The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
A river of history
Historian Arroyo puts past days of Black River on social media
“I don’t want people to relive the good old days. I want them to be inspired by the past, but we’ve done that, so let’s do something different.”
— Local historian Kel Arroyo
Anyone who wants to know Lorain should get to know the Black River, says one of the city’s local historians.
Kel Arroyo, 40, is the Lorain Historical Society staffer who handles social media for the organization. He doubles as a volunteer tour guide on the History Excursion riverboat trips offered by the Lorain Port Authority.
“I was always a fan of history and I think that it’s important to know: If you’re into history, start with your city,” Arroyo said. “Learning Lorain’s history is just exciting because there’s so much more to it than you realize.”
Beginning history
Arroyo began volunteering with the organization about a decade ago, by his estimate.
“I’ve always been a fan of history,” Arroyo said. “I think I had lost my job. At the time I was like, I need to work whether I’m being paid or not. That was what finally got me at the historical society asking, do you need volunteers?
“It was something I was putting off for a long time,” he said. “When I lost my job it was like, do this today.”
Arroyo preceded Society Executive Director Barb Piscopo, but he was welcomed by longtime local historian, volunteer, trustee and head docent Rodney Beals.
“He was very excited that I was here because I was Puerto Rican, my grandfather moved here because of the steel mill,” Arroyo said. “It was, like, perfect for me to show the industry room. I was excited because I wanted to learn the history and show it off to other people.
“I did exactly what I wanted to do,” he said. “I still love showing the museum and doing the boat tours.”
Family history
Arroyo’s grandfather, Lorenzo Arroyo, left Puerto Rico to settle in South Lorain in the early 1950s. Over time he sent for his wife and their 13 children.
As a steelworker, Lorenzo Arroyo learned English well, advanced in the job and worked 35 years in the mill.
Kel Arroyo grew up on the city’s east side but made frequent visits to his relatives.
“It just smelled like rice and beans when you’re on the south side,” he said.
Arroyo was a Lorain High School student when the school closed, so he spent his senior year at Southview High School. He became the family history buff and earned his associate’s degree at Lorain County Community College.
By day Arroyo works for Education Alternatives, a school founded in 1999 for academic and therapeutic services for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties.
Music history
His work in social media grew out of his love for music.
Among his favorite bands are the hip hop group Public Enemy. A hardcore fan since discovering their album, “Apocalypse 91 … The Enemy Strikes Black,” Arroyo began reaching out to the band and fans in online message boards.
Public Enemy reached back, so Arroyo, working in college radio, interviewed rapper Carlton Ridenhour — better known as Chuck D, who became famous with bandmates Flavor Flav, Professor Griff and Terminator X.
The interaction eventually led Arroyo to two stints on the road with Public Enemy and other hip hop performers in 2012 and 2013.
Arroyo’s job was to keep up Public Enemy’s social media: interviewing the artists and fans, recording shows, blogging about the tours.
He was with them in late 2012 when the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame announced the band would be inducted in 2013, the fourth hip hop act in the hall, “so it was a big deal.”
“It was a lot of fun, it was a lot of work. I was sweating, believe me,” Arroyo said.
Lorain history
At the Lorain Historical Society, Arroyo redeveloped the organization’s Facebook and Twitter accounts; earlier versions were scrapped due to hacking, he said.
Arroyo has become involved with the organization’s Millennial Group. He credited Piscopo for making a concerted effort to get younger people involved.
“When I started, the Lorain Historical Society was like most historical societies, it was nothing but old white people,” Arroyo said.
It’s a perception that lingers, he said.
“The Millennial Group itself is a project,” Arroyo said. “Just getting millennials in here is hard because when people think of a historical society they think of an old white guy thing. So getting younger people and getting a more diverse crowd into it is an uphill battle because people either look upon it with suspicion or they think, this isn’t for me.”
Arroyo has worked with Lorain Proud, the movement to spark a new sense of civic pride.
“That’s the number one thing about Lorain Proud, to get people to think positively about our city,” he said.
River history
As for the boat tours, Arroyo said he doesn’t remember exactly how it came about, but Piscopo was seeking volunteers. “I jumped at it,” he said. Historical Society trustee Joyce Ferlic Arredondo drafted the tour script and Arroyo has found his own additions to share with guests.
From the Lorain Lighthouse upriver past the steel mills, from Native Americans to current residents, there are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of details that make up Lorain.
“I think that everybody in Lorain should take that tour,” Arroyo said.
“Not just because I’m the coolest tour guide they could possibly get,” he added with a smile. “But 90 percent of what you need to know about this city’s history is because of that river. There’s so much there.”
As important as the history is, Lorain has a future, too, Arroyo said.
“I don’t want people to relive the good old days,” Arroyo said. “I want them to be inspired by the past, but we’ve done that, so let’s do something different.
“The steel mill ain’t coming back, so let’s find our new thing,” he said. “We can be great. We don’t have to be the same.”