PHOENIX — What started as a simple Facebook page has grown into a global streaming platform dedicated to preserving the untold stories of Arizona’s vanished Latino neighborhoods.
Arizona Barrio Stories began as a labor of love to document the histories of communities that no longer exist. The project aims to preserve information and knowledge about the culture, traditions and history of those who grew up in Arizona’s historic barrios.
“We lost the barrio of Golden Gate. We lost the barrio of cuatro mil pass campito. So, we thought, if you go there today, you can’t show your kids where you grew up. We wanted to be able to get those stories of growing up. What was life like?” said Irma M. Payan, community archivist.
The initiative addresses a gap in representation that Payan, a retired educator, noticed throughout her career.
“There’s so many untold stories out there, people want to tell them, and I always tell everybody, I’m a retired educator. When kids open up a book, they do not see stories about themselves. Our site has allowed stories to be displayed, shared, documented, preserved, that their children, their grandchildren, can now go and hone in on these stories,” Payan said.
Jesus Hernandez, one of the first Latino broadcast journalists in Arizona, has become a key contributor to the project. Decades after beginning his journalism career, he continues reporting on stories he believes need to be told.
“It touches my heart because of the fact that finally, we have a place where we can tell our stories, at least highlight the stories either good, bad or ugly,” Hernandez said.
For Hernandez, the project represents something larger than individual narratives.
“We’re always going to be here no matter what. It’s just that people will now understand who we are and how our contributions are critical, critical to the success of our country,” Hernandez said.
What began as a Facebook page 5 years ago has evolved into Latino USA TV, a global streaming channel that reaches approximately 500,000 viewers each month.
“This project is phenomenal,” Hernandez said.
The growth has surprised even its founders.
“I thought, wow, this is bigger than what I thought it was going to be. And then people from other parts of the state, United States, started tapping on us and wanting to share their story,” Payan said.
For Payan, reviewing the archived stories and photographs serves as an emotional connection to the past.
“Occasionally, I’ll go through archives of pictures that we have, either personal or people that have contributed to our site. If I can make somebody smile or even cry, I’ve had people message me privately. I’m crying as I’m looking at this picture. It’s reminding me of my mom. It’s reminding me of my abuela. You know, if I can make somebody smile or cry, I know I’ve done well,” Payan said.