Zócalo Public Square, a one-of-a-kind initiative to better understand citizenship and community, is posing a an intriguing question:
In a state where the majority of residents are migrants from elsewhere, how much does Arizona’s history matter?
On February 7, a week before the centennial of Arizona’s statehood, Zócalo will host a public event in Tucson to delve into the question. Jack B. Jewett, president and CEO of the Flinn Foundation, will serve as moderator for the free event, which will be held at the Hotel Congress at 6:30 p.m.
- Panelists at the event will include:
- Thomas E. Sheridan, University of Arizona professor of anthropology;
- Eric V. Meeks, Northern Arizona University professor of history;
- Lattie Coor, founder of the Center for the Future of Arizona; and
- Tom Zoellner, author of A Safeway in Arizona.
Among the related questions that Zócalo will invite the panelists to consider:
How are these people who pulled up stakes and changed the course of their personal histories to become Arizonans influenced—if at all—by the events that preceded their arrival? One hundred years ago, Arizona emerged as a state after a two-decade-long struggle to convince Congress that its citizens were “American” enough. Did the way it joined the union shape its present-day culture?
Reservations for the event, and more information about it, are available on the Zócalo website.