In late February, Al Perry told me he saw a little boy running around downtown sporting a holster with a plastic Glock. “Jamie, this was a week after the (January 8) shootings,” he said. “I can’t imagine what his parents were thinking.”
A few days later, I read that some Arizona legislators presented a bill to establish the Colt Single Action Army revolver as the official state firearm. According to an Associated Press report published on Feb 23, Sen. Ron Gould (R-Lake Havasu City), the bill’s sponsor, sees “nothing wrong with honoring a firearm for its contribution to the state’s western heritage.”
I find it all sardonically amusing. It ties into what Lydia R. Otero, Ph.D., describes as the “Anglo fantasy heritage” in her recently published book La Calle – Spatial Conflicts and Urban Renewal in a Southwest City.
If the early to mid 20th Century tourism advertisements are to be believed, Caucasian cowboys subdued the Natives with guns and horses and created a modern city. Hence, the Colt is a perfect representation, si?
Let’s face it: history is written by the victors. Thankfully, our region’s borderland histories are being unearthed, researched and published – as in the aforementioned La Calle. In the film section, Herb Stratford covers the Precious Knowledge documentary about the state’s legislative assault on TUSD’s ethnic studies programs in local schools.
We also include some accounts of Barrio Viejo’s past in conjunction with KXCI’s Festival En El Barrio Viejo fundraiser.
In light of women’s history month, we highlight some of our community’s working female photographers, bike enthusiasts and chess fest organizers.
In the end, as we all work hard to create a better society, we should also focus on our own well-being. As Ashley James suggests in her article Rejuvenate Mind & Body, we encourage everyone to take a spa day to get relaxed and centered to re-establish our best selves.
