Understanding and Learning to Talk About Systemic Racism with Rowdy Duncan

AZ, United States

The term systemic racism is being used a lot these days by political pundits and ordinary people. What is the notion of systemic racism? What are the key definitions that we need to know to understand systemic racism? The concepts of race, racism, reverse racism, white privilege, intersectional racism, affirmative action, political correctness, and systemic […]

FREE

Saviors and Saints on the Arizona Frontier with Jan Cleere

Apache Junction Library 1177 N. Idaho Rd., Apache Junction, AZ, United States

Health care in early Arizona was hardly reliable and frequently nonexistent. Often, settlers were on their own when tragedy struck with women taking on the responsibility for the well-being of their families. And if women were considered incapable of earning the title “Doctor,” they could certainly save souls. Meet a handful of women who influenced […]

FREE

You Can’t Quit Being White: Arizona Territories Intriguing First Inter-Racial Marriage Trial with Bernard Wilson

AZ, United States

Prior to the U.S. Supreme Court Case Loving vs. Virginia, the validity of an inter-racial marriage was dependent upon the state or territory a person lived. In the Arizona territories the laws governing miscegenation, or inter-racial marriage, focused on the prevention of creating mixed racial persons, rather than actual marital unions. In 1892, a couple […]

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The Mexico-US Borderland as Authentic Place: How to See the Border and Its Issues with Clarity with Scott Warren

Mohave Community College - Hodel Library - AZ Reading Room 1977 W Acoma Blvd, Lake Havasu City, AZ, United States

Authenticity contrasts with stereotype. It is regrettable that much of the public image of the borderland between Mexico and the U.S. is shaped by persistent stereotypes rather than complex understanding. When policy solutions are tailored to these stereotypes they almost always fall short of their objectives in the real borderland. The notion of authentic place, […]

FREE

The Underground and Overground Railroad with Dr. Tamika Sanders

Dorothy Powell Senior Adult Center 405 E. 6th St., Casa Grande, AZ, United States

Using storytelling, historical artifacts and songs, this presentation will depict the ingenuity and resiliency used by those involved in the Underground Railroad to help over 100,000 enslaved people escape to freedom between 1810 and 1850. We’ll then fast forward to the Jim Crow era and explore the Overground Railroad created by the Green Book which […]

FREE

They Did More than Just Drink: How Black Social Clubs Created Communities in Tucson from 1860-1900 with Bernard Wilson

AZ, United States

Between 1865 and 1870, Black people from slave states emigrated to Tucson. As skilled cooks, domestics, barbers, scouts, surveyors, and builders, they came in search of place to start life as free people. Historians described this first wave of Black pioneers as passive Tucsonans disinterested in the politics and governance of the city. Yet, these […]

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Miners, Cowboys and Washerwomen: The Worksongs of Arizona with Jay Craváth

Apache Junction Library 1177 N. Idaho Rd., Apache Junction, AZ, United States

In a narrative and musical portrait of working-class music, Dr. Craváth explores its roots and rhythms in our state. From Hopi basket songs, the Yavapai acorn gathering songs, to the cotton fields of Chandler and the crooked streets of Jerome, songs were companions to the immigrants who explored and built our state. Through performance and […]

What is Patriotism? with Dr. Matthew Whitaker

AZ, United States

Patriotism has been defined as loyalty to or defense of one’s country. What do political leaders and social activists mean when they use the term “patriot”? What is the difference between patriotism and nationalism? Throughout history people have demonstrated patriotism through military service, government service, protests, marches, sit-ins and more. How is patriotism expressed now? […]

FREE

A Story, A Story: Ananse Tales to Live By with Dr. Akua Duku Anokye

Mesa Public Library - Main Branch 64 E. 1st Street, Mesa, United States

Ananse the Spider, a trickster hero of Ghana, is one of the most important characters of West African and Caribbean folklore. Ananse’s tales are told to not only explain the origins of the Akan people, but used to reinforce the belief system that enriches their society. Not just found in Ghana, these stories are likened […]

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Arizona Goes to the Movies: A Filmmaking History with Jim Turner

Cochise College Benson Center 1025 S. Highway 90, Benson, AZ, United States

From Douglas Fairbanks filming in Nogales in 1917 to “How the West Was Won” statewide in 1963, the state of Arizona has always been a photogenic favorite for movie producers. The program looks from “Real to Reel” to see how Hollywood has affected popular views of Western settlement and continues to impact social interactions. The […]

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