fayetteville at 2415 Rosehill Road was established “for the purpose of establishing a masjid, school, and dawah center in a central location” in Fayetteville. Regular activities include hosting Jummah Salat every Friday, regular weekend Islamic study activities for children and adults,  community social activities, community outreach activities and Eid and janazah functions.

9/11: Muslim leaders in Fayetteville continue to challenge stereotypes 20 years after 9/11

• Hindu Bhavan of Fayetteville is at 907 Cedar Creek Road and is a nonprofit that promotes “Hindu culture and philosophy.”

• St. George Coptic Orthodox Church is in the 7200 block of Raeford Road and serves Christian Egyptians in Fayetteville.

• German Fellowship Fayetteville NC is an interdenominational language group that meets every fourth Sunday of the month at Walstone Memorial Baptist Church, 260 Walstone Road, to “speak German to keep language and culture alive.”

• L’Eglise de Dieu de la Saintete is a church at 6427 Cliffdale Road and serves the Haitian community in Fayetteville.

• Vietnamese-American Fayetteville Baptist Church is at 6248 Cliffdale Road.

• The Korean Presbyterian Church is at 1251 Ireland Drive in Fayetteville. The church hosts its annual spring roll fundraiser each spring.

Hungry?: Korean church's spring rolls a delight, but the sauce is a secret

Read this: Churches serve as the hub of the Black community in Fayetteville

Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.

This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: What ethnic organizations are in Cumberland County?