Barrios Oral History Project

Irene Gomez Hormell was born in 1937 and raised on a ranch west of Tempe. Her father's side of the family included several pioneers in central Arizona, such as Dr. W. W. Jones, a miner and freighter who was involved in the Vulture Mine near Wickenburg, and Jesús Gómez, a cowboy and Apache scout who was born in northern Sonora. Her mother's parents were Mexican immigrants who came to Arizona at the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910. Ms. Hormell has been actively involved in the planning of the Barrios exhibit and many related programs at the Tempe Historical Museum.

In this lengthy interview, Ms. Hormell discusses the problems of racial segregation and discrimination that Tempe's Hispanic community faced in the 1940s and '50s. While many of the most obvious practices of segregation, such as maintaining the separate Eighth Street School for Hispanic children and excluding Hispanic citizens from the Tempe Beach Swimming Pool, ceased at the end of World War II, other more subtle forms of segregation and discrimination continued to persist in Tempe. She discusses discriminatory practices of businesses, the Catholic church, city government, and the community at large in matters relating to employment, education, housing, social activities. She also examines in great detail the strong family and community relationships that existed in the barrios, and continuing sense of community among former residents of the Tempe barrios.

OH-130 -- HORMELL TRANSCRIPT PART ONE

OH-130 -- HORMELL TRANSCRIPT PART TWO

OH-130 -- HORMELL TRANSCRIPT PART THREE

A brief earlier interview was conducted with Irene. See interview number OH - 124.