Arizonans document moments of history

PHOENIX - Erika Andiola and her mother, Maria, may be familiar to you.

Maria was picked up by immigration in Mesa early this year. She was on the verge of being deported, but was eventually released. She says it was, in part, thanks to her daughter's resolve.

"I was able to mobilize the community, I was able to put my story out there, we were able to make thousands of calls and e-mails and put so much pressure on immigration, that she was able to be released," Erika said.

On Wednesday, the pair got a chance to share their story.

"If anybody wants to see what was happening here in Arizona in 2010, in 2012, and how immigrants were treated, they can look back, and see the story of my mother and the community here," she said.

It's all part of "Story Corps," a project sponsored by National Public Radio that's crisscrossing the country, allowing people to share their stories.

"Our slogan is 'tu historia es la history,' it's kind of like your story is part of our history," Radio Campesina's Victor Gamiz said.

For the next two weeks, they'll be recording stories at the Phoenix Art Museum.

"We're basically inviting the Hispanic community to come out and share their story with Radio Campesina and Story Corps, which is one of the largest oral history projects in the United States," Gamiz said.

Erika planned to ask her mom to share stories she wanted others to know.

"I want to ask her why she brought me here, and for people to understand her story, and that she's here for the right reasons," she said.

Organizers call them stories and story-tellers well worth preserving.