CORPUS CHRISTI, Tx \u2014 “This is where Molina’s story begins. On the western edge of the city a place both isolated, and alive with community spirit.”<\/p>\n
Molina: Hardships, Traditions and Resilience traces the neighborhood’s roots back to the 1940s.<\/p>\n
Old photos, videos, and firsthand memories share a story that many say has been forgotten.<\/p>\n
I spoke with the filmmakers before the premiere began, including Julie Zamora, the brainchild behind the project.<\/p>\n
Documentary ‘Molina: Hardships, Traditions and Resilience’ preserves West Side neighborhood history<\/p>\n
“You’re going to hear some stories that haven’t been told before. Some things that have been lost,” Julie Zamora, Filmmaker, said.<\/p>\n
Julie says the idea came from walking the streets of Molina, knocking on doors, and hearing stories from neighbors who knew her family.<\/p>\n
“They started telling me stories about things that used to happen back in the day,” Zamora said.<\/p>\n
She heard stories about the neighborhood being poor, and at one point not having running water, yet still sticking together.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“That was our history once upon a time,” Zamora said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“It’s basically what a family is. And that’s what Molina is,” Phil De La Garza, Film Maker, said.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
“They will be the ones to go out and share our story,” De La Garza said.<\/p>\n
I even spoke with one West Sider after the premier, who tells me his proud answer when people ask where he’s from.<\/p>\n
“From Molina. We’re the capital of Corpus Christi,” Julian Lopez, West Sider, said.<\/p>\n
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