Saviors and Saints on the Arizona Frontier with Jan Cleere

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

Our River Stories: The Gila and the Salt with Zarco Guerrero

Coolidge Public Library 160 W. Central Avenue, Coolidge, AZ, United States

Join Zarco for a series of stories that share the vibrant and tragic history of water and the River People, over a 2,000 year period. Beginning with the Toltec trade route that brought agriculture and corn to the Southwest. The history of the O’Odham before and after the expansion west is revealed. We learn about […]

FREE

LGBT+: A History in Arizona with Marshall Shore

AZ, United States

Arizona’s history of the LGBT+ community begins long before Arizona was a state with the Native American belief of two-spirits, continuing on through to the seismic shift of Civil Union/ Marriage Equality. There are some surprises along the way as we talk about artists and Arizona connections to Warhol, Keith Haring, and those muscle magazines […]

FREE

From “Chief” to Code Talker: Four Profiles of the Navajo Code Talkers with Dr. Laura Tohe

Pima County Public Library - Woods Memorial Library 3455 N 1st Avenue, Tucson , AZ, United States

During WWII a group of young Navajo men enlisted in the Marines without knowing that they would be called on to develop a secret code against the Japanese military. This select group of Code Talkers devised a Navajo language code that was accurate, quick, never broken, and saved many American lives. This talk profiles four […]

FREE

Diné History’s Impact on Jewelry with Nanibaa Beck

AZ, United States

Nanibaa Beck provides a history of Diné jewelry over the century, focusing on changes in each decade. Beck highlights the shifting techniques, styles, and meaning of the art over the years. Also incorporated is the impact of boarding schools, training schools and access to new styles and materials on Navajo jewelry over this expanded period […]

FREE

The Underground and Overground Railroad with Dr. Tamika Sanders

Avondale Civic Center Library 11350 W. Civic Center Drive, Avondale, 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

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

Goodyear Recreation Campus 420 Estrella Pkwy, Goodyear, AZ, 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 […]

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 […]

FREE

Pathways of Water: Historical Journeys Along Arizona’s Rivers with Jay Craváth

Mesquite Branch - Phoenix Public Library 4525 Paradise Village Pkwy N, Phoenix, AZ, United States

Water sustains life and has a significant role in our state’s history. The myths and stories of our indigenous tribes are rich with its references. Immigrants trod and floated Arizona’s waterways enduring great peril. Government surveyors explored and mapped our river systems. Huge dams blocked their flow to create vast reservoirs. This program will share […]

FREE

They Beat the Heat: How Arizonans Survived the Desert Heat in the Days Before Air Conditioning with Christine Reid

R.H. Johnson Lecture Hall 19803 R. H. Johnson Blvd., Sun City West, AZ, United States

Drawing from multi-cultural influences of the variety of people who helped build Arizona, discover how creative adaptations in lifestyle, architecture, building materials, town planning and even humor all contributed to surviving intense desert temperatures. What have we forgotten and what can we learn from the wisdom of those who came before as climate becomes a […]

FREE

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