This year’s “Borderland Storytellers” will feature the legacy of Stahmann Farms in a special program to be taped at the KRWG Public Media studios on April 19. Community members along with students, faculty and staff at New Mexico State University are invited to participate in a moderated question-and-answer session with guests who tell their stories.
“Borderland Storytellers, Stahmann Farms: A Legacy” taping is scheduled for 3 p.m. Friday, April 19, in KRWG studios in Milton Hall, Room 106, on the NMSU Las Cruces campus. The program will be broadcast on KRWG-TV in early May.
This year’s featured speaker is Blanca Araujo, a professor in NMSU’s College of Health, Education and Social Transformation. Araujo lived at Stahmann Farms through most of her childhood and, with a team of colleagues, researched an oral history project, collecting the voices of those who lived and worked there.
Araujo will join others in a panel discussion moderated by Nick Miller, professor in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies. Audience members will have the opportunity to listen and participate with panelists who will share their stories about growing up in the historic Stahmann Farms agricultural community.
Two professors in the College of Arts and Sciences, photojournalism professor Bruce Berman and geology professor Christopher Brown, developed the concept of “Borderland Storytellers” to preserve the history, language and culture of the region by having guests share their experiences and engage with a studio audience.
Thanks to a collaboration with KRWG, the region’s public media broadcasting station, the idea evolved into “Borderland Storytellers” and a one-hour program for KRWG-TV.
“Having the opportunity for our team to work with Bruce, Christopher and our speakers on this project is something we are very proud of,” said Anthony Moreno, KRWG’s content director. “Preserving these stories for the next generation to discover can be a great resource for our region.”
Berman, an executive producer of the program, described the personal impact of Stahmann Farms. “This episode explores the hidden community that existed in the trees of Stahmann Farms, along New Mexico Highway 28, communities that existed before agricultural mechanization reduced the need for human labor, communities that took pride in their work, who took advantage of the kind patronage of the farm's owner – Mr. Stahmann – and who have, as a result of their childhood experiences, excelled in life.”
“Borderland Storytellers” is produced by KRWG Public Media in partnership with the NMSU Provost’s Office and its Beyond Borders Community of Practice project, the Center for Latin American and Border Studies, NMSU’s Department of Journalism and Media Studies, and the Creative Media Institute.
“Borderland Storytellers” will air on KRWG-TV at 7 p.m. Thursday, May 2, with rebroadcasts scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, May 4, and 11 a.m. Sunday, May 5. The program will also be streamed live at www.krwg.org.
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CUTLINE: The first “Borderland Storytellers” taping in KRWG-TV studios in April of 2023. (Courtesy photo)
CUTLINE: Blanca Araujo, professor in the College of Health Education and Social Transformation, is this year’s featured speaker in "Borderland Storytellers." Araujo lived at Stahmann Farms through most of her childhood and, with a team of colleagues, researched an oral history project. (NMSU photo)
CUTLINE: Bruce Berman, NMSU photojournalism professor, is an executive producer of the “Borderland Storytellers Stahmann Farms: A Legacy.” (Courtesy photo)
CUTLINE: Poster for “Borderland Storytellers” taping April 19.