Swing Into History

Dusenberry-River Branch Library 5605 E River Rd #105, Tucson, AZ, United States

With the exception of the most ardent collectors and older generation, the influence and legacy of the big bands is largely forgotten despite their overwhelming popularity and significant role in early radio. Join Larson as he revisits the sounds America listened and danced to for more than three decades. Learn how iconic artists like Glenn […]

Free

Africanized Honeybees in Arizona: What They Tell Us About Who We Are – Tucson

Joel D. Valdez Main Library 101 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

Arizona is the only state in the Union that has been documented as having Africanized bees in every single county. The story of Africanized bees in Arizona is very much a story about the Southwest, and its distinct differences from the rest of the United States. The bees show us that we are living and […]

Free

The Lives and Achievements of Tucson’s Unknown African American Pioneers, 1860-1910 (Tucson)

Joel D. Valdez Main Library 101 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

Tucson’s African-American community overcame numerous scandals to become some of the city’s most prosperous and well-known citizens. Newspapers throughout the Arizona territory captured more than their unlawful exploits but gave biographical information about each African-American. Men like George Bragg, who was a barber by trade, made headlines that rocked when he was charged with the […]

Free

You Are Where You Eat: How Dining Out Defines Arizona (Tucson)

Himmel Park Public Library 1035 N. Treat Avenue, Tucson, AZ, United States

When the first dining guide to the Valley of the Sun appeared in 1978, the authors had to explain what “sushi” was. Fast forward four decades, and Arizonans are munching rainbow rolls in shopping-mall food courts. The restaurant business in Arizona now brings in more than $11 billion a year. With stories, statistics and insider […]

Free

Set in Stone but Not in Meaning: Southwestern Indian Rock Art (Tucson)

Himmel Park Public Library 1035 N. Treat Avenue, Tucson, AZ, United States

Ancient Indian pictographs (rock paintings) and petroglyphs (symbols carved or pecked on rocks) are claimed by some to be forms of writing for which meanings are known. However, are such claims supported by archaeology or by Native Americans themselves? Mr. Dart illustrates southwestern petroglyphs and pictographs, and discusses how even the same rock art symbol […]

Free

Climate and Moral Responsibility in Arizona (Tucson)

Joel D. Valdez Main Library 101 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ, United States

Global warming presents humanity with one of the most difficult ethical challenges ever faced. More than just a scientific problem this is a collective action problem requiring that we work together to find appropriate strategies for adaptation. It requires recognizing attribution of cause and effect and careful consideration of the likely outcomes of harm to […]

Free

The Holocaust and Its Memory

Himmel Park Public Library 1035 N. Treat Avenue, Tucson, AZ, United States

The Nazis in Germany committed the worst crimes against humanity in world history. The Holocaust will remain in our collective memory and reminds us constantly of the profound dangers that threaten modern society.  Democracy is a fragile construct. This presentation analyzes the causes and conditions for the rise of the Nazis in Germany, and traces […]

Free

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