Residents in Southwest Detroit are working to preserve the community’s Latino history by documenting stories of people who grew up there. Their oral history project is called VOCES, which is Spanish for voices. 

“Our history has not been documented the way other communities have documented their history,” said VOCES project committee member Martina Guzmán. 

VOCES has been collecting oral histories from natives of Southwest Detroit. As part of the project, Henry Ybarra talked about his father, Henry Ybarra, Sr., sharing that he worked at a Detroit restaurant in the old Fort Shelby Hotel. 

“He got a job dishwashing,” Ybarra said in his oral history interview. “And worked his way up to be the head chef.”   

Aaron Barndollar, Ybarra’s nephew, is also part of the VOCES project committee. So far, about ten oral history interviews have been collected, and there are plans to gather at least ten more in the next ten months, Barndollar said.   

He has a large collection of family photos and knows others also have pictures. People working on the VOCES project want to look at them, Barndollar said. 

“Folks are inheriting their family photos and are not sure with to do with them,” he said. “They’re actually really invaluable.”  

The VOCES initiative has received funding to gather stories and is seeking additional funding to keep the project going.  

“We’re just scratching the surface,” said VOCES committee member and community leader Ozzie Rivera. 

In recognition of National Hispanic Heritage Month, One Detroit’s Bill Kubota reports on the oral history project underway in Southwest Detroit. The story is part of our ongoing Destination Detroit series, which explores the region’s rich history and the people who helped shape it.