Guadalupe: Pirate’s Daughter

My father told me to believe in myself and that I can do anything in life. He was blinded in an accident. I was his eyes, describing everything for him so he could make sense of our environment. He used to tell me he was a pirate because he was missing one eye. I’m a … Read more

Richard: Therapeutic Rhythms

I am originally from the twin islands of Trinidad and Tobago, home of the steel drum, Calypso, and limbo. I moved to Tucson in 1998 to further my studies in aeronautical engineering. I am the CEO of Jam 2 Grow, which takes a rhythmic approach to team building, professional development, and community service. I am … Read more

Gina: A Happy Life

I’m from Puerto Rico. I lived in the Dominican Republic when I was very little. There was a chicken coop under the shade of a big mango tree that I remember climbing when I was three years old and getting stuck on the top. My parents sent me to college to a very small all-women’s … Read more

Loma: Festival Origins

I was born in Santa Barbara, California. I met my husband, Jim, when I was about 20, and he was an archaeologist drifting toward art history. We took our honeymoon through Arizona and visited various Indian tribes and saw a lot of culture. In 1963, we wound up in Tucson. He got a degree, and … Read more

Hilary: Defining Culture

I was born and raised in London to Jamaican parents, both of whom left Jamaica when they were in their late teens. They have lived in England since then. I have the Jamaican culture, I have the British culture. I left England and came to the States in 2005. I have lived in three different … Read more

Jim: The Feats of Youth

I was nine or ten years old in 1966 when I was in the Tucson Boys Chorus. We were about to leave on tour from the Temple of Music and Art downtown. Going on a three month tour with 37 other boys on a bus had been kind of abstract. I was just kind of … Read more

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