CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx — "This is where Molina's story begins. On the western edge of the city a place both isolated, and alive with community spirit."
Molina: Hardships, Traditions and Resilience traces the neighborhood's roots back to the 1940s.
Old photos, videos, and firsthand memories share a story that many say has been forgotten.
I spoke with the filmmakers before the premiere began, including Julie Zamora, the brainchild behind the project.
"You're going to hear some stories that haven't been told before. Some things that have been lost," Julie Zamora, Filmmaker, said.
Julie says the idea came from walking the streets of Molina, knocking on doors, and hearing stories from neighbors who knew her family.
"They started telling me stories about things that used to happen back in the day," Zamora said.
She heard stories about the neighborhood being poor, and at one point not having running water, yet still sticking together.
Zamora says that's when it clicked and knew these stories had to be told. So she teamed up with other West Oso alumni to bring Molina's history to life.
"That was our history once upon a time," Zamora said.
Phil De La Garza volunteered to help with the project. He says his family's history in Molina runs deep and for him, it all comes back to one word.
"It's basically what a family is. And that's what Molina is," Phil De La Garza, Film Maker, said.
De La Garza says the film captures both the hardships and heart of the West Side and seeing so many neighbors show up made him proud to help carry that legacy forward.
"They will be the ones to go out and share our story," De La Garza said.
I even spoke with one West Sider after the premier, who tells me his proud answer when people ask where he's from.
"From Molina. We're the capital of Corpus Christi," Julian Lopez, West Sider, said.
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