@Latinx_Diaspora_Archives: Family Photographs as Counter-Narratives of the Latinx Diaspora

submitted to Latinx Diaspora Archives by Adeline Lulo of her and her family in the Bronx, NY in 1993. Her parents migrated from the Dominican Republic and they continue to live in the Bronx.

@Latinx_Diaspora_Archives: Family Photographs as Counter-Narratives of the Latinx Diaspora

by William Camargo

The Instagram account I created, @latinx_diaspora_archives, is an attempt to elevate communities of color, those specifically of the Latinx diaspora. In Bell Hooks Art on My Mind, she states

"The camera must have seemed a magical instrument to many of the displaced and marginalized groups, trying to carve out new destinies for themselves in the Americas."

As my family migrated and many others from the Diaspora did too, the camera was a way to document this broken American Dream narrative, instead, we needed to create a counter-narrative of our people, because we are not seen as American.

"Archives stake a claim to a history that is always contested and that many artist and scholars and activist have challenged by creating counter archives that make visible alternative historical agents and narratives"
-Shawn Michelle Smith, Photographic Returns, Racial Justice and the Time of Photography

Latinx Diaspora Archives is also an attempt to question the institution of the archive: Who holds the majority of archives of black folks? Of queer folks? Of Latinx communities and other marginalized groups? Who has access to them? How are they displayed? Photographs of communities of colors have told many stories, but they have also been the death of Black and Brown people. In cases of police violence what we see in the T.V are blatant acts of criminalization towards Black and Brown people, yet if you walk into those households we come to terms that their family archives tell another story, of joy, of cookouts, of birthdays, of quinces and momentous parts of people's life.

Coming from a low-income background, an attempt to look at the archives posed difficulties, the resources and access were not there. Latinx Diaspora Archives aims to center family photos of the Latinx Diaspora through the Instagram account in order to combat erasure throughout the U.S. and the Americas. Many Instagram accounts that have been created over the last several years such as @atx_barrio_archive, @veteranas_and_rucas, @faderesistance @archivotrans challenge hegemonic and hierarchical systems that have been set up by institutions.

I have openly discussed that I myself am a non-traditional archivist. The ownership of each family photograph that I receive remains with the family and is returned to the owner(s) unless gifted to me. It is an attempt to give a voice to the narratives of the community. In Jose Esteban Munoz's Ephemera as Evidence: Introductory Notes to Queer Acts, he points to who is left out of the archive in the traditional sense: queer, communities of color, and other marginal communities. The increase of Instagram accounts lets us into these ephemeral moments in these communities, through the eyes of those that experienced them. We have seen when holders of archives and photographers, who either photograph or distribute photographic archives, further push negative stereotypes about our communities.

This project is an attempt to elevate our communities and show our realities, through our own experiences, and through the radical archives we are a part of.

submitted by Ernie Rios taken in 1999 by his family in Salisbury, North Carolina.

submitted by Andy Melendez “Sombreros, leather jackets, ray bans, patterned shirts, cowboy boots, and big belt buckles was what my fam was into back in their 20s. Sometimes I wonder how I would be if I was born and raised in Guatemala 🇬🇹 “ taken in Guatemala before migrating to Long Island, NY in the '80s

submitted by the Padilla family of her father and children in Oaxtepex in 1996 before his migration to Raleigh, North Carolina

submitted by the Padilla family of all of the family in Raleigh, North Carolina in 1997.

submitted by Jennessa Martinez whose mother is Mexican and father is first-generation Puerto Rican "the photo is of my titi Yoli, my dad, and my tio Izzy in Chicago Humboldt Park." Jenessa's father was a football coach in the neighborhood that helped take kids off the street, sadly he was a victim of gun violence in 2015.

submitted by Jennifer Moya 🇧🇴. “It's a photo of my mom and dad (Olga and Victor, I call them mami y papi) in Tiataco, Bolivia. This is before they were married, they were probably engaged at this point. I really love this photo because it's one of the few where they are smiling and you can really see how much they love each other. It's truly young love. They are also at my grandma's house in this photo, in el campo, where they grew up. Their families were neighbors but they didn't know of the existence of each other until my dad was visiting Bolivia, one his many trips back and forth after migrating to the U.S. My parents said they met while helping their parents with some farm work in the fields. That's when my dad fell in love with my mom. He kept on pursuing her for months until she finally agreed to go out with him. Who knew they would find love just across the street from each other? I wrote a poem about their love story in Spanish for a writing class in college because my parents never really told me all the details of their life, the emotions and thoughts they were feeling (from what I have noticed people from the campo sometimes have a hard time really expressing vulnerability and love for each other through words). So I tried to recreate the story through poetry, written word, from my dad's POV. I also started carrying this photo around with me in school to remind me why I do the things to do, for them, preserving and sharing our culture.”

submitted by Adeline Lulo of her and her family in the Bronx, NY in 1993. Her parents migrated from the Dominican Republic and they continue to live in the Bronx.

submitted by Elen “ This is a picture of my grandparents Aurelia & Ruben, my uncle Jaime & my dad Enrique. it was taken in Northridge, CA after receiving their US citizenship a couple of years after my grandpa moved from Michoacán & my grandma moved from Ensenada to Tecate, BC where they met and moved to the San Fernando Valley in the 80s”

Peter Luna’s school class in the 40’s in the Logan Barrio in Santa Ana. In collaboration with the Santa Ana city archives.

submitted by Nathalie Esther “This is my dad in Nicaragua 1984, he came to Pacoima, California in ‘85 then moved to Virginia and met my mom in ‘88.”

William Camargo is an Arts Educator, Photo-Based Artist and Arts Advocate born and raised in Anaheim, California, he is currently serving as Commissioner of Heritage and Culture in the city of Anaheim and working towards an M.F.A at Claremont Graduate University. He is the founder and curator of Latinx Diaspora Archives, an archive Instagram page that elevates communities of color through family photos. He attained his BFA at the California State University, Fullerton, and an AA from Fullerton College in photography.

William has held residencies at Project Art, the Chicago Artist Coalition, ACRE, and at LA Summer held at Otis School of Art and Design. He has also participated in the New York Times Portfolio Review, NALAC's Leadership(2018), and Advocacy(2020) Institutes. He is a current member of Diversify Photo an initiative started to diversify the photography industry. He was awarded the Friedman Grant from CGU and has given lectures at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, Gallery 400(Chicago), University of San Diego, Cal State Long Beach, the Claremont Colleges, USC Roski School of Art, among others.

Additionally, his work has been shown at the Chicago Cultural Center, Loisaida Center(New York), the University of Indianapolis(IN), Mexican Cultural Center and Cinematic Arts(Los Angeles), Stevenson University(Baltimore), The Cooper Gallery of African and African American Arts at Harvard, Irvine Fine Arts Center, and upcoming at the Phoenix Art Museum and Salz Pollak Atrium Gallery located at Cal State Fullerton.