|
Contact: Dave Carney, 520-723-3172
Casa Grande Ruins 2016 Speaker Series held Weekly at Monument COOLIDGE, AZ –Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, in partnership with the Arizona Humanities Council and Friends of Casa Grande Ruins, will kick off the 2016 Speaker Series for the general public at noon on Wednesday January 20th. The first speaker in the series will be Geta LeSeur who will present "Beyond the Cotton Fields: Black Migrant Women Building Communities". This presentation is based on the stories of five women from the Casa Grande Valley towns (Eloy, Randolph, Coolidge, Casa Grande, and the Gila Reservation) who, despite their busy and oppressive lives of work, family, poor housing, etc., managed to become politicized, self-educated activists. They rebuilt their lives and created lively communities even after "the cotton machine" robbed them of job opportunities. This presentation is a tribute to these resilient women and may feature a visit from at least one of the women or their "relatives" so as to add further depth to the discussion. Geta is a professor of English and African studies at the University of Arizona, specializing in African Caribbean, and African American literature. Her book Not All Okies Are White: The Lives of Black Cotton Pickers in Arizona was selected as Southwest Book of the Year in 2000. Geta presents history not as a litany of dates, battles, and politicians, but as the stories of those who lived before us –the stories of the ordinary individuals facing the challenges and triumphs of life. The Casa Grande Ruins lecture series is open to the public and will take place Wednesdays at noon from Jan 20th- February 24 at the Casa Grande Ruins visitor center auditorium, located at 1100 W. Ruins Drive, Coolidge, AZ. Lectures and discussions will last approximately one hour. For more information call (520) 723-3172. Search for Casa Grande Ruins National Monument on Facebook for updates and daily posts! Other speakers who will be presenting in 2016 are Bernard G. Siquieros of the Tohono O'odham Nation on January 27, Matt Guebard of the National Park Service on February 3, Allen Dart from Old Pueblo Archaeology Center on February 10, Kenneth Zoll from Verde Valley Archaeology Center on February 17, and Robin Pinto who has written numerous histories for southern Arizona National Parks on February 24. Casa Grande Ruins National Monument protects the multi-story Great House and the ruins of other ancient structures built by the people of the Sonoran Desert over 800 years ago.Established as the nation's first archeological reserve in 1892, the Ruins sparked the beginning of the archeological preservation movement in America.The Monument is open daily from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. -- NPS – |
Last updated: January 12, 2016