Jerome – Too Stubborn to Die – How the Town Survived Numerous “Near-Death” Experiences with Jay Mark

Desert Broom Library 29710 N. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ, United States

Numerous fires, landslides, floods, labor strikes, polluted air, epidemics, Depression, recessions, financial collapse, one adversity after another. Any one of these might spell the end of a lesser community. But, in Arizona, one town survived these “near-death” experiences, and more; yet managed to survive. Some might even say, “thrive.” This presentation looks at the numerous […]

FREE

Decolonizing Beauty: Who Is Considered Beautiful? with Kaari Aubrey

Copper Room at GateWay Community College 108 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85034

How is beauty portrayed in the movies we watch? In the ads we are exposed to? Popular culture, or the dominant culture, has played a key role in defining the standards of beauty in America and across the globe. We celebrate blondness, fairness, blue-eyes, and slender figures (in women). What advantages and privileges are associated […]

FREE

Growing in the Desert: The History & Culture of the Tohono O’odham with Jacelle Ramon-Sauberan

Good Shepherd of the Hills Episcopal Church 6502 E. Cave Creek Rd., Cave Creek, AZ, United States

Many Arizonans call the Sonoran Desert and its striking landscapes home. Long before our urban centers and city lights lit up the dark desert skies, the Tohono O’odham were cultivating and shaping the land with abundant agriculture—from squash and beans to corn and cotton. For generations they passed down their rich knowledge and culture grown […]

FREE

He/She/They: Why Pronouns Matter with Erick Tanchez

Copper Room at GateWay Community College 108 N. 40th Street, Phoenix, AZ, 85034

There has been a lot of attention on pronouns in the news headlines recently—from state bills aimed at regulating pronouns in the classroom to social media platforms offering pronoun options. So, what is a pronoun? How are pronouns related to gender identity, such as cisgender, transgender, nonbinary? What are gender identities? Is there a difference […]

FREE

Representation Matters – Reframing American History through the Japanese Experience: A Conversation about Community Storytelling

Virtual AZ, United States

As Americans grapple with increasing tension and division, what can we learn from the past to connect with each other? Arizona has a rich history with Japanese Americans since the 19th century. Hundreds of acres of the land were once owned by Japanese-American farmers who created thriving agriculture communities, producing and delivering products across and […]

FREE

Southwestern Rock Calendars and Ancient Time Pieces with Allen Dart

Holland Community Center 34250 N 60th St., Scottsdale, AZ, United States

Native Americans in the US Southwest developed sophisticated skills in astronomy and predicting the seasons, centuries before non-Indigenous peoples entered the region. In this presentation, archaeologist Allen Dart discusses archaeological and ethnographic evidence of ancient astronomical and calendrical reckoning practices seen in petroglyphs, architecture, and settlement layouts in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah, and […]

FREE

The Jews of Sosua: An Inspirational Story of Holocaust Survival with Dan Fellner

Temple B'rith Shalom 2077 Brohner Way, Prescott, AZ

It is one of the most uplifting – yet often forgotten – stories of Jewish survival during the Holocaust. In the early 1940s, the Dominican Republic was the only sovereign country to accept large numbers of Jewish refugees. About 750 German and Austrian Jews found a safe haven on an abandoned banana plantation in a […]

FREE

Seeing the Desert with Gregory McNamee

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

Most Arizonans are not originally from Arizona, and most come from places that are far greener and milder of climate than our desert. For many of us, it takes a shift of eye and of attitude to appreciate this hot, dry place—but once it gets into one’s soul, there’s nowhere like it. This talk explains […]

FREE

Being Human in the Anthropocene with Matthew Goodwin

Mohave Community College Library - Arizona Room 1977 Acoma Blvd W., Lake Havasu City, Arizona

The Anthropocene is the name scientists have proposed for the geological epoch that we are currently in, when humans have become a significant driving force shaping Earth’s climate, ecosystems, and biodiversity. We may now be on the cusp of a revolution in computing and robotics in an era of artificial intelligence that raises a question: […]

FREE

Rivers of Dreams: Songs and Stories of Arizona’s Waterways with Jay Craváth

San Tan Historical Society Museum 20425 S. Old Ellsworth Road, Queen Creek, AZ, United States

The Colorado, the Gila, the Salt, the Verde, the Hassayampa, the Santa Cruz: Arizona’s rivers were lush green ribbons of life flowing through a desert landscape. They became sustaining paths for indigenous traders and immigrants leaving wagon tracks and settlements. The Hohokam built vast canals from the Salt to direct irrigation water for crops. European […]

FREE

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