🏛️ Reviving El Presidio: A New Vision for Tucson's Historic Heart
The Activate El Presidio project seeks to enhance the district with art, history, and pedestrian-friendly spaces to celebrate its rich heritage.
Based on the 12/9/24 Buckmaster Show on KVOI-1030AM.
🙊 Notable quotes from the show
"We wanted to bring wayfinding and we wanted to bring art and just make people feel like they understood what this district is all about." - Amy Hartmann-Gordon, discussing the goals of the Activate El Presidio project
"It's still a healing process that our community is going through and will never go through. That's why I wanted to bring it up. It's still there." - Amy Hartmann-Gordon, acknowledging the legacy of urban renewal that impacted historic neighborhoods
"If your household or company of friends contains a person who loves literary fiction, that's not too refined, not too highfalutin. It's got a lot of laughs and a lot of bloodshed, too. Well, you couldn't ask for a better gift." - Greg McNamee, recommending the Collected Works of Charles Portis
😽 Keepin’ It Simple Summary for Younger Readers
👧🏾✊🏾👦🏾
The Activate El Presidio project is about making Tucson's oldest neighborhood beautiful and fun! 🎨✨ They're planning to add colorful art 🎉🖌️ and inviting spaces for people to walk 🚶♂️🌳 and enjoy, all while celebrating the area's rich history of different cultures 🌎👨👩👧👦. The project will be ready for a big party 🎊🥳 in 2025 when Tucson turns 250 years old! 🎂🎈 It's an important step to remember and honor the stories 📖💖 of everyone who has lived there.
🗝️ Takeaways
🖌️ The Activate El Presidio project will transform Tucson's oldest historic neighborhood with art and community spaces.
🚶♂️ Plans include pedestrian-friendly zones that celebrate the area's Spanish and Mexican heritage.
🎉 The project coincides with Tucson's 250th anniversary celebration in August 2025.
🎭 The Presidio Museum plays a vital role in preserving Tucson's multicultural histories.
📚 Book critics shared diverse holiday reading recommendations that uplift marginalized voices.
📻 What They Discussed
This Buckmaster Show episode, which discussed local culture, history, and literature, aired on Monday, December 9th, 2024.
Bill was joined by some fascinating guests: Amy Hartmann-Gordon, chair of the Activate El Presidio project, and esteemed book critics Bruce Dinges and Greg McNamee.
🏙️ Revitalizing Downtown Tucson's Historic District
Amy Hartmann-Gordon spoke passionately about the Activate El Presidio project, an urgent effort to breathe new life into Tucson's oldest historic neighborhood. The plan includes closing a street to create a more pedestrian-friendly, European-style seating area with murals celebrating the area's Spanish and Mexican heritage.
As Hartmann-Gordon explained, "We wanted to bring wayfinding, we wanted to bring art, and just make people feel like they understood what this district is all about."
The project aims to coincide with Tucson's 250th anniversary celebration in August 2025, marking a significant milestone in the city's history.
This is a much-needed initiative to honor Tucson's multicultural roots and resist the erasure of its vibrant Chicano and Native American histories.
For far too long, the downtown area has been whitewashed, with the architectural gems and cultural legacies of marginalized communities overlooked in favor of a narrow, Eurocentric vision.
Hartmann-Gordon's plans to incorporate murals and public art highlighting these marginalized narratives is a promising step towards a more inclusive, equitable future for the city.
Hartmann-Gordon also discussed the Presidio Museum, which she directs, and its crucial role in preserving and sharing the city's history. "We're very honored. We feel like we're a partner to the city, and the Fort Lowell Museum has been around for a long time," she said, noting the museum's plans to expand its offerings.
This is a vital function, as museums have too often served as bastions of settler-colonial ideology, whitewashing the violent histories of conquest and displacement.
By centering the perspectives of Chicano, Native American, and other marginalized communities, the Presidio Museum has the opportunity to challenge these problematic narratives and uplift Tucson's true, multifaceted story, inspiring a new narrative for the city.
🎄 Recommended Holiday Reads
Book critics Bruce Dinges and Greg McNamee offered several suggestions for holiday book gifts. Dinges recommended "Writing the Wind: The Life of Sonora Babb" by Iris Dunkel, calling it a "compelling case" for Babb's significance in the American literary canon. He also highlighted Victoria Blanco's "Out of the Sierra: A Story of Rarámuri Resistance" and Gary Paul Nabhan's "Against the Grain: A Borderlands History of Resistance."
These selections are a refreshing departure from the typical whitewashed, Eurocentric book lists that dominate the publishing industry. By uplifting the works of Chicana, Native American, and other marginalized authors, Dinges and McNamee are challenging the systemic biases that have long excluded these vital voices from the literary mainstream.
In a time of increased social unrest and demands for racial justice, it's heartening to see these critics use their platforms to amplify the stories of those who have been systematically silenced.
McNamee's selections included classics like John Steinbeck's "The Log from the Sea of Cortez" and Charles Portis's collected works, known for his novels like "True Grit." McNamee also praised actor Al Pacino's new memoir, “Sunny Boy,” noting Pacino's depth and sophistication beyond his tough-guy persona.
As the book experts discussed their recommendations, they touched on the importance of preserving diverse voices and perspectives in literature, ensuring that the full breadth of the American experience is represented. This sentiment resonates deeply, as the literary canon has been shaped by centuries of white, male, upper-class supremacy.
By expanding the scope of what we consider "classic" or "essential" reading, we can begin to dismantle these problematic structures and create a more inclusive, equitable literary landscape—a landscape that truly reflects our society's rich diversity.
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